COMMENTARY ON THE PROPHET ISAIAH

Book 1

Preface

The word of the holy prophets is always obscure, but it is filled with hidden meanings, and travails for us with the foretelling of divine mysteries. For Christ is the end of the law and the prophets, as it is written. But I say that those who wish to make clear such subtle and enigmatic things must hasten to survey the breadth of the contemplations with the eye of the mind, and very prudently, on the one hand, the accuracy of the history, and on the other, the rendering of the spiritual interpretation, so that what is beneficial may come forth from all sides to the readers, and the clarification of the proposed meanings may appear, having nothing lacking. I know, then, that some who came before have written on these things, and have composed long discourses for us about them; and I think this is sufficient, and at least furnishes a not ignoble excuse for others to hesitate, and persuades them to choose silence rather than to add to what others have already said—saying nothing new, but rather repeating the same things and going through the same contemplations. But since, even if this should happen, it would not be distressing at all, and since listeners are confirmed in the truth through the harmony of the majority, I persuade myself even now to be superior to hesitation, convinced that the sweat and labor on good studies is better than the idleness in snoring, and not at all having given up the hope of being able sometimes to find something new and different, as God widens the path in contemplations. For it is written, that "Your commandment is exceedingly broad." Therefore the blessed Isaiah prophesies in the times of the reign of Uzziah, and Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah. And come, let us recall the times of each, and say cursorily how he lived out his life. For from this we shall know that the word of prophecy is both fitting and most suitable to the things being done at those times. Uzziah, therefore, who is also Ozias, was a pious man, and he advanced in both glory and strength to such a point as to conquer the nations bordering Judea, and indeed to impose tributes on many, and to subject them by necessity to his own scepters, and to build up cities, and to acquire others, and to join them to the borders of the land of the Jews. Then he suffered something human. For from excessive luxury, and being overcome by the pre-eminence of his fame, he grew haughty in a way, and being mastered by the disease of arrogance, he even rose up against the divine law itself. For he thought he ought to crown himself also with the glories of the divine priesthood. For he attempted to enter the divine temple, and by himself to offer incense to God and unlawfully to perform the established rites. For this reason he was immediately struck with leprosy, and was most dishonored; for according to the law, the one overcome by the affliction of leprosy is unclean. Then Jotham, his son, succeeded to the kingdom of Uzziah, a God-loving man, yet he did not, it says, remove the high places, but the men of Israel still sacrificed to the works of their own hands, occupying mountains and hills, under oak, and poplar, and a shading tree, as Hosea says, "because the shade is good." And when Jotham died, Ahaz succeeded to the scepter, a most abominable and God-hated man, and full of the utmost wickedness. This man even shut the divine temple, and did not permit the God of all to be honored with the sacrifices according to the law, and he forbade the customary feasts of the Jews, and in every place of Jerusalem, having set up altars, he commanded them to worship handmade things, and to serve the host of heaven; and indeed he even passed his own children through fire, that is, he burned them as a sacrifice to the unclean demons, and to put it simply, there was no manner of impiety unpracticed by him. Then after him reigned Hezekiah, a pious and God-loving man, and a master of righteousness, and a zealot for every good thing, and a doer of the divine wills. This man commanded everything to be done and to have force against the transgressions of Ahaz; for he opened the doors of the temple, then he decreed that sacrifices and libations be offered to God, and that He be honored with sacred rites according to the law; and indeed, without long delays, he is seen to have renewed the law concerning the Passover. He tore down sacred precincts, and altars, and handmade things, and soothsayers and false prophets, and he commanded the hordes of enchanters to be still, and he was a good man in the eyes of God. Therefore, since in the times of the reign of those just mentioned by us, at one time the God of all was provoked to wrath, when Israel practiced idolatry; and at another time He was softened to gentleness, when it was transformed to piety through the clemency of the ruler; for this reason the discourse of the prophecy is mixed, and at times it makes the greatest threat, as against an impious Israel, but it introduces a word of promise for good things. And it everywhere remembers the redemption through Christ, and says that at times Israel will be sent away from intimacy with God, but the multitude of the nations will be received, being justified through the faith that is in Christ. So that it seems to me to crown the blessed prophet Isaiah very well, not with the grace of prophecy alone, but indeed also with apostolic boasts. For at the same time he is both a prophet and an apostle, and he will make the words of his own writing not devoid of the brightness of the evangelical proclamations.

Discourse 1

The vision which Isaiah son of Amoz saw, which he saw against Judea, and against Jerusalem in the reign of Uzziah, and Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah who reigned over Judea. I do not think one would be mistaken in saying this about the holy prophets, that they received not only the knowledge of future things, as the Holy Spirit illuminated the matter for them and resounded in their mind, but indeed that at times they also became spectators of the events themselves. So the blessed prophet Isaiah seems to have seen with the eyes of the mind the sufferings that would come at various times upon Judea, on the one hand, the phalanxes of the enemy ravaging the land, and on the other, the cities laid waste, and houses set on fire, and whatever things are done by enemies according to the laws of war. For this reason it is written at the beginning of the prophecy: "The vision which Isaiah son of Amoz saw, against Judea and against Jerusalem." And he usefully notes the times of the kings, so that God might be seen to be speaking things in the prophet appropriately to the ways of each one. Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken, I have begotten and raised up sons, but they have rejected me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel did not know me, and the people did not understand me. What is the matter, what is the meaning, and what it might wish to signify, it is necessary to examine. For the blessed prophet calls heaven and earth to witness, as it were, and doing this not without God, but says that the words are not his own, but rather God's. Signifying through this that they will in every way and entirely come to pass, and terrifying the hearers with the fears of what they are to suffer. For it is impossible for God to speak falsely; and at the same time establishing that other point, as I think. For since he was about to make the predictions against Judea and Jerusalem, and to announce beforehand sufferings beyond all description, and incurable calamities, he was not ignorant that in every way and by all means those to whom the word was addressed would be whetted to anger. Therefore, he says that the Lord spoke such things to them, most skillfully repelling the rage of the unholy, and as it were, shaming away their unjust anger. For if he was taken as a mediator and minister, and would convey the words from above and from God, how could anyone be justly angry with him? or rather, how would the impious ventures of wrath not be against God who has spoken. Therefore, does he very reasonably call heaven and earth to witness? For since he was about to make complaints against Israel, he wishes the angels in heaven, and also the whole earth itself, to know the ways of his impiety, so that no one might think that he was moved in vain or for trifling and most insignificant stumbles had been ruined, to make an outcast of the beloved, and the people set for him as an inheritance, and who long ago by very great strength had been rescued from the greed of the Egyptians. For he pitied them as being wronged, contrary to what was fitting, and their nobility which was both proper to and inherent in their fathers, being weighed down by unwilling servitude. But since the oppressors resisted, they were punished bitterly, God inflicting every kind of torment upon them. Therefore, just as the acceptance of those from Israel became most notable, so he wishes the manner of their rejection not to be unknown. But if some should wish the very elements to be called by the prophet's voice, the force of their thoughts would not miss the mark of a fitting argument, having considered this. For Israel was being redeemed, as I said, from the unholiness of the Egyptians through Moses. But since Pharaoh, unholily rising up against the commands of God, said, I do not know the Lord, and I will not send Israel away, creation was armed with its own master against the hateful ones. For from above and from heaven there were very many and conspicuous signs, and likewise very many and not unwonderful ones on the earth itself. For the heaven sent down the hail, and the earth cast up frogs, as it is written; and the water was changed into blood, and as furnace soot was scattered and clouded the air, ulcers and boils breaking out happened to the bodies of all. Therefore, as the very elements had toiled almost in vain for those who were redeemed, "Hear, O heaven, he says, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken." But we will also approach the meanings of what is before us in another way. For having dishonored the instruction through the law, those from Israel, and having despised the saving teachings, having abandoned the one and by nature God, they offered their worship to unclean demons on mountains and hills, and in the most well-wooded valleys they have burned incense and worshipped the works of their own hands. And the God of all was indignant at these things, and very reasonably so, and he said to one of the holy prophets; "Arise and plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, O hills, the judgment of the Lord, and you valleys, the foundations of the earth, for the Lord has a case against his people, and he will enter into judgment with Israel." And we do not say that the judgment by the Lord through the prophet's voice was against the mountains and the hills, but rather he was judging the impiety of Israel on the mountains and hills and glens. For he was convicted of having been immeasurably impious, having constructed altars and sacred precincts there for the unclean demons. Therefore, since those from Israel, having disregarded their reverence for God, worshipped the host of heaven, I mean the sun and moon, and also receiving matter from the earth, I mean both wood and stones, made for themselves idols according to what seemed good to each, he very providentially alludes to their impiety in these things, and as it were brings heaven and earth into the midst for refutation and proof, saying, "Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken," And in another way, we say that there are many fathers in heaven, the spiritual ones, clearly; and likewise many on earth, some carnal, others spiritual. But to all these fathers, both above and below, honors are brought by the children under their hand. And those who are honored rejoice greatly, and there is none among them who does not in every way and altogether make it unbearable to be treated ungratefully by their children. Having suffered this, the God of all testifies to the fathers both in heaven and on earth, saying: Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken: I have begotten and raised up sons, but they have rejected me. For Israel, having been accepted through grace, and deemed worthy of the forbearance befitting children, is said to have been begotten by God, since the true and spiritual regeneration has been perfected in us. Clearly through faith in Christ; for we have been born of water and the spirit, and to the ancients was given a spirit of bondage, even though he was the firstborn and was called a people. But to us, God has granted both the name and the spirit of adoption. "For because you are," he says, "sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." For I have begotten, he says, sons, and not for this reason only, but I have also exalted them, that is, I have brought them up. For this is what the addition of the other interpreters has. For Israel, having been redeemed, was not after this without help, and destitute of the love from God. For he was nourished like a son by a truly child-loving and most affectionate father. "For the bread of heaven," he says, "he gave them, man ate the bread of angels." And he was nourished in another way for spiritual well-being through lawful wisdom and prophetic teachings, skillfully leading to the knowledge of truth, that is, of Christ. For Paul writes, "So the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ." But he rejected the one who begot him. And what could be the manner of the rejection? For he turned to wanting to worship gods that are not gods by nature, and he has been sick in another way, much that is unruly, and what is beyond these in absurdity, nor has he imitated the very goodwill of irrational animals, which they might have towards their masters. For this reason he says: "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know me, and my people do not understand." For if a man were to buy an ox, he would certainly have it as most useful for the works of farming, on the one hand to plow, if he chose, the land, on the other hand to thresh on the floor, and to separate the chaff from the wheat. And if one were to buy a donkey, it too is called to obedience by natural impulses, and it makes its submission a kind of repayment for the things lying in its manger. For it willingly carries burdens, and shares the master's labor. But these things are in these. But wise Israel, being taught in the law, to know what is beneficial, who had learned the glory of God through many and wonderful signs, comes behind the donkey and the ox, and being inferior to the reasonableness of irrational animals, has not known the master. And very well indeed it says, he did not know, he did not understand. And yet, having learned, as I said, the glory of God, and because of turning too much to an unbridled digression, he has become equal to one who is ignorant. For if this were not true, he would not have said to the wood, "You are my God;" and to the stone, "You begot me." Wherefore "be astonished," he says, "O heaven, at this, and be horribly afraid, says the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out for themselves broken cisterns, that can hold no water." And it would be fitting for Christ himself to say about them, But Israel did not know, and my people did not understand me. For the redemption of old also came through him. And the law was established until the time of reformation, as it is written. But since ... it was impossible for the shadow to be able to justify us, the only-begotten Word of God appeared to us in the flesh, that he might justify by faith those who approach him, and might deliver from death and sin. But Israel did not understand him, although he said clearly: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." Woe, sinful nation, a people full of sins, a wicked seed, lawless sons; you have forsaken the Lord, and have provoked the Holy One of Israel. Having very well declared the manner of their rejection, and having shown the magnitude of the irrationality in them, he immediately changes his discourse, on the one hand, to a lamentation over them, clearly, and on the other, again to a rebuke. It would be fitting, I think, for the prophetic person especially to almost bewail them, and out of a very great love for God to rise up and say: Woe, sinful nation, a people full of sins, a wicked seed, lawless sons. It certainly follows for those who wish to reject me, God the giver of all good things to us, to have unwashed sin, and to be burdened with terrible, inescapable accusations. For rejection is always in some way sick with apostasy, of the change from one's place to anything whatsoever. Therefore he immediately added this: you have forsaken the Lord. And he calls them a wicked seed, not as being or having been made such by nature, but because they have become wicked sons of wicked fathers, according to the voice of John; for he said even to the scribes and Pharisees coming to the baptism of repentance, "brood of vipers." For the first fathers from the beginning were admittedly holy, but those after them were exceedingly abominable. Therefore, he rightly called them a wicked seed, being nourished in the customs of their fathers, and emulating ancestral unholiness. For they have forsaken the Lord, and they did not cease from provoking the Holy One of Israel, that is, Christ. For they did not understand the mystery concerning him. Therefore they have also remained in the fullness of their own sins. And Christ said this to them: "Truly, truly, I say to you, if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins." Therefore Israel is full of sins, and has finally arrived at such worthlessness, that it is fitting for it to be punished. For they themselves have also filled up the measure of their own fathers, according to the Savior's voice. For up to a certain time and measure God makes the contempt of the sinners bearable; but when the sin has already reached the fullness known to him, he brings on the punishments, and punishes the disobedient one in proportion to the sins. And so the prophet Zechariah, having seen a measure, asked the blessed angel what this measure that was coming forth was. And he said to him, This is their iniquity in all the earth. Therefore Israel has remained having its unwashed sin, and was unwilling to receive the purification through Christ, but indeed, in addition to this, having forsaken him, by not having offered faith in him, and saying in addition to this, "Away, away, crucify him," and, "We have no king but Caesar." Why will you be struck any more, adding lawlessness? Every head is for pain, and every heart for grief; from the feet to the head, there is no soundness in them, neither wound, nor bruise, nor festering sore; it is not possible to apply a soothing poultice, nor oil, nor bandages. He makes his statements as if about one body of the Jewish systems, I mean both small and great, and those understood to be in between. And he seems to call the head, the one who is comely with the glories of kingship. And the heart, the holy and chosen tribe, that is the Levitical one, as having been made wise in the law, and having the care of the whole body. "For the lips of a priest," he says, "shall keep judgment, and they will seek the law from his mouth." And he says the feet are those in the last places, and who have obtained, as it were, the lowest rank among the peoples. Therefore, since the land of the Jews has already endured unbearable hardship, being ravaged, sometimes by the Babylonians, sometimes by the neighboring nations, was about to be burned down by the hands of the Romans on account of their impiety toward Christ, and their kingdom would be overthrown, for foreigners have ruled over them, and the works of the priesthood among them would cease, sacrifices having been overturned, the temple having been destroyed, there being no altars, nor priesthood, nor Urim, according to the prophet's voice, so he says, Why will you be struck any more, adding transgression? Every form of wrath, he says, has been brought upon you, and torment from God, you have demanded harsh and successive punishments, but you are no less scornful and companions of lawlessness. Why then will you be struck any more? What measure of torment will be sufficient for your correction? What terror will be brought upon you at all, which has not somehow already happened? Every head is into pain, and every heart into grief from the feet to the head. For those who had received the royal honor have suffered not moderately, being unable to withstand the attacks of the enemy. The priests also are grieved, as I said, since sacrifice is idle. And the feet were struck, that is, the last and the lowest. On the one hand being consumed by the swords of the enemy, and on the other hand being worn out by famines and barrenness, and having been brought to the experience of unmitigated hardship. Therefore he says, There is no plaster to apply, nor oil, nor bandages. For when certain moderate wounds happen to the human body, and the injury affects one single limb, then the discoveries of the skill of those who know how to heal are useful, such as a plaster, and bandages, and an anointing with oil that loosens what is strained. But when it is sick throughout the whole body, and is being destroyed in itself, what manner of therapy can help it? For the greatness of the disease completely overcomes the power of remedies from art. Therefore, the multitude of the Jews, having fallen into incurable wounds, and suffering unbearably from the things of wrath, has been utterly destroyed, with no manner of help for them. Therefore the divine prophets also said: "We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed; let us forsake her." For it is compared to the Babylon of the nations, although it was named a holy city, especially on account of the impiety toward Christ, or also because they filled it with man-made things, so as in no way to yield to the Babylonians', which has also been called the land of carved images. Your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence. And it is desolate, overthrown by foreign peoples. What seemed to be said somewhat more obscurely than it should have been, he makes clear. For what would he mean by "there is no plaster to apply, nor oil, nor bandages"? He interprets it plainly, saying their land has been laid waste, and their cities burned and have become subject to the enemy, and these of foreign peoples, so that almost everything was overturned from its foundations. Often, then, it happened that Judea was captured, by the Assyrians and Egyptians, Syrians and Moabites, Idumeans and those called Philistines, that is, Palestinians. But having suffered a little, and having fallen at times into moderate calamities, it recovered again with God defending it, and He who struck it Himself healing it. But it was utterly destroyed after the cross of the Savior, with Vespasian and Titus ravaging it. For then indeed it happened that cities were burned down, and the whole country became empty of its inhabitants, and fell into the hands of the conquerors, and it was a most wretched thing for them to see with their own eyes and to be pained, that the land was in a manner devoured and consumed by others. For to only hear of it while absent would perhaps have made the grief bearable for them. But to be present and see it, and then to be unable to do anything to help, but to be weighed down as it were by unavoidable misfortunes, has an unbearable and very great grief. Therefore, we must not provoke the Holy One of Israel, so that we may not fall among visible and invisible enemies into the things of passions bring down to dishonor, and they destroy every fortress of the mind that is in us, so that the wretched soul is, in a way, consumed, and all its fruits are spent, so that it becomes dry and dishonored, and is found to be a land that brings forth thorns, whose end is to be burned, according to the voice of the blessed Paul. The daughter of Zion will be left like a tent in a vineyard, and a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city. A pitiful thing; for how is it not worthy of lamentation and wailing? For she who was formerly a daughter, and honored with such a title, and acting as if under a most loving father, God, she who was intoxicated with His forbearance and love, and crowned by Him with glories to the end, and prevailing over those who opposed her, and encompassed by an innumerable multitude of her inhabitants, the all-blessed and renowned Zion, that is, Jerusalem, will be forsaken, it says. That is, she will be desolate. And she will remain stripped both of the strength of the one who saves and of her inhabitants. And she will be forsaken thus, like a tent in a vineyard, and like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, and like a besieged city. For the appointed guards of the vineyards, while the clusters of grapes are still blooming for them, provide the greatest possible security, and they terrify the robbers who want to cut them off. And they drive away the kinds of wild beasts. It is the custom for the overseers or masters of the cucumber gardens to do this as well. But when the grapes have been gathered and trodden, and those in the cucumber gardens have been taken out, the mildness of the guards is then relaxed; who, leaving their own tents, make entry free for those who wish to meddle with what is left. The prophetic word teaches us that something of this kind has also been done to the wretched Zion. For while she still had the fruits of righteousness, God deemed her worthy of all security and protection and forbearance. For He said that, "I will be to her, says the Lord, a wall of fire round about, and I will be for glory in the midst of her." For the blessed David also sings: "Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." But since Israel, although he had become the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth, was indeed fenced and deemed worthy of a hedge. He produced thorns, and was given by God to those accustomed to do wrong, "For I will take away, he says, its hedge, and it shall be for plunder; and I will break down its wall, and it shall be for trampling. And I will let my vineyard go, and it shall not be pruned, nor dug." Therefore a boar from the wood has ravaged it, and a wild ass has fed upon it, and that God let the vineyard go, and it has been forsaken by him, the Savior teaches, saying: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate." And he had cried this out beforehand also through the voice of a prophet, saying: "I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest; she has given her voice against me, therefore I have hated her." And Josephus somewhere remembers, he who recounted the sufferings of the land of the Jews, that when Jerusalem was about to be captured, the priests in the temple heard a voice, as of the angels within it crying out, "Let us depart from here." But that when a city is besieged, a way of escape is sought by all those in it, how can one doubt? From this it is possible to infer the sufferings of the land of the Jews. For to the besieged it seemed most desirable even to be able to save only one's life. And they had no regard at all for home or property or even for the city itself. But it must be known that it often happens that the soul of man is also forsaken by God, if it should not choose to correct the things ordained, and submitting its neck to the master's ordinances, it brings forth the fruits of piety towards him. Even if he has been called a son or daughter of God, even if he has become Zion, which is a watchtower, that is, in a lofty mind and a most pure intellect and knowing how to see mysteries; then doing what is not lawful, he should be seen provoking the Holy One of Israel, he will be forsaken by him, and like an unguarded vineyard will be given over to Satan, and to the passions of the flesh, and will be shown to be destitute of all virtue, and stripped of the boasts of a good life, and filled with all evil. And unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become as Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah. The land having been burned up on account of the impiety towards Christ, even so the remnant of Israel has been saved, God taking pity, and bestowing this also, along with the others, as a special gift in memory of the fathers. For it has not utterly perished, nor indeed has it been shaken from its foundations, but it has remained in its remnants. For from them were also the divine disciples, and indeed all who have believed in our Lord Jesus Christ. And they will be called in the last times of the age, even those who have not yet believed. And a prophetic word will confirm this for us. For it says thus: "For many days the children of Israel shall sit without a king and without a ruler, without a sacrifice and without an altar, neither a priesthood nor manifest signs. And after these things the children of Israel shall return, and shall seek the Lord their God and David their king. And they shall be amazed at the Lord, and at his good things in the last of the days." And indeed elsewhere the God of all: "How shall I deal with you, Ephraim? Shall I protect you, Israel? How shall I deal with you? I will make you as Admah, and as Zeboim. My heart is turned within me. My repentance is stirred up. I will not act according to the anger of my wrath. I will not abandon Ephraim to be blotted out, because I am God, and not man; the Holy One in you." Do you hear how he promised not to act against them according to the greatness of his anger, but rather promised before transgre............ ......... for those from Israel were disobedient even in the wilderness, when they were at the very streams of the Jordan, and about to inherit the land of promise. Wherefore God said: "As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter into my rest.'" For their carcasses fell in the wilderness, and they were all consumed, except Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun. They entered in with the new people, and crossed the Jordan, and have received their inheritance from God. These would be a type of the remnant of Israel, saved through the obedience of faith in Christ, having crossed with us the holy Jordan, and being about to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Therefore the prophet gives thanks, saying: "Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become as Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah. For since Israel had worshipped idols, and had killed prophets, and had denied Christ, and rather had even killed the author of life, the God of all ought to have condemned the entire race to utter destruction. But since he is good beyond measure, he has kept the remnant, and they have not become equal to the people of Sodom, who with their whole race and household and with their very ............ and to have a sin difficult to wash away. And very rightly it will be said by us:" Or do you despise the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering? not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance. But according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation and of the righteous judgment of God. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of God, you people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me, says the Lord? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of lambs, and I do not desire the blood of bulls and goats. Neither should you come to appear before me. For who has required these things at your hands? You shall no longer tread my court. If you bring fine flour, it is a vain offering; incense is an abomination to me. Your new moons, and the sabbaths, and the great day I cannot endure; fast and idleness, and your feasts my soul hates. Having sufficiently terrified them with the threats of what is to come, and having proclaimed to them the things that will in every way and entirely come to pass in due time if they should not choose to think and do better things together, and according to the divine laws, he shifts the discourse for a time, and introduces what is useful, so that, having chosen to think better things, they might be delivered from the punishment hanging over them. For having acted insolently against Christ, those of Israel have perished, and we say that they fell to this on account of the impiety of those who were appointed to lead. For although they had recognized that he is the heir, they killed him. For they wished to make his vineyard their own inheritance. But that the senseless Israel, by following the perversities of its leaders, has missed the hope in Christ, the God of all will confirm by speaking through the voice of the prophets. "Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have defiled my inheritance, they have given my desirable portion to an impassable wilderness. It has become a desolation of destruction." And again: "Because the shepherds have become foolish and have not sought the Lord, therefore the whole pasture did not understand, and they were scattered." For the shepherds truly acted foolishly, and became a cause of destruction for the people under their hand. And yet, how was it not necessary for them, as men well-instructed through the Law and the Prophets in the mystery of Christ, to become a way for others to what was necessary, to believe in him? But, as the Savior says, they received glory from man, and did not seek the glory that is from the only God. For if they had believed Moses, they would have believed him, for he wrote about him. Therefore, they have become blind guides of the blind. For this reason they have also slipped, and fallen into the pits of destruction. What then? The prophet tries to transform them with good admonitions, toward the necessity of choosing to think better things, and to be tried by the words of the Savior. And he usefully mingles rebuke with these admonitions, as if with a variously prepared medicine, healing the wounds of their ill counsel. For this reason, he says, "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of God, you people of Gomorrah." Do you hear how he brings the rod of love and of a God-loving mind upon the peoples and rulers, and strikes those who are very sick with disobedience? And he compares Jerusalem to the most impious cities, as being full of the greatest sin, and as having absolutely no one in itself ............. ............ For the God of all was planning to burn the cities of the Sodomites, and did he not communicate the matter to Abraham? But he said to him: "Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? And will the righteous be as the wicked?" And God promised that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom, he would quell his anger against them. But they were not found. Therefore they have also paid the penalties commensurate with their impieties. Such a one was Jerusalem, the killer of the Lord, having a great scarcity of the righteous. And indeed the prophet Jeremiah was pleading for her. And God said: "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in her broad places, if you can find a man, if there is one who executes judgment, who seeks the truth, and I will be merciful to her, says the Lord." Therefore, because she is filthy, and in many ways stained with the pollutions of wickedness, and having a great scarcity of holy men, he calls her both Sodom and Gomorrah, and brings the reproach of the Sodomites' impurity upon both the peoples and the leaders. And what indeed he says; hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom, give ear to the law of God, you people of Gomorrah. Become sober, he says, for a little while. And by the words of the all-wise Moses, having fixed the eye of your own mind, understand the mystery of Christ. For Moses said: "For the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers; you shall listen to him in whatever he tells you." Hear, therefore, the word of the Lord, give ear to the law of God; that is, understand for yourselves the power of the evangelical ordinances. This is what Moses commanded; for he guides us to Christ, and the end of the legal ordinances looks to the mystery concerning him. But you think, he says, to please God by wishing to fulfill the things in types and shadows. Hear him who also of old spoke the law to you. What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices, says the Lord. I am full. For if you offer them as to one in need, you have strayed from what is fitting, you have missed wise and true reasoning. For the nature that fills all things is in need of nothing at all, because all things are its, and from it they are given to others. "For what do you have that you did not receive." It would be fitting for this to be said by nature to creation. For I have had enough now, he says, and I am full, and I would no longer choose the sacrifices from them. For how, tell me, will a ram offered as a whole burnt offering benefit the God of all things? what pleasure will the fat of lambs bring? and if the blood of goats and bulls were offered, how would God be pleased by this? For who has required these things from your hands? For even if Moses spoke of whole burnt offerings and sacrifices, yet from of old this manner of worship was not God's will. But since it was necessary to guide to the truth through type and shadow, the things in the law were established until the time of reformation, therefore, in so far as it concerned truly pleasing God; he would not have spoken at all about the sacrifices according to the law. But since the mind of those being instructed at that time was weak, they were led by the hand to the truth through type and the shadow of the letter. But when the time was at hand, in which for the future the beauty of the truth had to be revealed, the type is superfluous, the shadow useless. For this reason he says, You shall no longer tread my court. If you bring fine flour, it is a vain offering; incense is an abomination to me. For we, who have been made radiant by faith in Christ, offering spiritual sacrifices to God, fill his holy courts, that is, the churches. But the manner of Jewish worship is completely unacceptable to Christ in the churches. For those wishing to bring fine flour mixed with oil and perceptible incense would be least of all admitted. For we remember God saying of it: It is an abomination to me. And we indeed celebrate the holy feasts in Christ. The Jews, however, not departing from the things in types, sound the trumpet on the day of the New Moon, they keep the Sabbath as a day of rest, and they honor the so-called great day. This is the last day of the feast called Tabernacles, and even if they fast to God, they strike the humble with their fists. Therefore let them hear him saying: Your feasts my soul hates. He says these things, transferring them from types to the truth, and persuading them to submit the neck of their mind to the ordinances through Christ, so that they may live evangelically with us. Delighting God with intelligible sweet fragrances. And as some spiritual incense offering up to him gentleness in character, love, love of one another, patience, self-control, and before all else, faith. With such sacrifices God is well pleased, and the power of the evangelical ordinances crowns those who believe with such glories. You have become for me a surfeit, I will no longer remit your sins. When you stretch out your hands to me, I will turn my eyes away from you. And if you make many prayers, I will not listen to you. For your hands are full of blood. Things that have come to surfeit or satiety are wont to be despised, and of little account whatsoever is considered worthy of mention, but rather now it even comes to be hated. And so the most wise Solomon says, "Slowly bring your foot to your friend, lest being filled with you he hate you." Therefore the God of all said to the Jews, I have had my fill of the stale shadow, and I now consider you burdensome, even when you enter to be seen by me. And I refuse- even the mere sight of you; I will no longer remit your sins. For of old the men of Israel, having impiously turned aside from choosing to provoke the God of all against themselves, by worshiping creation and adoring the very works of their own hands, were given over to the Babylonians and were carried away as captives from Judea, and dwelt in the mountains of the Persians and Medes, enduring a bitter and unbearable slavery. But when the seventieth year was completed for them, the compassionate God had mercy again. And so, as it is written in Zechariah, the blessed angel made supplications for them, saying: "O Lord Almighty, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, which you have overlooked? This is the seventieth year." And to these things God [said], "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and I am angry with great wrath against the nations that joined in the attack, because while I was but a little angry, they contributed to the evil." Therefore he then took away their sins, for they were redeemed, and were brought back again to their own land. But after the cross of the Savior, he no longer promises to remit their sins, because long periods have passed over them, during which they have remained subject to the stirrings of wrath. For that they will be shown mercy in the last times, being justified with us by the grace in Christ, the holy scripture proclaimed; but, as I said, the times of wrath upon them have become much longer than those of old. For this reason, he says: I will no longer remit your sins; and if you wish, you may approach the meaning of what is proposed in another way. The men of Israel used to offer sacrifices according to the old law, for their own transgressions. And a goat and a lamb were slain, and God permitted it. Not that the law of old was incapable of helping the ancients, for in it the mystery of Christ was prefigured. But when Christ appeared, the purification in type had to cease, as the truth was now present. Therefore, he teaches that the shadow of the law will not suffice for their forgiveness, since they do not accept the redemption through Christ, saying: I will no longer remit your sins. For before the truth was present, he says, I allowed the types to be able to help those guilty of sins, doing this also out of respect for the truth; but now that it is present and has been revealed, the type is inert, the shadow is useless. And I will no longer remit your sins, and when you lift up your hands, I will turn away my eyes, and even if you choose to make very many supplications, I will not receive them. Has the creator of all, then, ceased to be good? Or has God forgotten to be merciful? Not at all, he says, for I am, I am good and kind and compassionate, but I only unwillingly turn away my eyes. For your hands are full of blood. Do you hear how he brought against them the charge of blood-guilt, while being silent about their other offenses? and yet we shall find them to be guilty of many accusations. For they heard, Woe, sinful nation, a people full of sins, a wicked seed, lawless sons. But since they have killed the prophets, and laid their unholy hands upon the very Savior of us all, Christ, for this reason and very fittingly he brings against them the most grievous charge, and that which is sufficient for every condemnation, saying: Your hands are full of blood. And God the Father turns away his face, as not enduring to see the hands of the murderers still stained red with the blood of the Son. Wash yourselves, become clean. Again, having brought them to a remembrance of the impieties they had committed, he does not permit them to despair. And he usefully adds the grace that comes from gentleness. And He does not exclude from the gift that has been set forth through Christ those under all of heaven. "For all have turned aside, together they have become worthless." And the world has become answerable to God, the nations having served creation, and those of Israel having transgressed the law given to them through Moses. But Christ shone upon the nations, and they have been called to His marvelous light; and those who were once not a people, have become a people. But the wretched Jews have acted insolently toward Christ, and have wickedly killed the author of life, although He rose again as God. But since He is good, and wants all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, He Himself also widens the way of salvation and commands that the accusations be set aside, one being justified freely and not by the works of the law. Rather through faith, and holy baptism, for this reason He says: "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean." This the old law also prefigured for them as in shadows, and proclaimed beforehand the grace through holy baptism. For somewhere God said to the hierophant Moses: "Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and you shall purify them, and thus you shall perform their purification. You shall sprinkle them with the water of purification, and a razor shall pass over their whole body. And they shall wash their garments, and they will be clean." Then what the water of purification is, the most wise Paul will teach, saying: "For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes sanctifies the defiled for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more the blood of Christ?" Therefore, the law effected a fleshly cleansing through the water of purification. But Christ washes away every spiritual stain of ours through holy baptism. For we have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire, which practically melts every kind of worthlessness in us, and consumes some refuse material as useless; for this is the work of fire. This the blessed Paul also clarifies, saying: "By faith Noah, being divinely warned, prepared an ark for the salvation of his household," in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through water. "Which also saves us now as an antitype, baptism, not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the appeal to God for a good conscience." Which indeed he also advises the peoples of the Jews to choose to do, saying: "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;" that is, wash away the stain, since He who was insulted by you justifies us out of gentleness and love for mankind. And we find the divine Peter rebuking them for having killed the author of life, and for having asked that a murderer be granted to them, that is, Barabbas. Nevertheless, they are roused to repentance; for he said: "And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. Repent therefore, and let each of you be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promises are for you and for your children." Remove the evils from your souls from before my eyes; cease from your evils. The saving and holy baptism is sufficient for the washing away of sin, and it cleanses the stain of those who have already transgressed. But I say that those who have been once sanctified ought to keep their own souls pure and blameless, as far as they are able, and to remember the one who says: "With all vigilance guard your heart." And again: "If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for healing will pacify great sins." Very many are the pleasures that look to baser things and shake the soul of man, and before all others, the law that is innate and runs wild in the members of the flesh; then in addition to these, evil reasonings, which ignobly devour the mind that is in us toward every kind of worthlessness. Therefore, the baptized must abstain from all such evils, and remove the evils from their own of the soul; and not only in the eyes of men, but especially in the eyes of the God who knows and oversees all things. For sometimes they pretend to be good, and steal the reputation of gentleness, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves, according to what is written. And concerning everyone of this sort, I think, the God of all things speaks through the voice of Jeremiah the prophet: "With his mouth he speaks peace, but in himself he holds enmity." And indeed also from the voice of David: "Their words were smoother than oil, yet they are darts." But even if they make every effort to be able to escape notice, He who dwells in heaven will laugh at them, and the Lord will hold them in derision. For He knows, He knows the heart and the reins. But the one who is truly good will be such with God and men, for as Paul says: "Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men." It is a great thing, therefore, to remove wickednesses from before the eyes of God. And perhaps Nathanael was such a one, of whom Christ says: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." Cease, he says, from your wickednesses, that is, abandon the perversity that is both ingrained in you and with which you are familiar, turn your own perversity toward better things. But if Christ should say these things, and accuse the Jews, you will understand how many things they have done, insolently treating him, and setting a snare, and digging pits. And what has come upon them, and with the power of arguments, seasoning every kind of malice against him. For at one time they sent some of their own disciples, with those called Herodians, to ask and say: "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" At another time again they came saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? so that they might accuse him." Let them hear him saying, therefore, "Take away the wickednesses from your souls from before my eyes. Cease from your wickednesses." Learn to do good, seek judgment, rescue the wronged, judge for the orphan, and justify the widow, and come, and let us reason together, says the Lord. And if your sins are as scarlet, I will make them white as snow. And if they are as crimson, I will make them white as wool. Having defined the ineffectiveness of the worship in the law, both by saying, "What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me, says the Lord? I am full." And adding to these, "For who has required these things from your hands?" In due time, again, he explains the elegance of the evangelical life, and points out the way of a truly holy life, no longer in types and shadows, but in the things themselves, and in those boasts conceived according to virtue which have approval. For what does he say, "Learn to do good?" Does he then, tell me, as one might say, completely remove from the command of the law? does he not allow one to gaze at all upon what was ordained through Moses? Then how did Christ say: "Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets; I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill." And how did Paul also say: "So the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good?" To such things we will say again, that the law is good, if it is understood spiritually, that Christ does not remove us completely from the law? but rather he leads up to what is excellent and better, having laid down beforehand in us, as it were, a foundation of instruction through the law, and having shown in advance to the ancients a sort of preliminary exercise of true worship in shadows and types. And besides, it is necessary to say this to them: The law through Moses teaches to abstain from wickedness and sin, and is indicative of the more shameful things. And so Paul says: "But I did not know sin except through the law." But the evangelical proclamation shows us to be caretakers of all virtue. For this reason it would be fittingly called, in the proper and true sense, the good thing itself. For "You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery," was to remove from sin those being disciplined, but not yet completely revealing what the beautiful is. But the need neither to be angry with one's brother at all, nor to have desire, is what introduces one to the boasts of virtue. For it is exceptional to subdue anger, and admirable in addition to this to be able to rein in evil desires, and not to permit the mind, to go even to the beginnings of the wicked and most abominable desire. Therefore, the truly beautiful would be the evangelical teaching, and the power of the life in Christ. Therefore one must exclaim to the friends of the letter, "Learn to do good, seek judgment," that is, to judge rightly. For in addition to all their other absurdities, those who were allotted to lead the synagogue of the Jews have also been sick with this: namely, I say, not making right judgments in each matter; but rather casting their vote unjustly, and being overcome by gifts and the pleasure of money, and selling the understanding of their own unholy counsel to those who wish to do wrong. For as the prophet says, "Her leaders judged for a bribe." Therefore, the commandment is necessary, and for those who wish to live according to the Gospel, judging rightly is not unhelpful for righteousness, not only in external matters, but also in those of the mind and heart. For example, what I mean is: while God condemns wickedness, Satan praises it. And the law of the Savior persuades us to consider the good as worthy of love; that one pulls us toward the opposite. Then indeed, the mind is like a critic and judge within us; and having praised the good, and having assigned it the need to prevail, it has sought judgment. But having granted victory to wickedness, it has departed from judging rightly, and will justly hear: "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; woe to those who call bitter sweet, and sweet bitter; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness." Therefore, an evangelical boast is to judge rightly, and to defend the wronged. For this, I think, is, "Rescue the wronged." And one must practice in addition to this compassion, and impartiality. "Judge for the orphan," he says, "and justify the widow; and come, and let us reason together, says the Lord;" not as being judged by the Master? "For he will surely be justified," he says, "in his words, and will prevail when he is judged." For no one will be clean from filth, nor will anyone boast that he has a pure heart, but rather being tested, and as it were examining ourselves, whether the greatness of the divine generosity is not both great and worthy of acceptance. As indeed the wise Paul writes to us; "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. " He promises therefore to those who are in a way moving from the legal way of life through faith into the refinement of the life according to Christ, the forgiveness of their previous stumblings. For this is our entrance into hope, and the first-fruit of the divine gentleness towards us, and like a door and a way. And that the grace through faith will suffice for the cleansing even of those who are exceedingly defiled, although they have suffered this sickness to a lesser degree, he persuades them by saying: "Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; though they be as crimson, I will make them white as wool." For nothing is hard to wash out when God cleanses. For as Paul says, "But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. And again; "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies, who is he who condemns?" And if you are willing, and obey me, you shall eat the good of the land. But if you are not willing, nor obey me, a sword shall devour you. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. He has somewhere addressed those of Israel, the God of all through the all-wise Moses: "Behold, I have set before your face the way of life, and the way of death." For the path to both is set within us, and the fruit of each one's inclinations, that is, their wills, would be to live brilliantly and lawfully, or otherwise, reprehensibly. But no one would doubt, that those indeed who the good and living a select and most beloved by God life, in every way and altogether they arrive at life. But those who are conquered by pleasures leading to evil, have their end in ruin and destruction. The fruit of obedience, therefore, will be to eat the good things of the land which has been prepared for the saints, of which our Lord Jesus Christ himself also makes mention, saying: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." But of perversity and a sin-loving life the fruit is unprofitable afterthought, and the things from divine wrath, both sword and ruin, as I said, and indeed, what of such evils is not? But the prophet shows his own word to be trustworthy, by immediately adding that, "The mouth of the Lord has spoken these things." Since it is impossible for God to lie (for he always remains that which he is, that is, truth), how is it not necessary to understand that in every way and altogether the things foretold will come to pass? But it is necessary to consider this, how the prophetic word richly profits both the souls of the still more simple, and indeed also those of the already genuine and established in faith. For since the God of all has placed in the inclinations of those being instructed to choose the good and to turn away from evil, he has fully assured that he has given to each one on earth the reins of what is to be done or not, and to whatever one might choose, he will drive with authority. And since this is true, it is now vain and frigid, and a rhapsody to insist and to say, that evil is natural in man; that is, that chance and fate, and nativity steer human affairs, and according to what seems good to each, binding whomever they might choose, they make them workers of both vice and virtue, not going into this by voluntary inclinations, but yoked as it were by inescapable commands, and bearing with difficulty the necessity of those in power. For if evil is by nature, and has substance, as at least those men foolishly say; how by the wills of each person is it both strengthened and weakened? for if I should choose to be good, nothing of the sort is seen to be preventing it. But if indeed also wicked, nothing would prevent slipping into this as well. Where then is the power of chance and fate? Or what sort of nativity brings to some the yoke of necessity, if the outcome follows the wills of each person, both for those choosing to fulfill obedience to eat the good things of the land, and indeed also to become the work of the sword, if they should set up their disobedience and refusal to hear against the divine laws? How has the faithful city Zion, full of judgment, become a harlot? Formerly, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. He marvels, in a way, at the synagogue of the Jews' so rotten and inopportune change, to what is worse, I mean, and the removal from better things to baser ones. For by the law through Moses she was instructed in the knowledge of what is profitable, and having the word of God as a conveyor for each of the things to be done, she was glorious and most renowned and admirable, distinguished by very many men, for whom the fruit of righteousness blossomed richly, and she was acceptable to God. For there were in her both prophets and priests, and guardians of the works of righteousness, and leaders of the peoples keeping judgment, and having the law on their tongue, and adorned in every kind and good manner. Then, being deprived of all such things, or rather, having chosen to disregard that ancient gentleness, and having set at nought reverence and love toward God, before the coming of our Savior she has worshipped those who are not by nature gods, outrageously insulting the one and true Master by these fornications. And like some common and wanton woman she acted impiously in many ways. At one time cleaving to one set of teachers, at another to another, who knew how to convey to anything whatever of the things hated by God. At least the God of all accuses her through the voice of Jeremiah, saying: "See what the house of Israel has done to me, she has gone upon every high mountain, and under every leafy tree, and has committed fornication there." And again, as to her: "If a man sends away his his wife, and going away from him she becomes another man's, shall she not openly return to him again? will not that woman be defiled by madness? and you have committed fornication with many shepherds, and you have returned to me, says the Lord. Lift up your eyes to a straight path, and see, where have you not been defiled, you sat for them on the ways, like a crow alone in the desert. And you have defiled the land with your fornications, and with your evils, and you have had many shepherds as a stumbling block to yourself. The face of a harlot has become yours, you have been shameless towards all." For having despised, as I said, the service under God, she turned to apostasy and to unclean spirits, and to the worshipers of idols, she used them as shepherds and teachers. And these things, as I said, before the coming of our Savior, were the accusations of the Synagogue of the Jews. But when Christ shone upon those on the earth (for God the Lord has appeared to us, according to what is written), she did not use him more as an instructor; she honored teachings, commandments of men; and having left the good shepherd, the one who knows how to lead to everything that is best, she clung to the high priests and Scribes, and indeed also to the Pharisees. And she has committed fornication in this way. And yet both the law and the prophets had cried out to her beforehand the mystery of Christ, and had proclaimed that he would be present in due time. "How then, he says, has the faithful city of Zion, full of judgment, become a harlot?" It is as if he were saying: Having received what opportunities for being sick, or rather how, being full of spiritual helps, did she who was once faithful and a worker of righteousness slide into apostasy, in whom righteousness lodged, that is, the law rested? for the multitude of those being instructed has become like a house of his, but now murderers have lodged in it. Do you hear that, having passed over all other things, he accuses them of murder? For they have poured down upon their own heads the precious blood of Christ, saying to Pilate: "His blood be on us and on our children." And they have killed also the holy prophets; and this the blessed Stephen reproached them for, saying: "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, you always resist the Holy Spirit. Which of the prophets did your fathers not kill? As your fathers did, so do you." Your silver is counterfeit. Your merchants mix wine with water, your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving gifts, pursuing reward, not judging orphans, and not attending to the judgment of a widow. He clearly enumerates the causes of the change for the worse. And just as one of the most skillful physicians tells the sick the causes of their illness, so also he who wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, makes clear to those who are sick from ignorance of what is proper the causes of the passions and offenses in them. "For your silver is counterfeit," he says. And he calls the word of their teachers, which is not well-disposed, but rather full of all abomination, counterfeit silver; and able to harm rather than to benefit those who listen. For the divinely-inspired Scripture is somehow accustomed to call the words of catechesis, which some might make to the people under their hand, silver. And so our Lord Jesus Christ says that the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who, being about to go on a journey, called his own servants; and to one he gave five talents, and to another one, and went on his journey; and to those who had labored about .... giving them praise, he says, "Well done, good and faithful servant,". But to the one who hid the talent, having accomplished absolutely nothing, he says, "You wicked and lazy servant, you ought to have put my silver with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest." And somewhere the divine David also sings: "The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried in the fire, proven for the earth. Therefore, the silver among them is indeed counterfeit and completely unapproved. to the Jews, that is, the word from the Scribes and Pharisees, who, like vintners, were willing to mix wine with water; that is, they made their exegesis of the law adulterated and not unadulterated; weaving in something of their own wills, and introducing cold and watery concepts not unmixed with what is worse, nor, as one might say, did they render the Legislator's will unmixed. And so the Scribes and Pharisees once came to the Savior, saying: "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. But he said to them: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, Honor your father and mother, and, he who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die; but you say, Whoever says to his father or mother, It is a gift, by which you might be profited by me, shall not honor his father or his mother. And you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your transgression." Do you see in these things the clear crimes of the Jewish adulteration? For wishing to follow their own traditions, they declared the laws of God invalid. Pretending to interpret them, but contributing stale and cold traditions. He accuses the rulers, as being very sick with insolence, and stretching out their necks proudly, as it were, and choosing to disobey. For they did not want to accept faith in Christ, evidently, although the law cried out to them up and down the mystery concerning him, and showed it in ten thousand ways. And so our Lord Jesus Christ said to them: "Do you think that I will accuse you to the Father? There is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you have hoped. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me." Therefore, they were disobedient, neither willing to interpret the will of the law unmixed and unadulterated to others, nor honoring the faith proclaimed through Moses and the prophets and saints. For they did not want to obey Christ when he said: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you." And in addition to being hard and disobedient, they have become companions of thieves; on the one hand conspiring with those who take bribes (sic), and on the other hand having run together with the unholy counsels of the one who betrayed to them our Lord Jesus Christ, who was at once a wicked and most thievish disciple. The teachers of the Jews were also lovers of money in another way, tithing mint and dill and every herb, and neglecting the weightier matters of the law, judgment and mercy and faith. For they did not judge for orphans and widows. But seeking rather a return from those who brought cases to them, they would sometimes unholily condemn the wronged, passing a most lawless sentence upon them. And from judging unjustly and being shamefully overcome by bribes, they have also acted outrageously against Christ himself. For in order to have the gifts from the peoples, they did not receive the master of the vineyard, making their own the inheritance that was fitting for and owed to him alone. For they killed one who was innocent and righteous, although the law says: "You shall not kill the innocent and righteous." Therefore thus says the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth: Woe to the mighty ones of Israel; for my anger will not cease against the adversaries, and I will execute judgment on my enemies. He assigns the reasons for Jerusalem's destruction to those who were appointed to lead, and very reasonably so. For the subjects follow them in everything; just as the flocks under their hand follow the shepherds. For if they should lead them to a rich and abundant pasture, they would be both robust and very well-fed; but if to a salty land and a mother of thorns, they will surely destroy them by poor feeding. Something of this sort upon ourselves we will find it to be true. For by introductions to righteousness and virtue and irreproachable knowledge of God, the mind of those being instructed is enriched. But by counsels to impiety, it most readily sinks toward the desire and eagerness for baser things. Having suffered something of this sort, those of Israel, the wretched ones, were destroyed by the traditions and teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees. For they did not allow them to go on the true and saving path, I mean that through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And so He healed the man blind from birth, and those throughout Jerusalem marveled at the greatness of the divine sign, but to the one freed from his suffering who proclaimed the physician, those who were obliged to instruct in truth said plainly, "Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner." And one of the holy evangelists testifies that the Scribes and Pharisees had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. And so, having most unwisely preferred respect for one another to their own salvation, they have remained completely without a share in the glory from God. And the Savior said this to them: "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" And indeed elsewhere: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven." They have therefore become a stumbling block to the peoples, and they do not cease from fighting against the glory of Christ. For this reason He says concerning them: "Woe to the mighty ones. For my anger against my adversaries will not cease, and I will execute judgment on my enemies." Do you see how He calls them adversaries and indeed also enemies? And He says that the things from the divine wrath will run most of all against them. For it was necessary, it was necessary for them to be punished more greatly, and to give an account to the judge for the destruction of others. Whom it was likely they could have also saved, if they themselves had been willing to think rightly, and to show to all others the path leading to this. The divine John also cried out to them as they were coming to the baptism of repentance: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Therefore vengeance came from God upon the mighty ones; especially, that is, upon the powerful among them, that is, the leaders, their country having been ravaged and handed over to the most noble armies of the Romans. And the Savior had foretold this to them: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will say to the mountains, 'Cover us,' and to the hills, 'Fall on us.'" It is therefore a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; not because He is harsh and relentless; for He is rather kind and good; but because He is grieved when He is despised, when we especially deprive ourselves of the gifts from Him, although it is possible to take them richly; and to delight in them by choosing to yield to His laws. And by shaking off the evil and unholy teachers of this life; who also hasten to subvert the orthodoxy of the faith with their own words, and pouring the poison of their own perversity into the souls of the more simple, they turn them aside to having to choose evil things. And I will bring my hand upon you, and I will purge you to purity, but the disobedient I will destroy, and all the proud I will humble; and I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. And after this you will be called the city of righteousness, the faithful metropolis, Zion. For her captivity will be saved with judgment, and with mercy. And the lawless and the sinners will be crushed together, and those who forsake the Lord will be consumed. God brings His hand, as striking; for such is somehow always the posture of those who smite. That the bringing on of the hand will not be entirely unprofitable for them, that is, the assault and trial of terrible things, nor indeed indiscriminately for all the things from wrath will happen, but He will deem the believers worthy of care and sparing, and clearly teaches to bestow on the genuine the grace of being saved at least. For of old, Jerusalem, which fights against God, has committed fornication in many ways by worshiping other gods, and God brought His hand against her, and delivered her as if to some fire, to the calamities of war. But since the Father sent the Son from heaven as Savior and Redeemer, then she has acted insolently toward Him, and has done things out of utter madness. And she has not ceased from savagely insulting Him with disobedience, although He justifies the impious and frees them from ancient transgressions through faith. So He brought His hand against her again, and like some craftsman, He separated in fire, and all that was most approved and chosen kind of believers in her, this He has kept for Himself, but the counterfeit and unapproved He has delivered to destruction and annihilation. Therefore, just as those who melt either bronze or silver by fire purify the materials; so I, He says, will purify by fire. And it is written that, "The Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and will cleanse the blood from their midst, in a spirit of judgment and in a spirit of burning." And it has also been said through the voice of one of the holy prophets, that "Suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to His temple, and the angel of the covenant whom you desire. Behold, He is coming, says the Lord, and who will endure the day of His coming? Or who will stand in His sight, for He comes as a refiner's fire, and as the fuller's herb, and He will sit refining, like silver and gold." And in another way, the wise Matthew clarifies this for us, saying about Christ: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Therefore, the wheat is gathered into the barn, but all that is useless, that is, the chaff, He said would be food for fire. And how, if one should choose to learn, the force of what is set forth will make clear. For He said immediately: "But the disobedient I will destroy, and I will take away all lawless ones from you, and I will humble all the proud." For indeed the multitude of Israel of old has perished, having acted impiously toward Christ and denied the Redeemer; and all the proud and those living lawlessly have been taken away, that is, those who were allotted to lead the Synagogue of the Jews, the chief priests and Pharisees. For how would they not be lawless and arrogant, who have cared little for reverence toward the law, but lift up their horn on high and speak injustice against God? For they have said, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him." But they have been removed from leading the peoples, the holy apostles having been appointed, concerning whom he says, "I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning." And the divine disciples have become in no way inferior to the ancient saints, whom He calls judges, and names counselors. For they have done both, rebuking sinners as judges, and counseling the weak in those things useful for their spiritual well-being. And indeed, the most wise Paul delivered the one who had committed fornication in Corinth to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit might be saved; and he gives good counsels, and says: "But if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one do not even eat." Concerning the judges or counselors spoken of here, the blessed David also, in the Holy Spirit, said to Jerusalem herself, "Instead of your fathers, your sons have been born," that is, Your children have become to you in the rank of fathers; for they were Jews, and the divine disciples were sons of the then-Synagogue. That they have become fathers of those who have believed, hear Paul saying, "For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel." And again; "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." And another of His holy prophets also makes mention to us concerning Christ, the Savior of us all, and of the manifestation of His holy disciples, and says: "Behold, a righteous king shall reign, and princes shall rule with judgment." For the leaders of the synagogue of the Jews both held to a most lawless life and did not know how to rule with judgment, that is, righteousness. But when Christ reigned over the world under heaven, the divine disciples became righteous and good, and rulers with judgment; and when they were manifested, Zion was again called a city of righteousness, and a faithful metropolis, that is, the Church. And that the burning, or testing, from God did not happen indiscriminately, as I said, but with care and reason accompanied by righteousness, the race that was approved through faith makes clear; he adds, saying, "For her captivity shall be saved with judgment and with mercy, and the lawless and the sinners shall be crushed together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed." For the races having already been distinguished, and the one that believed being approved, as I said, while the other certainly had stumbled not a little, the chosen part was saved, but everything among them that was abominable and hateful, and a companion of folly, and had lived unholily, and had not cared for Christ who knows how to save, and forgives sins and justifies by grace, was destroyed. Therefore they shall be ashamed of their idols, which they themselves wanted, and they were put to shame for their gardens, which they desired. For they shall be as a terebinth that has cast off its leaves, and as a garden that has no water. I said that in these things the word of the prophet makes a twofold pretext for the rejection of the Jews. For their crimes are twofold. For long ago, having abandoned God, the one and by nature, and the redeemer, they worshipped idols, and offered sacrifices to the host of heaven, and assigning reverence to the works of their own hands, they have been impious in no small measure. But when God the Lord appeared to us, according to the Scriptures, they denied Him also, and have provoked the author of life in no small measure. Therefore the crimes are kindred, and the manner of folly is not unlike the first, but rather is also a cause of greater folly. And they were punished, at least in the times before the advent, by the raids of enemies, the burning of cities, the overthrow of houses ....... For these things were done with God's permission by Persians and Medes, Moabites, and Idumeans, and the neighboring nations. But when, as I said, they were also impious toward Christ himself, they have not come into fewer evils than the more ancient ones. For they fell into the hands of the Roman armies, who also utterly destroyed all of Judea, with no one defending, that is, able to rescue, and to deliver them from so bitter a calamity. For this reason he says, that "They shall be ashamed of their idols, which they themselves wanted, and they were put to shame for their gardens, which they desired." For occupying groves and thickets, then setting up idols around the tallest of the plants, and erecting altars, they would call upon the falsely named gods as saviors, and on the very works of their own hands they placed all their hope, that of being able to overcome enemies and easily conquer their opponents. But when the enemies arrived, and had done the deeds of enemies, and Israel remained unaided by their own gods, they were ashamed of their idols. For they saw them, even before the others, being burned along with the gardens, that is, the groves, and the very precincts and altars. Therefore they failed of their hope, when they saw those who suffered their own gods, then scarcely understanding what was said by God through the voice of the prophet: "And where are your gods, which you made for yourself? Will they rise up and save you in the time of your affliction?" Therefore having suffered the shame over their own gods, which they themselves desired, and indeed over the gardens, they will be as a terebinth that has cast off its leaves, and as a garden that has no water; that is, both naked and most dishonored, and greatly suffering barrenness, clearly, that is, the spiritual barrenness in good deeds. For the terebinth, or any other of the plants, as long as it is seen with its own lush foliage, it preserves the glory befitting it; but having cast off its leaves, it will be dry and uncomely, and as if dishonored. And a garden again, if it has springs, will be very full of trees, and in the abundance of its fruits it displays its varied charm. But being dry and waterless, it will be in every way barren, but rather it will also suffer from desolation itself. Dishonored therefore and fruitless has Israel remained. For what fruit of virtue is there in the worshipers of idols? Or how is he not full of all dishonor, who has left the one God by nature, "and says to the wood, 'You are my father'; and to the stone, 'You gave me birth'?" And in another way also Israel will be as a terebinth, that has cast off its leaves. For before the coming of our Savior, observing the shadow of the law, they resembled plants, having no fruit indeed, but very beautifully adorned with the sprouting of leaves. But since they have stumbled against Christ, they have also cast off the observance of the shadow itself. For they no longer observe the sacrifices according to the law, nor indeed do they take pride anywhere in their legal boasts; but observing very few of the ancient customs in their cities, they are fruitless and dishonored; and very rightly so. For they killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. And their strength shall be as a stalk of tow, and their work as sparks of fire, and the lawless and the sinners shall be burned together, and there will be no one to quench it. The wise Solomon has said, that "Each is bound by the cords of his own sins"; and the saying is true. For to each of us our own transgressions bring about destruction, and inflict the punishments from divine wrath. Such a thing have those of Israel suffered. For they made for themselves the falsely-named gods, and in them they had the hope, of being able to prevail over their enemies. But this very thing became for them practically fire and wood. For on account of this transgression they have been given over to fire, and that an unquenchable one, that is, to terrible and unending calamities, with no one to help them. And this he makes clear to us, saying: And their strength shall be as a stalk of tow, and their work as sparks of fire. The power they expected to have, he says, will be as a stalk of tow, that is, food for the fire and kindling, and the works of their hands, as sparks of fire hurled against them. Therefore the lawless and the sinners shall be burned together. Therefore one must avoid offending God, and doing those things ............... ........ for our works themselves, will be for us both fire and food for fire, just as, of course, the boasts from good deeds also are found to be producers of life and glory for those who succeed.

Discourse 2

The word that came from the Lord to Isaiah, son of Amoz, concerning Judea and concerning Jerusalem. The present matters are akin to those that have gone before, and proceed through the same thoughts one might perceive them, by applying a subtle mind to the contemplations of the intellect. For the words of old from God came to the divine prophet concerning Judea and concerning Jerusalem. And it seems somehow to have a certain intermediate and not very clear rendering of the vision, to say "concerning Judea and concerning Jerusalem." Nevertheless, as far as is possible, we shall clarify the power of the vision itself, bringing it to mind somehow, as it were, in brief. For since it attempts to speak of the devastation of the perceptible Judea and Jerusalem, but of the manifestation of the one in Christ and intelligible, and its revelation in this world; for this reason, he says he has seen the vision not on behalf of Judea, nor indeed against Jerusalem, but concerning Judea, and concerning Jerusalem. And we say perceptible Judea, and indeed Jerusalem, is the land itself in which Israel dwelt, and the very system of the Jewish synagogue. But again, we will consider the intelligible Jerusalem, or Judea, to be the Church, that is, the circumcision in the spirit, that is, those in Christ who have the circumcision not made with hands in mind and heart. And so one of the holy prophets proclaimed to the Jews: Be circumcised to God, and circumcise the hardness of our hearts, you men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. But the divine Paul knows another Jew, not so much the one according to the flesh, but the one in the spirit. For he writes thus: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God." Therefore one must soberly observe, when the prophet speaks against Jerusalem, or Judea, and when concerning the one in Christ and intelligible, which is also truly perfect and blameless. What then does he say? That in the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of God on the top of the mountains. And it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall come to it. And many nations shall go and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will tell us his way, and we will walk in it. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. For the vision ended for him. And it was the end of the prophecy that had already come. Because they shall be put to shame for their idols which they themselves wanted, and they were ashamed for their gardens which they themselves desired. And in what manner those of Israel were ashamed for their idols, we have sufficiently said. But since mention has been made of the prophecy concerning them, the prophet, beginning the next and second vision, marks the time, in which not in some part of the earth, nor in one country and city will the power of the devil fall, with the worship of idols and profane fabrication being completely destroyed, but from all under heaven this disease shall be taken away, and the tyranny of unclean demons. And this has also been accomplished for those on earth in the last days, that is, in the final times of the present age, in which the only-begotten Word of God shone forth, being born of a woman. When he also presented to himself the intelligible Judea, or Jerusalem, that is, the Church as a pure virgin, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, according to what is written; but rather holy and blameless. And concerning it he says, that in the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of the God of Jacob on the top of the mountains. And to us, Zion in Judea is said to lie and be built on a mountain. But the Church might be understood in these things not so much perceptibly, but spiritually, which is also likened to a mountain. For it is truly high and conspicuous, and very well-known to those everywhere. And high in another way; for it thinks nothing of earthly things but is above earthly things, and beholds the glory of God, as is possible, with the eyes of the mind, and boasts in the exceedingly high dogmas concerning him. For the eminent among the Greeks , although a great upon raising their brow in wisdom, they deify creation, and attach reverence to the elements of the world. For they have a base mind, and groveling speculations, and a darkened heart; professing to be wise, they became fools, as it is written. But the spiritual Zion, that is, the Church, flies above all creation, both visible and invisible, and arrives at the very nature that is beyond all things. For it is filled with divine light, and recognizing her as both creator and craftsman of all things, to her and to her alone it assigns power over all. And with such glory it crowns the universal king of all, and God, and Lord. Therefore the house of God might rightly be called a spiritual mountain. And it is conspicuous, as if raised upon hills. And one might very fittingly say of it what was said through the voice of the Savior, as from a clear example: "A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden." And one could collect very many examples, and very easily, through which it is possible to see in the divinely inspired Scriptures, that the stature of the spiritual Jerusalem, that is, the height of the Church, is compared to hills and mountains. But we shall proceed to what follows, leaving it to the lovers of learning to collect such things, if they should choose to do so. Let us see what results in benefit for those on the earth. From the house of God becoming so conspicuous to all everywhere, that it seems now somehow to be exalted upon the hills, and to be set on the tops of the mountains. Therefore, the prophet will immediately give full assurance, saying. "And all the nations shall come to it; and many nations shall go and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will declare to us his way, and we will walk in it." That all the nations, therefore, have been gathered, and have run together through faith to the Church, we will not need long arguments for proof. The outcome of the events itself will be a self-witness and true. But this is worthy of wonder. For the multitude of nations has been called, not through the instruction of the law, not through holy prophets; but rather a certain divine and ineffable grace gathers them, shining spiritually, and implanting the desire for salvation through Christ. For see how, though no one proclaimed it to them, they call out to one another: "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will declare to us his way, and we will walk in it." First they go up, and then they seek for the word of God to be proclaimed to them. And they promise to walk in the way of the Lord, clearly that of the Gospel, which has as its prelude the purification through faith. But in seeking to learn the way of the Lord, they seem to have first accepted the condemnation of that ancient and profane error. For the desire for better things will not be in us otherwise, unless we have first condemned the things of old. Who then has been their mystagogue? Who is it that leads them to the knowledge of truth, and persuades them to consider the former things laughable, and to run to the latter? Is it not clearly God? who also shone, as I said, into their mind and heart, and persuaded them to say and at the same time to think that "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." But this bears a twofold meaning within itself. For either they mean this, that we shall receive a word from the house of God, and being there we shall know the word of God; or that the law has left Zion, and as it were gone out from it, and the Word of God has departed from Jerusalem. For since they have behaved insolently toward Christ, and have denied his kingdom, he has left them and made them orphans. And this was what was said through the prophet: "And I said, I will not shepherd you; let what is dying die, and what is failing fail, and let the rest each eat the flesh of his neighbor." Therefore, the law went out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. For vision and prophecy were sealed after the Savior's cross. And no longer is the law and word of God with them. And so the divine Paul, almost having given up, and seeing the multitude of the Jews to be uncorrectable, says, "It was necessary that the word of the Lord should be spoken to you; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles; for so the Lord has commanded us." Understand, therefore, how the Gentiles boast in the grace of Christ. For they say that the law and word of the Lord have gone out from Zion and from Jerusalem, and have altogether migrated to them. For grace has passed from those who chose to disobey to those who have been called through faith. And he shall judge between the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. And nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Having said beforehand that the power of the devil will fall and come to nothing; and the making of idols will cease as nations exhort one another, crying out, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will announce to us his way, and we will walk in it;" he makes clear to his hearers the time when the aforesaid things will come to pass, and from the very state of affairs he makes it most well-known. For long ago, when the earth was not under one yoke, but the nations were separated by countries and cities, and each had its own ruler, there was segregation and fighting and wars, with those on earth ravaging one another everywhere, and always plundering the things of others, and each considering the greed and savagery against those they could overcome to be the highest glory. Therefore they did not have a safe dwelling, always moving to another, and being driven out from what they had taken by those who were stronger. But since the God of all brought what is under heaven under the scepters of the Romans, and one kingdom has finally been extended over all, wars have ceased, fighting and discord have stopped, and justice has prevailed, and the security of good order, with no one plundering, no one still ravaging and overrunning cities or countries, no one engaging in greed without rebuke. And not only this, but the use of weapons is given only to the most warlike, and to those who have a military rank, and are under the hand of the emperor. And the many nations that have shaken off the yoke of Roman rule and fiercely attack cities and countries have been proven to be weak. For it is not possible for them to overrun freely, as they might wish. For the Roman arms rise up against them, and force them to be still, and terrify them like beasts, and with their own strength prove them to be unmanly. Therefore the blessed prophet defines, as I said, the time of the calling and conversion of the nations. And what is this time? When, he says, the God of all, and universal king, and Lord shall judge between the nations, that is, he brings justice and judgment to all the nations. For injustice had prevailed, as I just said, with nations plundering one another, and inflicting every kind of savagery and greed. But since these things have been removed, justice and judgment have been given by God, and many nations, as I said, have been proven vanquished by Roman arms. So that those under the emperor's hand no longer fear the attacks of anyone, and matters have now advanced for them to this point of peace and prosperity together, so that they no longer need experience in warfare, but rather choose and very gladly engage in the works of peace, and to take up the toils of agriculture, and to take thought for the things in the fields; for to this end they reshape the instruments of war, so that even a broadsword is taken up for the use of a plow; and indeed a spear is made into a pruning hook, to completely unlearn war, and to refuse battle with one another. For since Christ, who is peace, has reigned over the nations, all dissension and strife, and battles, and every kind of greed have been removed from their midst; and the harms from war have been taken away, and the terrors from it; and His will has prevailed, as He says to them: "My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you." And now, O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. For he has forsaken his people, the house of Israel. Having sufficiently alarmed them with the predictions of terrible things, he does not allow those who have stumbled to perish in despair; but he intimates that God will be merciful to those who choose to repent; and for those willing to unlearn the more shameful things and to strive for the better, He will again widen the path of salvation, and will receive them without remembering their evils, although they have sinned in very many and unbearable ways. For this reason, he says, skillfully interweaving the word of exhortation with the reproofs: "And now, O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." And I think it is most fitting for the prophet with this word to urge those of Israel to obey Christ who says: "While you have the light, walk in the light, that darkness may not overtake you." And He Himself is the light. And indeed He said clearly: "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not remain in darkness, but will have the light of life." And His preaching, that is, the Gospel, would be called the light of the Lord, and very rightly so. It is as if he were saying, therefore, Let us live piously, let us honor the splendor of the evangelical life, let us cease from the types, let us end the shadow. Let us reshape the writings of Moses towards the truth, let us receive the saving light. But since the Jews, boasting in their fathers according to the flesh, were always accustomed to raise a haughty brow, as if they were loved for their sake, being the portion and inheritance of God, and a holy and chosen people; then, speaking foolishly, they thought that in every way and altogether they lay in the care and love of God; even if they did many things hateful to Him; even if they considered the law as nothing; even if they dishonored and rejected the coming of the Savior, that is, the grace of the economy in the flesh; of necessity the prophet shows that the God of all is not so disposed, saying: "For he has forsaken his people, the house of Israel." Something of this sort the God of all says also through another prophet, casting down the haughtiness of the Jews, and convicting them of being without understanding. For they coveted fields, he says, and plundered orphans, and oppressed households, and exalted themselves against the Lord, saying: "Is not the Lord among us? No evils shall come upon us. For this reason, on account of us, Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become as a fruit-keeper's lodge, and the mountain of the house as a grove of the forest." If therefore you should not choose, he says, to walk with us in the light of the Lord, that is, if you reject the preaching which is through Christ, and turn away from the illumination from Him, He Himself will in every way and entirely forsake His own people. And this is clearly what our Lord Jesus Christ said to them: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is left to you." And indeed also through the voice of Jeremiah, he says, "I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance." Because their country was filled with divinations as from the beginning, like that of foreigners, and foreign children were born among them. And now the prophet in a way makes a defense for the judgments of God, and gives the reasons why the house of Israel, that is, his people, was very justly forsaken by God. And he recalls, as I said, both old things and and of the new transgressions of Israel, convicting them of being ungodly, and looking much to what is harsh, and going unbridled, towards anything reprehensible, and having much condemnation from the law. For before the advent of our Savior, having little regard for reverence towards God, and having disregarded the commandment given to them through Moses, they were convicted in many ways; and they did the worst things of all even against the Savior of all, Christ himself. Therefore, it explains at one time the crimes of their madness against the law, and the punishments for this, which they justly demanded, when the Persians and Babylonians, Idumeans, Elamites, and other nations were at war with them at that time; and at another time it accuses the ways of their madness against Christ, and all that happened for them to suffer for this reason, when Vespasian and Titus campaigned against the entire multitude of Judea under their hand. Therefore, the present discourse explains to us the transgressions of the Jewish Synagogue before the advent; for this reason, he says, it was let loose, that is, his people were given by God to their enemies, because they chose again to be sick with the things from the beginning, and to relapse into their first unholiness. For they had served the local gods or demons in Egypt; then they were redeemed through Moses, God having pity on them, and they were freed at once from both spiritual and carnal slavery. For just as they shook off the yoke of the Egyptians' oppression, so also they were freed from the perversity of the demons, no longer serving the falsely-named gods, but rather being instructed by the law through Moses toward the truth, and recognizing the one God, both by nature and in truth. For they heard him legislating and saying in Horeb: "You shall not make for yourself an idol, nor a likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth. You shall not worship them; for I am the Lord your God." And it is also written in Deuteronomy: "When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire. One who practices divination, or an observer of signs, or an augur, a sorcerer, a charmer, a medium, or a necromancer, or one who inquires of the dead. For everyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God. You shall be perfect before your Lord. For these nations, which you are to dispossess, they listen to observers of signs and to diviners. And as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so." And these things, indeed, the law; but since they were easily led astray and far too ready for apostasy, that is, from God, he added to the law, saying: "When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are going to possess it, and he clears away great nations, and many and strong before you (he says so-and-so, and so-and-so), and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands, and you shall strike them. You shall utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor shall you show mercy to them, nor shall you make marriages with them; you shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter for your son; for he will turn your son away from me, and he will serve other gods; and the Lord will be angry with you in his wrath, and he will destroy you quickly." For God devised every kind of security for them, and as the sacred Scripture says, He gave the Law for a help. But they, having shown no regard for such revered commandments, turned irrationally to everything contrary to what was commanded. For they were addicted to omens and false divinations and were eager to seek knowledge of the future from those who sit by the idols, and yet they rebuked the holy prophets and said: "But speak to us, and report to us another error." And they associated with the daughters of the neighboring nations, although the law had forbidden the practice. And wicked and God-hated women, and having been brought up in the customs of idolatry, they unlawfully brought them into their homes, they have become fathers of foreign children, who were also brought up in the customs of their mothers, pretending not even, so to speak, to know the law through Moses. In this way, he says, that their land was filled from the beginning with omens like those of foreigners, and foreign children were born to them. It was indeed most absurd, and truly all-shameful, that those who inhabited the holy city, the sons born to them from foreign women, should live according to Greek customs and outside the law. And while God commanded that every male child be circumcised on the eighth day, and saying clearly, "Three times a year shall all your males appear before me;" but they did not do this, but they carried away their offspring to the demons, and in the precincts of idols they performed the sacrifices for them. You see they have trampled the law everywhere. Then how was it consistent for those who had come to such a point of impiety, so as not to even wish to know the redeemer, to be called His people? Therefore the sentence upon them is holy, and the reason for their rejection is not ignoble. "For the judge of all is impartial." For their land was filled with silver and gold, and there was no number of their treasures; and the land was filled with horses, and there was no number of their chariots. He says that two of the most shameful of all evils were again present in them, namely avarice and pride. And that avarice is the root of all evils, the most wise Paul has clearly testified. And that the matter of arrogance is hateful to God is clear to everyone. For it is written, that "The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." What sort of wickedness would one not see present in those who wish to be rich? For such people make their collection of money from usury and excesses, from covetousness and injustice, from plunder and slander. And to wealth is added arrogance, and the extreme readiness for indulgence in outrageous and most abominable pleasures. For where there is luxury, there are always revelries and drunkenness, beds, and licentiousness, and every kind of debauchery. Indeed, who among those accustomed to right thinking would not find hateful the arrogant man who spits on the weaker, who raises a haughty eyebrow, who overlooks those in poverty and cannot bear to suffer with those in hardship, who does not deign to pity those in need and toil, having at last forgotten that he is but dust and ashes? Therefore our virtue-loving God very rightly accuses them, as having an insatiable mind for greed, as riding on horses, and being caught in the snares of ambition. He says that their land was filled with horses, as if not one or two had been sick with pride, but as if their whole land had been seized by the passion, and the evil was spreading to all. However, through this he also rebukes those who have transgressed the law, and have chosen to disobey God, who has spoken clearly: "And if you enter into the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, and you inherit it, and dwell in it, and you say: I will set a ruler over myself, as also the other nations that are round about me; you shall surely set a ruler over yourself, whom the Lord your God shall choose for himself." Then he says concerning the one who is appointed: "That he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he turn back the people to Egypt, so that he may not multiply horses for himself." And in addition to these things: "And he shall not multiply silver and gold for himself exceedingly." Therefore he accuses them as making a collection of money, and this insatiably, and multiplying horses for themselves. And this blame, as is fitting, falls especially on those appointed to lead, for transgressing the commandment—they who, before all others, should have been seen to honor the established ordinances and to rebuke transgressors. And the land was filled with the abominations of the works of their hands, and they worshipped what their fingers had made. And man has bowed down, and a man has been brought low, and I will not forgive them. He again accuses them of spiritual fornication, and of choosing to worship many of the falsely-named gods. He shows that they have come to such a measure of impiety, as to arrive at the end of every evil, and to practice the most complete apostasy from the God who knows all things, who bears all things by his will, and who has brought them into existence. It seems that in a way he also grieves exceedingly for human nature, which has been utterly insulted. For the God of all has honored man by his own handiwork. For he was not fashioned by a word along with the other creatures, just as for example, "Let there be a firmament, and it was so;" but he took dust from the earth and made man, according to the words of the all-wise Moses. And he was made in the image and likeness of God, and has been ordained as a kind of ruler over the things on earth. He has also been honored in addition to this with the spirit of life. For he breathed into his face the breath of life. Therefore "man, being in honor, did not understand," as it is written; for he has served carved images; and, as the prophetic word said, "They worshipped what their fingers had made." And man has bowed down, and a man has been brought low. This is an insult both to God himself, and to human nature. For although it was possible from the beauty of creatures to see their craftsman in proportion; "For his invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made," and "his eternal power and divinity;" this, then, they have not done; but by assigning reverence to stones, and by worshipping stone, the wretched ones have offended the one who is by nature Lord and God and creator of all. And they have forgotten, as is likely, that they are also insulting their own nature, if indeed man is better than wood and stones. For this reason, the creator of all, being justly indignant, says: "Man has bowed down, and a man has been brought low, and I will not forgive them." Through this he shows the unalterable nature of his wrath, even if he is stirred up against them for both reasons, as is likely. Because they have both grieved the divine glory, and have rendered their own nature most dishonorable. And that their land is filled with abominations, showing that those caught in the crimes of apostasy are not few, nor indeed easy to count, and that their worship is not one, but each has worshipped what seemed good to him, and a diverse swarm of idols has filled their whole land. And indeed it is said through the voice of Jeremiah, that "According to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah. And according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to burn incense to Baal." The making of idols, then, is wicked and unbearable to God, both of sensible ones I say, and those according to the mind. For Satan plunders the souls of men, terribly and in many ways, by fantasies in the mind and heart, sometimes even by the fabrication of idols leading them into sins, and carrying them off to shameful and monstrous pleasures. And now enter into the rocks, and hide yourselves in the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he arises to crush the earth. For the eyes of the Lord are lofty, but man is lowly, and the loftiness of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Since Jerusalem was practicing idolatry, or rather all of Judaea was led astray, and was turning without restraint to everything hated by the virtue-loving God; the war of the Babylonians was in a way poured out over all of Judaea, who, having ravaged everything, killed those who were captured, and carried off women and children to their own land; and being in the rank of captives, they spent long periods of time. However, the attack having been announced beforehand, and being about to happen, such great terror came upon the Jews, and they fell into such agony, that in caves and in the clefts of the mountains they hid— to hide themselves, and to occupy inaccessible places, as every hand of theirs was powerless for resistance against those who were coming. Therefore, as if terrible things were about to happen at any moment, or rather, had already come within the gates and were in the land itself, he commands them to hide, and all but bury themselves alive in the earth, from the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he arises to shatter the earth, that is, to crush the earth. And that the divine counsels and thoughts are lofty and above all men, and that no one on earth can fight against them, he makes clear by saying: "For the eyes of the Lord are lofty." For by the eyes of the Lord in these words he means, as it were, his foreknowledge and counsels, and his judgments on each matter. For men, being small in nature and in mind, both deliberate on small things and consider lowly things. But the God of all, being lofty, and conceived in ineffable eminences over all things, has an invincible thought. For no one could bring against it either a counsel or a help capable of averting the consequences of the divine considerations. But he says that the Jews will learn this, although they did not know it before, when the terrible war descends upon them, and every defending hand grows weak, and thought fails, and the discoveries of human counsel, through which they thought they might perhaps be able to escape the disasters of the war. Therefore experience will show, he says, that man is lowly, and the loftiness of men will be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. As I just said, when all their strength is exposed as feeble, the pre-eminence of the divine power will become most known to those who trust. Terrible, therefore, it is to offend God, and this matter becomes for us the cause of every disaster. But we must not be confident in our own powers, but rather assign the ability to do all things to God, and love to make him our helper, whenever any of the terrible things befalls those who have offended through sin. For the day of the Lord of Sabaoth is upon every insolent and proud person, and upon every high and exalted person; and they will be brought low. And upon every cedar of Lebanon, of the high and exalted, and upon every oak tree of Bashan; and upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, and upon every high tower, and upon every high wall, and upon every ship of the sea, and upon every sight of beautiful ships; and the loftiness of men will be brought low and will fall, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The time of the war, and the fulfillment of the wrath upon them, he calls the day of the Lord. For this is the custom of the God-inspired Scripture. And so, David also signified the very time of our Savior's coming by the name of 'day,' saying thus: "This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Therefore he says the time of wrath will be against every insolent and proud person. And he seems to call 'insolent' those who dishonor the divine glory, by not enduring to worship it, but are rather attached to the gods they themselves would fashion; and 'proud' those who despise the divine laws, and have practiced holding the established ordinances as nothing. And so the blessed David said: "The proud have transgressed exceedingly." And since there were very many in Judaea and indeed in Jerusalem, who boasted in abundant wealth, and were not moderately encompassed by superfluities of possessions, and who excelled others, and were fortified by powers, and who had leaped up to no small measure of glory among them, being lifted up on high, and, as it were, puffed up; for this reason he says that the effects of the divine wrath will especially run against them, enigmatically indicating the rank, or measure, of each. For he compares them also to the cedars of Lebanon: "For I saw a wicked man," he says, "highly exalted, and lifting himself up like the cedars of Lebanon;" And certainly also to the acorn-bearing trees of Bashan, that is, the oaks in Bashanitis; this is a region in Judea, which is now called Basanaia, the best nurse of plants, having very thick and tall cedars. And he likens them likewise to hills and mountains, and in addition to high towers and walls. That they will also lose the sources of their wealth along with their country, he adds, saying: "And upon every ship of the sea, and upon every sight of beautiful ships." This is understood in two ways. For when the war had already been announced, and the Babylonians were expected to arrive, the people of Israel, turning their minds from their hope in God, called upon the Egyptians for assistance, and hired Tyre and the neighboring nations. Now all the Tyrians are seafarers, and skilled in the practices of commerce, and they had built their ships with great care. But when the Babylonian came, before reaching the land of the Jews, he plundered the land of the Tyrians. Therefore, the prophetic word says this to us in these things, or perhaps that: For many of those who had reigned over Israel had merchant ships, which brought them things from the country and land of the Indians, and from other countries and cities; from which also their great wealth was gathered; from which they became lofty, equal to cedars and oaks, to mountains and towers. Therefore, that the source of wealth, that is, the profits accruing from commerce and exchange, will also be destroyed along with the proud, it signifies clearly. That the people of Israel hired many for assistance is not unclear, as God says about them through another prophet: "And Ephraim was a silly dove, without a heart: he called upon Egypt, and he went to the Assyrians. As they go, I will cast my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the heaven. I will chastise them in the hearing of their affliction." Therefore, the judgment of God is hard to escape, against whomever it may come; and it is ignorant and impious not to love to be dependent rather on the hope in him, but to be deluded by empty and foolish reasonings, thinking that even if he should wish to save them, some other person and the concourse of human aid will deliver them, and will ever prevail over his commands. For if he shuts a man in, it says, who will open? It is good therefore to hope in the Lord, rather than to hope in man, according to the voice of the psalmist. And they will hide all the things made by hands, carrying them into the caves, and into the clefts of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he arises to crush the earth. He shows the thought of the Jews to be worthy of laughter, if they hide the gods, and hasten to save the ones being worshipped. And yet how should they not have expected them to be saviors, if they really knew them to be gods? But they, condemning their own counsels, and testifying to their powerlessness for anything whatsoever, come to the aid of the gods. For they hide them in the caves, and in the clefts of the rocks, and in the holes of the earth, so that the enemies, finding them, might not carry them off together with the vanquished, like captive gods. How then are they still gods who need help from their worshippers, but they are lifeless matter. And as the blessed David says, "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands." Indeed, those who serve them will be sick with the same insensibility as they. For they themselves, having become their artisans and craftsmen, lift them on their shoulders, and go, and worship it, and pray, saying, "Deliver me, for you are my God." Their heart, therefore, is ashes. and they are deceived. But it would be fitting for those accustomed to piety to bid farewell to the foolishness of those who are deceived, and indeed to cry out that: "The gods who did not make heaven and earth, let them perish from the earth." And from under this heaven; "For to us there is one God, the Father, from from whom are all things, and we for him. And one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him." In that day a man will cast out his abominations of silver and gold, which he made to worship vain things and bats, to enter into the caverns of the earth, solid rocks, and into the clefts of the rocks, from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he rises to break the earth. That they were about to hide the gods made by them and falsely named, no longer overcome by reverence for them, but rather having condemned them as useless and inert matter, he makes clear by adding what he said: "In that day a man will cast out his abominations, which he made to worship them and the bats." For having set up the handmade things in shrines, they have worshiped them unholily; for they thought they were gods. But when they saw the time of war was at hand, and then there was no way of help for them at all, and being stones and wood they were exposed, and golden and silver-plated matter, which they thought would be saviors and redeemers, they cast them out of the temples, and hid them in caves, sparing rather the material, and no longer honoring them as gods. But that their labor in making idols was also futile and useless, he showed by saying: "A man will cast out his abominations which he made to worship them and the bats." For they themselves have become the creators of their own gods, and the craftsmen of the things they worship, but they have had nothing from them for their benefit. Perhaps, indeed, they built the temples for the bats alone. For such birds or small creatures always frequent the dark places, and fill the things in them with their own filth and foul odor. A man, therefore, will cast out the abominations he made, but where will he cast them? To enter, he says, into the caverns of the solid rock, and into the clefts of the rocks from the face of the fear of the Lord. See, then, how the wretched ones were eager to bury themselves together with their own gods. But they did not see such a God of all. For he was in no way hidden, when they fled from the land of the Egyptians, and Pharaoh followed in pursuit. For he split the sea, and led them through, with unspeakable power, and ineffable commands. And they were saved, walking as on dry land; but the astounded Pharaoh was drowned with his whole army. And indeed when Rabshakeh the general of the Babylonians, having surrounded Jerusalem in a circle, babbled against God, and said he would easily conquer all of Judea; God did not hide, nor did he seek the clefts of the rocks, nor the ravines of the mountains, but Hezekiah prayed, saying: "Hear, O Lord, look, O Lord, and see the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of the Assyrians has sent to reproach the living God." And immediately he heard God saying: "I will defend this city, for my own sake, and for my servant David's sake." And what was the manner of help for those in danger at that time? Marvelous and worthy of God: "For an angel of the Lord went out, and killed from the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand." Let them be ashamed, therefore, who worship carved images, who have abandoned the all-powerful God, and worship gods, which they hide before themselves, lest they perish before them, having fallen into the greed of their enemies. Let us say, therefore, according to the voice of the prophet Jeremiah: "A throne of glory, exalted, our sanctuary, the hope of Israel, O Lord; let all who forsake you be ashamed. Let those who have turned away be written on the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of life." But if it is necessary to say something spiritual to the spiritual, let all who tolerate the idols in their mind, and receive the notions from strange fantasies, know that they will be nests of bats, that is, of unclean spirits. "For each one is tempted," he says, "being drawn away by his own desires, and enticed. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." Therefore, we must shun the beginnings of the passions, and let us thrust away the images into the mind, those entering through thoughts alone, knowing what is written; "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against you, leave not your place; for yielding will pacify great sins." Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, takes away from Judea, and from Jerusalem the strong man, and the strong woman, the strength of bread, and the strength of water, the giant and the mighty man, and the ruler, the warrior and the judge. Having made for us a sufficient narrative, concerning at least their more ancient crimes, he opportunely shifts again the discourse to their final calamities, which they justly endured for having impiously insulted our Lord Jesus Christ. For the wrath of the Lord was appointed for them, and very rightly; for having killed the prophets, and stoned those who were sent, they did not even show reverence for the Son himself, but attacked him like beasts, and the author of life, as far as it was in their power, they have clothed with death, saying; "Let us bind the just one, for he is useless to us." Indeed, then, the events of the war were most terrible for them and they have been destroyed in many ways; on one hand by famine and sieges, by fire and sword, on the other by the enslavement of women and children. And that they have also suffered the loss of the gifts from above and from God, and are deprived of the good things for the mind and soul, he teaches, saying; "Behold, the Lord of Sabaoth, takes away from Judea and Jerusalem the strong man and the strong woman." And the word for the prophet now is not about bodily strength; for it is foolish to think so; but rather about spiritual strength, and that of the mind and heart, through which we are accustomed to achieve virtue. For the flesh wars against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. For these are contrary to one another; and very many worldly and unclean pleasures confuse the human mind, leading it down to sins. There is need, therefore, of strength from above and from God. For thus one will with difficulty survive, and is crowned for conquering; but he says this has been taken away from the Jews, and the facts themselves will cry out. For what reason is there still among them for achieving virtue? Or who is the one of good repute and practiced in resisting the passions of the flesh, that is, the assaults of improper pleasures? For the mind of all is set forth as it were like a half-boiled beet, according to the voice of the prophet. For he is not able to say; "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me." But the strength of bread and the strength of water have been taken away from them; but again, not of perceptible bread, nor of waters in common use; but rather of that concerning which David says; "He gave them the bread of heaven; man ate the bread of angels." And we say he is mindful of the spiritual waters, concerning which the prophet Isaiah himself somewhere says; "And you will draw water with gladness from the springs of the Savior." And indeed the Savior himself also; "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will have in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." But understand precisely the words of the prophet. For he has not said simply that bread and water will be taken away from the Jews, but the strength of bread and the strength of water. And we must understand him as wanting to teach something of this sort. For we, when we encounter the sacred words, and read the divine Scriptures, then understanding them, receive the strength of spiritual bread. "Not by bread alone," he says, "shall man live, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." You will understand similarly also concerning spiritual waters. The Jews, to be sure, still have the bread and the water. For they are busy with the writings of Moses, and they read the law. But since they know nothing, they do not have the strength of the bread, nor indeed the strength of the water. For the bare letter alone has been given to them, of bread and of water having a reputation, but in no way nourishing them to intellectual well-being. And Paul will testify, writing: "For to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart, it not being unveiled, because it is taken away in Christ." And in another way, we say that the strength of bread and the strength of water have been taken away from the synagogue of the Jews. And the saying is mystical. For we who have been called to holiness through faith have the bread from heaven, that is, Christ, or rather his body. But if someone should ask what its strength is, we say that it is life-giving. For it gives life to the world. And we likewise approach the grace through holy baptism, which sanctifies us, saying that the strength of water is the putting away of sins, spiritual rebirth, into conformity with Christ himself. And in addition to these things, an entry with confidence into the kingdom of heaven; "For unless one," he says, "is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." The Jews, therefore, are deprived of such good things. For the strength of bread is not with them, that is, the life-giving power in Christ. They do not have the strength of water; for unwashed sin has remained with them. They will not enter into the kingdom of heaven, having dishonored Christ who brings them in; for they did not believe him when he said: "I am the way, and I am the door." He will likewise take away the giant and the strong man. Then who is the giant? And who is the other? I think, then, that he calls 'giant' the one who has reached the limit of spiritual strength, and 'strong man' the one who is a little inferior, and is surpassed by the superiority understood in the former. For to each of us has been given a measure of grace from God. The most wise Paul makes this clear to us, saying: "I wish that all men were as I myself am; but each of us has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another in that." And it is also a custom in another way for the divinely inspired Scripture to call the exceedingly strong 'giants'. And indeed God said somewhere concerning those from Babylon who campaigned against the country of the Jews: "Giants are coming to fulfill my wrath, rejoicing and at the same time insolent." And indeed also the psalmist: "He will rejoice as a giant to run his course." And there will not be among the Jews a warrior or a judge. For we who by faith have honored the Lord of hosts are strengthened by him, and are made capable of resistance, that is, against the evil and unclean powers. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Whom we resist intellectually, fitted out with the weapons of righteousness, and having the spiritual panoply. Which the divine Paul also mentions, saying: "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth." And the rest; "For our weapons are not carnal, but powerful in God; and though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh." But among the Jews, there is no one of this sort anywhere; but without a fight they always, as it were, concede victory to every attacker, and to their own unruly pleasures. Nor would one find among them one who knows how to judge rightly, either in matters lying in the mind, that is, in external and worldly affairs. For into the human mind run both strange and evil reasonings, and a terrible turmoil of unclean desires stirs; but the mind of the wise and equitable person stands firm, like a judge testing each thing, rejecting what is base, and with an unspoken vote crowning what is useful. And this is entirely unpracticed among the peoples of the Jews. For God who directs us to this is not with them, but not even if they should somehow exercise themselves in some external matters do they know how to approve what is blameless and pleasing to God; for how could they know the exact purpose of the law, they who to the lawgiver having offended, and for this reason rightly deprived of all understanding, I mean, that which is in the holy Scriptures? And likewise, he says, he will take away in addition to this a prophet, and a diviner, and an elder, and a captain of fifty, and a wonderful counselor, and a wise architect, and a skillful hearer; and I will make youths their rulers, and mockers shall have dominion over them. That prophecy, therefore, has been taken away from the Synagogue of the Jews, no one would doubt, since the matter itself cries it out. For the blessed prophets, who appeared at various times, proclaimed beforehand Christ Jesus. But when that which was foretold was accomplished, and the end of the law and the prophets had come (for God and Lord appeared to us, according to the Scriptures), then they behaved insolently toward him; the grace of prophecy ceased among them. For it was not fitting that those who were fighters against God and insolent, and who had become even slayers of the Lord, and who had their hands full of blood, should be honored with the spirit of prophecy. And the blessed Daniel will testify to these things, saying that vision and prophet have been sealed up. Therefore Israel has become without a share of so brilliant and most glorious a grace; and so ignorant and destitute of a good mind, that there is not among them anyone who is a diviner. And we say a diviner is one who, as it were, conjectures and correctly infers each of the matters, and where it will eventually arrive, and to what end they will come, discerning it very well. For those who thoughtlessly and from light thoughts proceed to what must be done, miss what is useful, and walking as in darkness, they stumble upon rocks. But those who are precise in understanding, see with a sharp eye the outcomes of matters. And they are admirable, for this reason doing all things with good management. This is the fruit of a good mind, and truly the achievement of the best counsel. And by "elder" we mean not the one in terms of age (for there are very many among the Jews still even now, who have reached the extreme of old age), but the one in terms of understanding, and who has come to be in perfection of mind. To whom also the blessed John writes, saying: "I write to you, Fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning." Therefore, then, let us understand as elders those who already have a calm mind, and are settled, and are gray in mind, and have practiced using what is firm. And by "captain of fifty" he means, not necessarily the one appointed over fifty men, but from this one thing, simply the leader. And as one who persuades those who are subject to him to live and conduct their lives in order and rank." And the Synagogue of the Jews has been afflicted by this also, along with the other things. For while our Savior of all, Christ, was still with them, and calling through faith to eternal life, to the kingdom of heaven, to intimacy with God; there were still among them high priests and leaders, both Scribes and Pharisees. But when the wretched ones killed him, they were scattered to every wind, and have become sojourners and wanderers, and strangers everywhere, no longer having leaders and rulers, just as of old; but like some flock destitute of shepherds, and having no one set over it, and what is even more burdensome, having neither wonderful counselors, such as the prophets of old were, who introduced to them the things for salvation, and advised them when unruly, and skillfully guided them by the hand for whatever was necessary for their benefit. And he threatens to remove from them also a wise architect, and a discerning hearer, and these too are spiritual and God-given gifts, and worthy of all account. For we say a wise architect is one who knows how to build up the Church spiritually, with both right and blameless initiations, and on the one hand tearing down the deceptions of falsely-named knowledge, and on the other hand fortifying the mind of the believers with the doctrines of truth. Such a one was the divine Paul, writing and saying: "According to the grace given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation; but another builds on it. But let each one take care how he builds. For no one can lay another foundation than that which is laid, which is Christ." Therefore, there is no wise master builder among the Jews, nor even a discerning hearer, but we consider this one to be he, who has the discernment of spirits, and is able to understand, who it is that speaks in the Spirit of God, and who, in turn, in Beelzebul. For many are the words that have come from many, both having dogmatic explanation, and introducing the memory of seemliness in manners. But the undiscerning and ignorant snatch them indiscriminately, and receive the words unexamined, although they have nothing beneficial, but are much more accustomed to produce harm. But the discerning hearer, like an approved money-changer, accepts what is naturally beneficial, but rejects as a counterfeit coin what is not so. The blessed Paul also says something of this sort: "Become wise money-changers, test everything, hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil." And indeed another of the holy disciples commands in harmony with these things, saying: "Brothers, test the spirits, whether they are from God." When all these things have therefore been taken away, I will set, he says, youths as their rulers, and mockers shall rule over them. And again he speaks here of youths not according to the time of their age, but those who have not yet obtained perfection in understanding. For youth is always foolish, and is unstable towards what is impassive, and is overcome by the best counsel. And in truth, the Jews continue to this day having such leaders, and younger men in their desolation. And mockers in another way, buying with money the right to be called Rabbi, and having obtained the position of leader for the sake of love of gain and the collection of profits. But those of Christ, the Savior of us all, rejecting the disease of hypocrisy, are true worshippers, and do not have a deceptive [alt. fabricated] appearance of virtue from external adornments, but having brought the boasts of piety toward God into the inner mind and heart, they walk on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven, having as their leader our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And the people will fall, man against man, and man against his neighbor. The child will stumble against the elder, and the dishonored against the honored. The word has foretold to us, that from Judea will be taken away the strength of bread and the strength of water, both giant and strong man, warrior, and judge, and indeed prophet and diviner, and elder, and captain of fifty, and wonderful counselor; and indeed also a wise master builder, and a discerning hearer. Then to what end the matter will turn out for them, and into what sort of harm it will result for them, it makes clear by adding immediately, that "The people will fall, man against man;" that is, they will be in disorder, and will live a life full of confusion. The young not respecting the venerable gray hair of the elder; the one of lower rank no longer deigning to honor his superior; but with no one rebuking, that is, correcting towards what is fitting for each, everything will be in confusion among them, with all good order and knowledge having been removed. For where divine law, the arbiter of what must be done, does not stand over, how or from where could the ability to live in an orderly way come to anyone? For it is as if someone should wish a ship, bereft of both rudders and helmsman, to be carried on a straight and unerring course. Because a man will take hold of his brother, or of one of his father's house, saying: You have a cloak, become our ruler, and let my food be under your care. And answering, he will say on that day: I will not be your ruler, for there is no bread in my house, nor a cloak, I will not be a ruler of this people. The prophetic word signifies to us the magnitude of the misery of the Jews and of their extreme wretchedness. They were reigning, on the one hand, For from time to time in Jerusalem those from the tribe of Judah were both splendid and distinguished, and boasting in wealth, and very well crowned with glories unto the end. And in another way they were leaders, those from the tribe of Levi according to the order of Aaron. With the high priest presiding, and the priests and Levites ministering, such men were also revered, by those throughout all the land of the Jews. But since they have done what is not lawful, and no manner of impiety toward Christ was unpracticed by them, they slipped from that ancient splendor and renown in wealth and glory, and their affairs came to such a point of commonness and cheapness, that they were completely unable to have a ruler over them who was splendid in their former pre-eminence, nor indeed one having wealth and power, or knowledge of the law. And this very thing he teaches, saying that, "A man will take hold of his brother, or of one of his father’s house, saying: You have a cloak, become our ruler, and let my food be under you." For with affairs in confusion, and suffering much disorder, so that they fall upon one another, and there is no honor or respect, for an elder or for the young, that is, for the dishonored or for the glorious; each for himself, he says, will seek a leader, and will choose this one by kinship according to family, scarcely persuading and calling him to mercy. And he will choose him, he says, not as having wealth, but as not being naked, and he will be content to be fed by him and to serve a poor man. Except even such a one will not seize the leadership, although asking nothing from those who have resolved to be subject. For they seek bread so that they may also be subject, and for the cheapest food they would offer him their servitude in return. What then is the refusal? Poverty, surely. For he will say, he says, "There is no bread in my house, nor a cloak, I will not be a ruler of this people." Do you see that which was formerly worthy of all account among them, I mean, to lead the many. Sometimes sought by contrivances, and having come to a few, it will indeed be offered to those who are willing. But since the affairs of all are in terrible and helpless poverty, it will also become a thing to be fled from. It is possible therefore for us to see from these events themselves, from what things to what things the affairs of the Jews have changed. For the wretched ones have stumbled against Christ, the one who richly distributes all good things to us, and who crowns with glory those who love him, and with spiritual gifts enriches the souls of the genuine. Because Jerusalem is forsaken, and Judea has fallen, and their tongue is with lawlessness, disobeying the things concerning God. He says that Judea has fallen, just like, of course, a single house. And for what reason does he maintain that it suffered this? And why is it forsaken? That is, it was left or abandoned, having become without a share in the care from Christ. For they heard him saying clearly: "Behold, your house is left to you." Therefore it has fallen, not having one who raises it up, and who knows how and is able to save. For Christ is the foundation, and upon him we are all built up, living and spiritual stones, and being fitted together, and joined together spiritually into a holy temple, for a dwelling place of God, in the Spirit, and we are laid upon him. And having received him as a foundation, they have an unshaken establishment and position in all good things; but those who do not have him, are very unsound, and easily carried away to anything whatsoever that is amiss. Therefore Judea has fallen, and Jerusalem is also forsaken. Indeed another of the holy prophets proclaimed this beforehand, saying: "The house of Israel has fallen, there will not be one to raise it up." And it has happened that they suffered such things, because in addition to their disobedience, they have had an impious and most lawless tongue. For what is there of shameful things, which we will not find that they have said against the Savior of us all, Christ? a Samaritan and one possessed by a demon, and indeed they called him a glutton and a drunkard, and one born of fornication. Therefore, along with disobedience, their tongue has continued being impious toward Christ. And one might say upon them: For not unjustly are nets spread for the winged. For they themselves who take part in murder treasure up evils for themselves. But the destruction of lawless men is evil. Because now their glory has been humbled, and the shame of their face has risen up against them, and they have declared and made manifest their sin like that of Sodom. He marks the time of the humbling of the Jews, and says: Now their glory has been humbled, making it fully known that precisely at that time, when their tongue with lawlessness acted impiously against Christ, then also every kind of suffering was brought upon them, and they fell into disrepute. But in what way their tongue acted impiously with disobedience, the prophet himself makes clear to us, passing over other things, but recalling only their final act of impiety. For they were always at odds with Christ, and wounded by the arrows of envy, they plotted against him in many ways. But when they brought him to Pilate, then indeed especially they declared and made manifest their own sin like that of Sodom. For just as the inhabitants of Sodom, wildly sick with unrestrained appetites, and overcome by unnatural pleasures, rushed upon the blessed Lot, demanding the men who had entered into his house for abuse, with all sense of shame trampled by them and an unbreakable shamelessness henceforth prevailing; in the same way, I think, the Jews also declared their lawlessness, crying out and saying to Pilate concerning Christ: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him." He accused this voice of theirs also through one of the prophets, saying: I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance, I have given my beloved soul into the hands of her enemies. My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest, she has lifted up her voice against me, therefore I have hated her. Woe to their soul, for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying: Let us bind the righteous one, for he is unprofitable to us. Therefore they shall eat the fruits of their works. Woe to the lawless, evil will befall him according to the works of his hands. And now the prophet pronounces woe upon the people of the Jews, and gives the reasons for the lamentations over them. For they said, he says, among themselves: Let us bind the righteous one, for he is unprofitable to us. For they did not receive through faith Christ the Savior of all, but they have continued to dishonor him, and they thought in truth that he who came for this purpose would in no way be useful to life, so that all things in us might be made new in him, and he might transfer those of the blood of Israel from a legal way of life to a spiritual one. Therefore, supposing him to be useful for nothing, they bound him over to death, as far as it was in their power, even if he came back to life again as God, having emptied Hades, and destroyed the power of corruption. For he is life and life-giving. Nevertheless, they counseled against themselves, wanting to bind the righteous one; and they will eat the fruits of their works. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. And those who are gentle in their ways, and have a God-loving mind, will find good fruits from this; but those who are turning away and disobedient, and who fight against the divine glory, will eat the fruits of their works, that is, fire, and justice and punishment and the things that come from wrath. For such evils will certainly follow those who have chosen to fight against God. It is true then that, woe to the lawless, evil will befall him according to the works of his hands; for just as they brought Jesus to Pilate, and to the unruly rages of the soldiers, so also they themselves will be handed over, he says, to the Roman armies. And indeed we will find Ezekiel saying this clearly and through his voice. For it was said to the unholy and Lord-slaying Jerusalem: As you have done, so shall it be to you. Your recompense shall be returned upon your own head.

Discourse 3

My people, your exactors glean you, and your extortioners rule over you. Having most transparently and very clearly explained beforehand that the land of the Jews will suffer the desolation of every good thing, and having declared what will happen to those who have acted insolently toward Christ, he again persuades them beforehand to abstain from their offenses, and with words of gentleness he, so to speak, usefully bewitches them, transferring them to what is better, and teaching them to reject those who have become the causes of all their evils. For I do not think one should be fond of submitting to those who have been appointed to lead, even if they do not attempt to teach any of those things which tend toward profit, nor indeed ... to deem worthy of slander what is believed to have been justly ranked in the portion of wickedness. For the virtue of a teacher is to be able to bring those being instructed to an accurate knowledge of what is beneficial, and to reject as spurious what is by nature harmful, and to command them to shun what is accustomed to do wrong. And those who are in the position of students would be worthy of all praise, if they looked not simply at the opinions of their teachers, but at the nature of the matters themselves, and admire the teachers, if they should be upright and knowledgeable, and proponents of the best things, but censure those whose purpose is not such. For some pasture flocks of sheep in mountains and glens; but if a pit lies near the livestock, or they see a cliff, the sheep go around it, and do not cast themselves down to death; for they are instructed as if by an inborn law, that they ought to spare their own lives. Then how is it not absurd, if this is seen to prevail among the irrational animals, but among us, although we are rational beings, there is not the knowledge of what is useful and necessary for life. Therefore it is necessary, even if some of those appointed as teachers and leaders should choose to lead us to things to which they ought not, not to be fond of simply enduring it, nor indeed to follow unreflectively what seems good to them, but to test each of the things to be done. O... to proceed to that which is especially of those things accustomed to be beneficial. The leaders of the Jews, therefore, that is, the Scribes and the Pharisees, were clever at collecting revenues of money, and at gathering gifts from the people, first-fruits, tithes, and whatever the law gave as an inheritance to those appointed to serve as priests. And it was their aim, and set forth with all diligence, to persuade the people that it was necessary to keep the law especially in these things indeed; but of the other commandments, there was not much account at all among them. For this reason indeed the Savior Himself also said to them: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe dill and mint and cummin. And you have neglected the weightier matters of the law, judgment and mercy and faith." They were, then, lovers of gain and money, and sometimes they brought bitter judgments upon offenders, so that by terrifying those accused of anything whatsoever, they might persuade them to bring to them even, at times, things beyond their means. For this reason indeed he says to those being wronged by them: "My people, your exactors glean you, and your extortioners rule over you." And by saying 'people,' he still gives Israel to understand, that if they should choose to turn to what seems good to him, they will obtain gentleness and loving-kindness, and they will not fall away completely from their relational intimacy with him. And by saying that the exactors 'glean,' he shows the magnitude of the insatiability and love of gain that is in them. For in the cornfields, some cut the stalk with iron, while others, gathering what falls from the hand of the reaper, leave nothing in the fields. And it is the custom also for those who harvest the vines to do this. "Therefore, he says, your exactors glean you." It is as if he were saying: They have harvested your possessions, and their insatiability does not stop at this. But now they even glean, that is, they lay hands, also upon those who are still left. Very well indeed, and fittingly for them, he says they are not guides, not teachers, nor anything else of the sort, but he calls them exactors and collectors. He teaches that they lord it over them, not as teachers gently dealing with students, but as harsh and savage masters, compelling them to think what seems good to them, and leading them off to anything whatsoever, and sometimes to things against their will. But the aim of those in Christ was not such. For the divine Peter writes to those called to the episcopate, and who have been allotted to lead the rational flocks, not as domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. But the mystical word knows also other exactors, whom those who wish to live rightly must reject. For the evil and opposing powers all but demand from each one on earth diligence towards what is wicked, and they collect a kind of tax from us, the inclination of the mind toward the passions. And so the sacred word calls blessed those who have not heard the voice of a tax-collector; for those who rise up against the desires of the flesh, and with youthful spirit thrust aside the injuries from sin, and trample on principalities, and conquer the spirits of wickedness, have become stronger than the voice of the tax-collector. It is necessary, therefore, to reject such exactors, and neither to permit the fruit of sin to be harvested in us, nor indeed to be gleaned. And we will do this, being strengthened through Christ, and sending out from our own mind evil thoughts, shameful desires, and every form of wickedness. My people, those who call you blessed lead you astray, and they confuse the path of your feet. He rouses them again to sobriety, and wants them to be testers of things, not simply to be puffed up toward indifference by fair speeches. For the Pharisees, going around the houses of the Jews, attempted to speak fine words, and they called them a blessed people and the inheritance of God. And perhaps they proclaimed to them what is said through the voice of Baruch: "We are blessed, O Israel, for the things that are pleasing to God are known to us." Therefore, in order to draw to themselves the gift-offerings appointed to them by the law, and indeed the tithes, that is, the first-fruits, they made a pretense of speaking fair words, and often wished to be approachable, and they affected a gentle appearance; but for the sake of gains and profits they even taught the people under them to break the law. For our Lord Jesus Christ accused them of invalidating the commandment of God for the sake of their own tradition. Therefore, he says, those who call you blessed lead you astray, and they confuse the path of your feet. For they do not allow you to walk uprightly. But leading you astray, as it were, from the straight path, they bring you down cliffs and into pits. But the straight and smooth path is fellowship with Christ through faith. And since the guides of the Jews knew that, with the commandment through Moses being abolished, they would be excluded from gains and profits, they confused, as it were, the path of the people's feet, debasing the word of Christ, and commanding them to adhere to the shadows of the law. For those wretched men dared to say: "We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where he is from;" and again: "If this man were from God, he would not break the Sabbath." And what is even more impious than these, for to those willing to listen to Christ and to adhere to his words, they unholily said: "He has a demon and is mad; why do you listen to him?" But I think that the spiritual man and the worker of virtue must in another way also strongly reject the thoughts that call him blessed in his mind and heart. For Satan, being terrible at working evil, when he is not able to bring down the successful from their most beloved life and conduct to what seems good to him, he tries to paralyze them in another way. For he praises them as having succeeded, and accepts them as therefore as saints, and he blesses them also as having already become friends of God, and as having ascended to the summit of all virtue. Then, having engendered in them the passion of arrogance, he prepares them to offend God, and then shakes them down like some plant from its root. For he has not been ignorant that the God of all gives grace to the humble, but opposes the proud. We must therefore reject, as I said, the thoughts that bless us within our mind and heart. For indeed they do not permit us to traverse the straight path, by which one might go very easily to what is pleasing to God. But now the Lord will stand for judgment, and He will make His people stand for judgment. The Lord Himself will come to judgment with the elders of the people, and with their rulers. But why have you set my vineyard on fire? And is the plunder of the poor in your houses? Why do you wrong my people, and shame the faces of the poor? The prophet says that the multitude of the wronged will not be without help, nor indeed destitute of all care, but he strongly affirms that the God of all will rather contend for them. For He will judge on their behalf, he says, against those who glean them and bless them. And He will confound the path of their feet. And He will judge the elders of the people, and moreover the rulers, that is, the leaders. For He redeemed his people from the house of bondage, and delivered them from the wickedness of the rulers, having raised up all creation against them. And having worked changes of water into blood, striking with hail, with deep and three-day darkness, and with all the others. For it would be long to relate each one. Then having led them through the midst of the sea, He nourished them in the desert. He brought them into the land of promise, having cast out great and most warlike nations like thorns. And this the divine David made clear to us, saying to the savior and redeemer of all: "You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out nations, and planted it. You cleared the way before it; you stretched out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the rivers." For Israel, as the prophet Jeremiah says, became a fruitful vine, and its fruit abounded. But those who were appointed to lead were made into vinedressers; and they wronged the master's vineyard so much that it seemed now to have been entirely burned. For this reason, then, He Himself will bring this charge, saying: But why have you set my vineyard on fire? For those who were expected to render that spiritual and fruitful vine, that is, Israel, more productive, these have brought it to complete desolation, and rendered it dry and useless to the master. It was burned, therefore, by those from whom it was expected to be rich in clusters and heavy with fruit, and beyond all harm. In what way are they said to have burned the spiritual vineyard, how is it not worthwhile to see? For it was necessary that those who had the teaching profession, and who knew the law that leads to everything whatsoever that is pleasing to God, should, above all others, both live most lawfully themselves, and be greatly adorned with boasts of righteousness, so that their own life might become a type, as it were, and an image of an excellent life for the people under their charge. Then, in addition to this, they were supposed to lead those under their yoke by the instructions of the law to everything whatsoever that is good, and to reprove sinners, and to correct the erring, and to show the way of piety, and to instruct them towards better things, and to persuade them to look to the end of the law, I mean, of course, Christ; "For Christ is the end of the law and the prophets." And Moses spoke about Him through shadow and types, proclaiming beforehand to those of old the solemn and great mystery. But having neglected all these things, they were themselves wicked in their ways, unbridled towards greed, unrestrained in love of gain, considering it of very little account at all to judge rightly; and being accustomed to boast in those very things for which it were better to blush. The vineyard, therefore, is set on fire, being profited neither by the life of those allotted to lead, nor indeed being instructed by the legal teachings unto an upright and blameless life, that is, unto the knowledge of Christ, and this when he had already shone upon those on the earth, and saying clearly: "I am the light of the world, I am the way, and I am the truth." Let them hear therefore: But why have you set my vineyard on fire, and the plunder of the poor is in your houses? Why do you wrong my people, and shame the faces of the poor? For they would snatch the poor into a way of understanding according to what seemed good to them, and they prepared their faces to be shamed. For just as the guardians of righteousness stand, so to speak, with a bright face full of much boldness in the eyes of God, so we say that the lovers of wickedness have the face of their heart gloomy and unsmiling, full of shame and disgrace. But just as one who instructs unto understanding, and a proponent of the most excellent things, is a help, so, I think, any one of those appointed as teachers does wrong, if he does not make the one being taught a lover of better things. For he shames, as it were, his face, and being poor in understanding, he practically forces and snatches him away to baser things. And the leaders of the Jews were also in other ways unjust and rapacious, and shaming the faces of the poor, but favoring the rich, although the law says: Judge a just judgment, and everywhere commanding, You shall not be partial in judgment. Thus says the Lord: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and have walked with outstretched neck, and with winks of their eyes, and in the walking of their feet, at once dragging their tunics, and at once playing with their feet, God will also humble the ruling daughters of Zion, and the Lord will uncover their form in that day. The discourse has previously shown us that for the leaders of the Jews it was a matter of utmost diligence to be rich, and to have a reputation that was conspicuous in this. And they were full of injustices and greed, so that they themselves made splendid processions in the city, and indeed also in the country, riding on horses, and being immoderately puffed up by the outward show of their accustomed bodyguards. For he accused them in the preceding parts, saying: And the land was filled with horses, and there was no number of their chariots; and the land was filled with silver and gold, and there was no number of their treasures. Then it came to pass that the women of the wealthy, living in luxury, sought to be wanton, and with adornments of gold and stones, and to be exceedingly brightened by variegated robes and expensive garments. For somehow the female sex in excessive prosperity is both ambitious and ostentatious. And she is most pleased to be well-dressed, and indeed also adorned with gold, and raising her eyebrow high, she boasts in the beauty of her body. And for this very reason, the pride of those living with them is often inflated; and some make the extravagance of their wives their own glory. This is perhaps what the illustrious men of the Jews suffered, having neglected piety towards God. For in order that they might always have remaining for them the resources for being rich, with the people bringing what was according to the law, they did not accept the faith in Christ, nor indeed did they want others to believe, shutting the kingdom of God, as it is written, neither entering themselves, nor allowing those who wish to enter. For this reason they have been given over to the Roman armies for desolation, for plunder, and for destruction, together with their wives, and their dearest ones, their homes and wealth. For the things gathered with the greatest diligence have become the property of others; and they themselves are pitiable and wanderers, and are seen in the utmost misery. The discourse therefore runs down the women among them, that is, the daughters, as it were, especially of the rulers, and the more illustrious, who also belonged to the powerful, and says: "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and have walked with haughty neck, and with winks of the eyes," and so on. But they were exalted not according to virtue, but as in a carnal and most earthly mindset. For it seemed to them, as I said, a great thing to be proud of wealth, and glory, and external adornments, which they collect from stones and gold, and varied apparel. The prophetic word describes for us in these things both the mindset and the appearance of a pleasure-loving and immodest woman, adorned with resplendent finery, as if showing from one, the arrogance of every woman among them. For they walked, he says, with haughty neck, and with winks of the eyes; and yet for the most well-behaved woman, who honors a life of modesty and decency, shame is most especially dear, and it would be fitting not even to be seen by the eyes of men; but they strayed into both corruption and shamelessness, so as to show off in their processions, and to raise their necks high, and to wink at those who see them, sometimes smiling, and all but promising an encounter to those who see them with their laughter. For the mind of a prostitute is always fickle, and is much loosened toward a readiness for pleasures, and he adds to their accusations of idleness, saying they have committed fornication, at the same time trailing their tunics, and mincing with their feet. And it was likely to suppose that this also contributed to their adornment; but the practice is whorish, and a proof of the utmost abomination. For where the sound of feet echoes with rhythmic songs, there surely also resounds the clapping of hands, and every kind of shameful practice, and a provocation to impurity for those who see. At that very time, therefore, he says, God will humble the ruling daughters of Zion, and will uncover their form, that is, he will either strip away their adornment, or will make their shame manifest. And this will be, when desolate and stripped of all adornment and clothing, they are caught in the hands of the enemy, as slaves and captives, and full of all misery. And the Lord will take away the glory of their clothing, and of their adornment; and their fringes, and their braided hair, and the crescents, and the pendants, and the ornament of their face, and the composition of the glory of their adornment, and the necklaces, and the bracelets, and the hairnet, and the armlets, and the rings, and the earrings, and the garments bordered with purple, and the garments of purple ground, and the mantles, and those for after the house, and the transparent Laconian garments, and the fine linen, and the hyacinth-colored, and the scarlet, and the fine linen, woven together with gold and hyacinth, and the summer garments for reclining. Saying that on that day their form will be uncovered, he goes through precisely in what way their form will turn out. For he further persuades that they will be in want and loss of all things that were extravagantly devised, and of that former prosperity and luxury, adding that they will be stripped of every adornment, having lost their fringes, and crescents, and pendants, and the things connected with them. Through which it is possible to see them insatiably disposed to adornments, and to a worldly mindset, or rather now a whorish one. For to women who are good in mind, and friends of modesty, such practices are altogether hateful, and those things by which they might be in an immodest state are to be fled from and hated; but they are rather disposed to be praised for good deeds. But for courtesans who are seen to love whoring and lusting, the mind has turned to the complete opposite, and their zealous pursuits are of a contrary nature. And with all diligence they adorn themselves, and from every quarter gather things useful for this. And it would be fitting for each of such women to hear: She is flighty and profligate. And Solomon also makes mention of such an immodest and haughty woman, saying: "The woman who is a snare and whose heart is a net, whose hands are bonds; he who is good before God shall be delivered from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her." And these things indeed For the present, we will speak about unseemly and wicked women. But it must be known that through the voice of Ezekiel, God speaks to the Synagogue of the Jews, as to a single woman; whom He also says He adorned with varied ornament. For it is written thus about her: "And I spread my wings over you, and covered your nakedness, and swore to you. And I entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord Adonai, and you became mine, and I washed you with water, and washed the blood from you, and I anointed you with oil; and I clothed you with embroidered garments, and shod you with jacinth, and girded you with fine linen; and I covered you with silk; and I adorned you with ornaments, and put bracelets upon your hands, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel on your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a crown of glory upon your head. And you were adorned with gold and silver; and your raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work." Therefore, God brightens the soul that is joined to Him with varied ornament, and crowns it in many ways with boasts of virtue. But for those who keep their way of life blameless, and continue in holiness, the things of intelligible seemliness will be in greater increase, and will remain unshaken. But for those who readily fall into what is improper, and lightly turn aside to the works of wickedness, it will surely happen that they will be in loss of every good thing, and suffer the desolation of what was formerly given. For she will fall into the hands of wicked and unclean lovers, the rulers of this age, and the world-rulers of this darkness, the spiritual hosts of wickedness, who indeed especially hunt for virtuous souls. For it is a delicacy for them to destroy them. Just as, for instance, to bird-catchers, the more beautiful of sparrows seems to be a worthy prize. And it is written somewhere also concerning Satan, that his foods are choice. Therefore it is fitting for us to be vigilant and to be courageous with God, and to remember the blessed Paul saying: "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." And indeed, in addition to this, approaching God who is all-powerful, we must say in our prayers: "O Lord, in your will you have given strength to beauty." And instead of a sweet smell there will be dust; and instead of a girdle, you will be girded with a rope, and instead of the golden ornament of the head you will have baldness on account of your works; and instead of the purple-bordered tunic, you will gird yourself with sackcloth. And your most handsome son, whom you love, will fall by the sword. And your mighty men will fall by the sword, and will be humbled, and the repositories of your ornament will mourn, and you will be left alone, and you will be razed to the ground. Not in vain in these things might one think our prophetic word speaks too plainly, but it accurately goes through each of the things that give pleasure to luxurious women, both the kinds of ornament, and their former luxuries themselves. Then, because it will happen in every way and altogether that they will suffer the loss of such very pleasant things, he wishes them to be disposed, as it were, wasting away in grief, and artfully brings them back to the memory of their prosperity as if they had already suffered it, so that by the expectation of what is to come, and by the fears from it, or rather by the unbearable calamities, having terrified them sharply, he may convert them to seemliness, and persuade them to turn back to what is pleasing to God. It will happen then, he says, that such luxurious women will not only be in deprivation of their ornament, but there will also be, instead of a sweet smell, dust; that is, instead of perfumed houses, long and dusty journeys, as they are carried off into captivity with still delicate feet. And not only this, but they will also be in a state, and in a condition most dishonorable, so as to be bound with a rope only instead of a golden girdle, and in nakedness of head, that is, baldness, though formerly it was bound up with golden headbands. And he gives them a garment, which is fitting for captives, both coarse and cheap, which he also calls sackcloth, and this for them instead of the of a purple-bordered tunic and of delicate garments. And he adds to these things, that "And your most beautiful son, whom you love, will fall by the sword." For it is the custom of those who capture a city or a country to seize the females from it and, from the bosoms of mothers, to cruelly murder the small and nursing infants, so that their mothers might march on unburdened, and not weighed down by the care of their infants. Therefore, he says that their beloved son will fall by the sword either in this manner, or otherwise while fighting, and having died by the hand of the enemies. And indeed he said that the cases of their adornment would mourn, not as if the perceptible cases were able to mourn, but as one might say a house mourns when no one dwells in it. And he adds to these things, "And you will be left alone, and you will be leveled to the ground," that is, you will be pitiable and cast down, and as it were, lying on the ground. For such, in a way, is the life of those in captivity and misery, and in harsh and unbearable slavery. Therefore, it is a truly terrible thing to offend God and to despise the beauty in souls. For God removes every adornment from those who have turned too much towards indifference, and it is clear that this is the intelligible adornment, and having shown them to be naked of all virtue, he hands them over to their enemies. Thus we say that some have been given over to a debased mind, and to dishonorable passions. For when the God over all holds us together in spiritual strength, we preserve in ourselves the brilliant beauty of our own nature. But when he withdraws his help, we will be completely naked of every good thing, and having cast off the comeliness of the boasts of virtue, we will be subject to the passions of dishonor, and we will serve our enemies. And seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let your name be called upon us, take away our reproach. Having brought the argument to a very good conclusion concerning the women of the Jews who will go from luxury and wealth into captivity, he tries to show that the cities of Judea will be left destitute of men, and there will be a great scarcity of those who were once most warlike. For he said that, "All your mighty men will fall by the sword." What then is the proof of what I have said? It is very cleverly and gracefully contrived. For indeed, since the law through Moses says to the sons of Israel, "There shall not be among you a barren or sterile woman;" it was considered among the Jews the utmost reproach for a woman not to bear a child, that is, for one of those reckoned among men to be childless. For the blemish of being childless and sterile was immediately rubbed in their faces. And the law was spiritual. For the God of all promised that the spiritual Israel, that is, the mind seeing God, will not be fruitless, nor sterile, but rather fruitful and like a land that is good and excellent. But the Jews understood it carnally, for they were soulish, not having the Spirit. Therefore, he says, there will be such a scarcity of males in the land, since the war consumed the race, that seven women, or many, will take hold of one man and say: "We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let your name be called upon us, take away our reproach." Do you see how they fear the reproach of childlessness, and how they greatly shun the name of barren and sterile? For they do not approach seeking the usual things, and what it is customary for women to receive from those who live with them; for they say they will be sufficient for themselves in this, but they ask only, as I said, for the removal of the reproach. Consider therefore the depth of the argument. For if the one being entreated were rich, the women would not have said: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel. But since they know that those who have been saved from the war and have barely escaped have fallen into extreme poverty, and have great misery, they seek nothing at all from them, but ask only to become mothers of children And the historical account is in these things. But some, I know not how, bring the present matter into a spiritual contemplation, not doing so very correctly; for either they would have been worthy of all praise. For they say that the seven women are the seven spirits; and that the one man is Christ. Then, having given little thought to what is fitting, they say the seven spirits speak thus: Take away our reproach, and we will eat our own bread, and we will wear our own apparel. And yet how is it not better to say, that the seven women are many souls, who also have taken hold of Christ through faith, seeking him as bread and as a garment of salvation, and seeking the fruit from him. For the blessed David said something of this sort concerning Christ, the Savior of all: "He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children." And it is said that a barren woman bore seven, that is, many. For virtues are diverse, and not one rather, but many, of which the God-loving souls are mothers. And in that day God shall shine forth in counsel with glory upon the earth, to exalt and to glorify the remnant of Israel. And the remnant in Zion, and the remnant in Jerusalem shall be; all who were called to life in Jerusalem shall be called holy. Since some were in doubt at what time the things concerning the women of the Jews, that is, of their whole country, foretold through the voice of the prophet, would be, whether before the coming of the Savior, or after it, the force of what is set forth has assured us unerringly, that the prophet indicates to us no other time, than that very one in which, on account of their impiety toward Christ. For the wretched ones have acted outrageously against him, and they have paid the penalty that was most fitting for them, when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies. At which time we say the mind of the Jews was brought to such a state of fear, as to say to the mountains: "Cover us, and to the hills: Fall on us." In that day, therefore, he says, that is, at that time in which the things foretold will come to pass, God will shine forth in counsel, with glory upon the earth, to exalt and glorify the remnant of Israel. For the Word from God the Father did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he planned something deep and ineffable for us. For being in the form and equality of God and the Father, he became like us, and appeared to those on the earth; yet not without glory, even if he became flesh. For he worked things befitting God, and became a performer of signs, which indeed are worthy of all speech and wonder. For having shone forth, he had mercy on Israel, for it has not perished completely. But the remnant has been kept, and has been exalted and glorified, and has been written in the book of life, having shone in holiness. One might see the word of the prophecy as true, as in the first fruits of those saved by the holy apostles, who were also truly exalted, and being made splendid by divine gifts, they have become rich in manifest glory. For they received power over unclean spirits, so as to cast them out. For they healed many who were in sicknesses; but they were also written in the book of life. And so they rejoiced that the demons were subject to them, and Christ met them as they said this, and taught them to rejoice in yet greater things: "Do not rejoice," he says, "that the demons are subject to you; but rejoice rather that your names are written in the heavens." Therefore those from Israel were exalted, as in the portion of the remnant, having been saved; for they were counted worthy of the honor and grace from Christ; they have been called sons of God; his brothers and friends; they have been made partakers of glory; and they have been deemed worthy of the registration from above and in the heavens, and they have been called citizens of the spiritual Jerusalem, the mother of the saints, of which the prophet Isaiah himself makes mention, saying: "Your eyes shall see Jerusalem: a rich city, tents that shall not be shaken." Because the Lord shall wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion; and shall purge the blood from their midst, with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. The word of the prophet becomes sober again, and at times reveals the coming superfluous cavils of some, and not permitting some to rise up in any way against the judgments of God, he usefully makes a defense beforehand; just as if someone were crying out that; The sons of Israel will be exalted again; and they will be glorified, and they will gain the heavenly registration, although they have acted impiously not moderately, they have killed the prophets, they have stoned those who were sent, and finally they added Christ himself, and their hands have become full of blood. What then does the prophet say? "The Lord," he says, "will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and will cleanse the blood from their midst, with a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning." For they have admittedly transgressed; but the grace that is through Christ justified all, and granted amnesty even to those who had murdered him. And indeed the divine Peter addressed the crowds of the Jews, saying, at one time, that "But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you." And at another time again; "And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. Repent therefore, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; for the promises are for you and for your children." Therefore, he says, the creator and Lord of all, who is great in mercy, who overcomes human faintheartedness with gentleness; who does not desire the death of the one who is dying, as much as that he should turn from his wicked way and live, will wash away the filth of those who have sinned, and will cleanse the blood from their midst with a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. And we say the spirit of judgment is the verdict brought forth upon us from God with right judgment, that is, righteousness. For thus somewhere the Savior says; "Now is the judgment of this age." For he judged this age and Satan; and he cast out the one as having done wrong; but he has justified those in the world through faith as having been wronged. And we say the spirit of burning is the grace in holy baptism, which does not come to be in us without the Spirit. For we have been baptized not in mere water, nor have we been sprinkled with the ashes of a heifer for the purity of the flesh alone, as the blessed Paul says, but in the Holy Spirit, and with the divine and intelligible fire, that consumes the filth of the wickedness in us, and melts away the pollution from sin. Another of the holy prophets also foretold to us such an advent of the Savior, saying; "For behold, he enters like a refiner's fire, and like the fuller's herb, and he will sit refining as silver and as gold." For concerning the Jews, who have remained liable to the charges of disobedience; "The bellows," he says, "have failed from the fire, the lead has failed, in vain the silversmith refines. Their wickednesses have not been melted down; call them rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them." But upon us who have believed, the silversmith has not labored in vain, nor indeed have the bellows failed from the fire or the lead, for we have been cleansed by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. But if one should wish to say that the cleansing by a spirit of burning has happened to the peoples of the Jews, through the calamity of the war and what they have endured (for punishments do cleanse, and to suffer justice from the judge of all at times frees from many transgressions); the saying will in this way also bear the truth. And he will come, and it shall be, every place of Mount Zion, and all that is round about her, a cloud will overshadow by day, and as of smoke, and as of the light of a burning fire by night, with all the glory will be covered. And it will be for a shade from the heat, and for a cover and for a hiding place from hardship and rain. Concerning what, then, does he say, He will come? Whether of the time in which these things will be, or concerning the one who brought himself to emptiness, and came down from heaven to save the human race? It will be fitting therefore the word, even if someone should say that these things were said about the time of his sojourn; or even if one wished it to be about Christ himself. For upon arriving, crowning the sons of the spiritual Zion and of the free Jerusalem with the grace from himself, he declared them blessed, and he became like a protector to them, all but raising up that ancient cloud that long ago overshadowed Israel in the wilderness; for this reason, he says: And he will come, and every place of mount Zion will be, and everything round about it a cloud will overshadow by day. For in order that those who inhabit the spiritual Zion, that is, the Church, might escape the scorching heat of the present life, and the trials or fiery tests from temp- tations, Christ, he says, will be a protector like a cloud almost hanging over them; and he himself again drives away the darkness from ignorance and diabolical wickedness, shining into the mind, as a light in darkness, and as the brightness of a fire. And it is written about the sons of Israel, that He led them by a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire. But those things were types, and images of spiritual things; but the truth is the things through Christ. For he himself is the truth. Having been deemed worthy of his help, they will be in every way and altogether, he says, as in a shadow from the heat, and in a shelter and in a secret place from hardship and rain. And to hard- ship and rains he again compares the brilliance and most vigorous assault of temp- tations. For thus somewhere Christ says: "Everyone therefore who hears these words and does them, will be likened to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock; and the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew; and they fell upon that house, and it did not fall; for it was founded upon a rock." And adding that he will be cov- ered with all glory, he gives us to understand that the grace from Christ to those who have believed in him will not be partial, but will be with complete readiness of forbearance towards them. And they will be in the covering and tent of him who is able to save, and who puts away all evil. I will sing now to my beloved a song of the beloved for my vineyard. The first verse of the proposed text would be like a definition and an inscription of what is about to be said. For what the prophet wishes to do, he indicates, saying: I will sing now to my beloved; that is, to Christ. For so God the Father also named him to us, say- ing: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Shall we then, O prophet, listen to your voice? And do the words gush forth as from your thoughts alone? but tell us where the pur- pose of the song looks. Therefore, though it is through me, he says, yet the word is not mine, but is of the beloved; and it is made for my beloved vineyard; or, as the other interpreters say, for his vineyard. But if indeed he should say for my vineyard, he says such things not as if the vine- yard were perhaps his own, but as being one of those who belong to the vineyard. For we shall find the prophets at times using such expressions about the people of God. For instance, the pro- phet Jeremiah: "Who will give me in the wilderness a final lodging-place, that I may leave my people, and go away from them?" For as being one of the people, he calls those related by blood and race his own people. Therefore the prophet sings to the be- loved, and his song is spoken for the beloved vineyard, that is, of Israel. For it is writ- ten, that "The vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the man of Judah, a beloved new plant." A vineyard came to be for the beloved, on a horn, in a fertile place. And I put a hedge around it, and I trenched it, and I planted a Sorek vine, and I built a tower in its midst, and I dug a winepress in it, and I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns. Having likened Israel to a vineyard, he persists throughout with the metaphor of the word; "Therefore a vineyard came to be," he says, "for the beloved, on a horn, in a fertile place." They say that the other interpreters were con- tent to say in a fertile place, as if the horn signifies nothing other to us than this very thing. But to some it seems that "as in a horn" is to be understood as "in the power of God." For Israel inherited the land of the promise, having conquered through God those who formerly dwelt in it. Therefore, he says to him, in the forty-third psalm: "In thee we will push down our enemies, and in thy name we will bring to nought them that rise up against us." But the horn is taken in the divine Scripture for strength and for power, and for royal glory. For it is possible to hear the blessed David at one time saying, as from the person of every righteous man: "My horn shall be exalted like the horn of a unicorn;" and at another time again concerning Christ: "His horn shall be exalted in glory." For the kingdom of Christ is most glorious. That the land of the promise is fertile, the holy Scripture has testified. For everywhere it calls it a land flowing with milk and honey. And the divine Psalmist also confirms the word, singing and saying about Israel: "Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it." Do you see "in a horn" signifying "as in the power of God" in these things? For it was planted after the nations were cast out. But to others it seems that "in a horn" is said, as in a high and elevated place; for such is Sion, situated on a mountain. Having planted the vineyard, therefore, he says, I both put a hedge around it, and dug a trench, and planted a Sorek vine. And Israel was bound around as with a hedge, both by angelic powers and by helps from above. And besides this, it was staked. And what is this? Those skilled in the cultivation of vineyards, artfully fixing a stake by each, both raise them up high and tie them up from the ground. For thus the fruit from them will be sound and unharmed. Such a thing God of all has also done, having staked, as it were, the spiritual vineyard with the law through Moses, so that, not being cast upon the ground and minding only the things of the flesh, it might not be corrupted in many ways, but might also be able to mind the things above. For the law of God carries away from earthly things, as if holding up high the mind of those being instructed. And that the vineyard is also noble, he makes clear by saying, not simply that any chance vine was planted in the fertile place, but a Sorek, that is, a choice one. But to the Hebrews it seems that both a species of vine, or rather the name of a beautiful and most fruitful one, is signified by Sorek. "And I built, he says, a tower in the midst of it, and dug a winepress in it." For that famous temple was raised in Jerusalem, like a tower and dwelling-place of God, and indeed a winepress was also dug. And an altar was placed in it, and the Corban, which is the treasury, in which every offering of those who came was collected. But since, he says, I had made the vineyard well-appointed in all respects, I expected it to produce grapes. For I thought, I thought, it would produce nothing else than the noble fruit of the vine; but it produced thorns. Therefore he missed the hope, and was deceived, and Israel brought forth thorns instead of grapes. For he was not a keeper of the law, nor was he adorned with the fruits of gentleness, but he went astray in a foreign manner, and produced thorns, that is, works of fire, or rather, such things as strike those who touch and approach them. And whatever sin may come from us grieves God, and what the thorn is to us, this is a form of wickedness to him. But as the blessed Paul writes: "For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." And now, O man of Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, judge between me and my vineyard. What shall I do to my vineyard, that I have not done to it? Because I waited for it to produce grapes, and it produced thorns. He attempts to show the... of the Jews to be completely without excuse. indolent and in addition to this, shamelessness towards the law. For when it was possible for them very easily to go the glorious and reputable path of life in the law, that is, of the commonwealth in Christ, they themselves have honored the crooked one. And indeed, abandoning the ability to bear fruit as something stale, they have become like a certain land, not a nurse of cultivated fruits, but rather wild and thorn-bearing and overgrown with wood. Let the wise among you come, therefore, he says, let them judge between me, the master of the vineyard, and the vines themselves. What good thing, then, was lacking to them that they have become useless? For if any of the necessary things for their benefit was perhaps overlooked by me who planted them, let someone refute me and I will cease. I will withdraw my accusations, and I will not ask for judgment. For what shall I do, he says, that I have not done for it? But since I made it full of useful things and lacking in nothing, it then became thorn-bearing, although I expected to see it flourishing with beautiful fruits. What then will be the verdict from the one who judges? Will he call the vinedresser careless and indolent, or will he rather blame those who, having partaken of my care, have so neglected their own fruitfulness as to bring forth useless wood and a mass of thorns instead of clusters of grapes? But that his discourse is not about the perceptible thorn, nor indeed of clusters or of the grape, is clear to everyone. For if the vineyard is intelligible, such surely are also the fruits. But now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be for plundering; and I will break down its wall, and it shall be for trampling. And I will let my vineyard go, and it shall not be pruned, nor shall it be dug; and thorns shall come up into it, as into a wasteland. And I will command the clouds, that they rain no rain upon it. Not unwonderful, as it seems to me, is the form of the discourse. For almost even while those called to judge are silent, he then decrees for them the judgment between himself and the vineyard, and clearly foretells in what things it will consist. For when nothing useful for its well-being was lacking at all, it was laid waste by its own will. It was necessary, therefore, that those who had descended to this point of worthlessness should then be outside the hand and care, and indeed also the help of the Master. Therefore I will take away, he says, its hedge, and it shall be for plundering, and I will break down its wall, and it shall be for trampling. And a vineyard bare of hedge and wall will certainly be set before those who wish to plunder as a most ready feast and a path for passers-by, with no one to keep them out. For when God hedges us about, and almost builds a wall around us with certain ineffable aids, we shall not be accessible and in the order of a path to the unclean spirits; nor indeed ready for plundering by the beasts of the field, and a delight for foxes. Concerning which it is written also in the Song of Songs: "Catch for us the little foxes that destroy the vineyards." And some are said to have become portions for foxes. And when God gives way to those who wish to do wrong, and divests us of the care from above, we shall come to the trial of every evil; and anyone whatsoever will revel in what is ours, even if it be some intelligible robber, or if it be the law that rages in the members of the flesh; and every movement of our mind will bear fruit for Satan. Therefore a vineyard without a hedge, and indeed unwalled, will be given up to those who wish for plundering. And it shall not be pruned, nor shall it be dug, that is, it will receive no care capable of correcting and restoring it to the better, and of delivering it from so terrible a wasteland. For I will also command the intelligible clouds, that is, the holy prophets, or the angelic powers, that they rain no rain upon it; it is clear that this is the intelligible rain, which is wrought as an exhortation to the mind and heart, and by the divine word. However, from this it is especially possible to see that the prophetic word says to us that such things would not happen to the sons of Israel before the times of the visitation, but when they have behaved outrageously towards Christ. For it is not, it is not possible to say, that is, to point out a time, in which Israel was without holy prophets. For they became captives at times, and departed to the land of the Persians and Medes together with their wives and dearest ones. But they did not descend into Egypt without holy prophets, when at times the Babylonians had captured the renowned Jerusalem, but the prophet Jeremiah was with them, ministering the words from above and from God. But since they have behaved outrageously towards Christ, they have remained destitute of a fence, and all their security has fallen. For this, I think, is what is meant by saying that his wall is pulled down. And every word of the holy prophets to them has ceased, and has been held back, as it were, like rain; and the voices of the saints have died away; and this, I think, is what was said to them by God through one of them: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will bring a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water; but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. And they will run about from the East even to the West seeking the word of the Lord, and they shall not find it." And these things, as I said, have happened to those of Israel, and very rightly so. For they themselves rejected the Lord of hosts, who waters souls and hearts spiritually, and makes them fat with spiritual dews; of which the blessed David also made mention, saying: "Like the dew of Hermon that descends upon the mountains of Sion." But a new vineyard has been raised up instead of that one, that of those called through faith to sanctification. And concerning them the Bridegroom from heaven, that is, Christ, says: The vines are in blossom, they have given forth their fragrance. And he himself is the first and all-holy and true vine. And we are attached to him like branches, being filled with the life-giving richness from him. And so he said clearly: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." But since we have been joined to him through intimacy, clearly spiritual, we have been made fruitful; and to this he strengthens us, saying: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." Therefore I say that it is necessary to be firmly attached through faith and love and obedience in all things to the true vine, that is, to Christ. For he will make us fruitful, he will place a fence around, and raise up the wall, and will turn away those who pass through. And somewhere a sacred oracle says to him: "And your eternal ruins will be rebuilt, and a memorial for generations of generations, and you will be called the builder of fences, and you will restore the paths between." For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah, a beloved new plant. I waited for it to produce justice, but it produced iniquity; and not righteousness, but a cry. He has shown clearly in these things that his discourse was not about a perceptible vineyard, but about an intelligible one. For the divinely-inspired Scripture always somehow takes the visible things of its examples as an indication of more hidden and intelligible matters. For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth, he says, and the beloved new plant, is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah. But although deemed worthy of my forbearance and love, and having enjoyed every care, it did not become rich in clusters, not a noble vine, it did not honor the law, nor did it live a gentle and holy life; but it belied, as it were, the hope of the husbandman. For I expected justice. that is, the right and blameless choice, or judgment, from a sincere mind in all practical matters. But he, it says, has produced lawlessness. And yet how could a vine bear thorns? Therefore he lied, just as I said a moment ago. For from where it was fitting for the fruits of righteousness to grow, from there an unexpected life has come forth, which is both outside the sacred laws and holds the divine commandment in contempt. Therefore it produced lawlessness, and not righteousness, but a cry. And he says "a cry," I think, showing that their life has become agitated into rages and full of tumult. Wherefore also the divine Paul commands the sanctified, saying: "Let all clamor, and wrath, and anger, and blasphemy be put away from you, with all malice." For it would be fitting, not for those who have a stable mind, to use disorderly cries, but rather for those whose life is not secure; or rather, for those easily turned to any evil whatsoever, and governed by anger rather than by understanding. And it seems also to allude to the very harsh cry of the Jews, which they made against Christ himself. For when Pilate reproached them, asking if they indeed wished to crucify their own king, they, having spared neither decorum nor love of God, cried out: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him! We have no king but Caesar." An evil cry, therefore, is the fruit of the synagogue of the Jews, on account of which it has been deprived of its fence, and wall, and the watering from the holy clouds. And they have been deprived of all care. For he said, that I will let my vineyard go, and it shall not be pruned, nor shall it be dug. And it became entirely desolate, having brought forth thorns, which are fuel for the flame. Woe to those who join house to house, and bring field near to field, that they might take something from their neighbor. Will you dwell alone upon the earth? For these things have been heard in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. So that no one might think he has spoken against Israel in vain and rashly slandered the vine, as having produced not grapes at all, but rather thorns, that is, instead of judgment, or rather just judgments, lawlessness, and instead of righteousness, a cry; he usefully enumerates the things for which it was fitting to see it condemned, not moderately, and not for ordinary things simply, but for the most exceedingly lawless things, and those that are especially hated by the virtue-loving God. For this reason he says: "Woe to those who join house to house, and bring field near to field, that they might take something from their neighbor." For it is generally characteristic of those who wish to be rich, and indeed have also obtained the power for this, to always want to add still more to what has already been acquired, and to make their substance appear in unceasing accumulations. And so they continually encroach upon their borderers and neighbors; and striving to make their houses in the cities more spacious, they overpower the owners of the bordering lands, and join them to their own. For a rich man is an insatiable thing, if the power to easily achieve whatever he wishes should somehow be his. For he in no way ceases from encroaching on his neighbor's property; and he always thirsts for what is not yet present, and covets what has not yet been acquired. Woe, therefore, he says, to those who wish to join their own houses to others', and fields to fields, that they might take something from their neighbor. For they are somehow always eager to make a pretext for the need to be greedy, that others ought not to be their neighbors; then they overpower the weaker, and unrighteously take advantage of them as they sometimes lament and cry out against the coarseness that is in them. What then does the prophetic word say to them? Will you dwell alone upon the earth? For do you think, he says, that you alone exist upon the earth, with God not watching over and observing what is done? And yet the Master of all is very near; the things from you have been heard. And in what way? perhaps you will say. Clearly, from the crying out of the wronged. Something of this kind the Savior's disciple has also written to us: "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." And in addition to this he says: "Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields. Which you kept back by fraud, will cry out, and the cries of the harvesters into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth have entered." For the all-holy and evil-hating nature receives very readily the cries of those who are taken advantage of. That he is not far from those on the earth, he himself will confirm by saying: "I am a God who draws near, says the Lord, and not a God from afar." Let them hear, therefore, who wish to be greedy, and to do violence, and to plunder their brothers: Will you dwell alone upon the earth? For the God of all is present. But it must be known that, although likely in a very witty manner, the prophet hints to us in these things: For, O rich men, he says, why do you seize the things of your neighbor, and hate him who is near? It will certainly happen that you will indeed dwell in the land alone, with all others being driven out. Therefore you will render the land desolate of its inhabitants. It is best and wise, therefore, to be content only with what is measured for self-sufficiency. For a small portion with the fear of the Lord is better than great revenues with injustice. And if indeed we must say something taken from the sacred writings, a certain king of Israel in Samaria at one time, who indeed also built a most costly house for himself, falls from it and is immediately destroyed. But God, rebuking him as one who had acted in vain, says: You have built for yourself a well-proportioned house, airy upper rooms, spaced with windows, paneled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Shall you reign, because you are incensed against your father Ahaz? It was better for you to practice judgment and good righteousness. "For treasures will not profit the lawless," as it is written: "but righteousness delivers from death." For if many houses are built, the great and beautiful ones will be for desolation; and there will be no one dwelling in them. For where ten yoke of oxen work, it will produce one jar; and he who sows six artabas will produce three measures. For it was admittedly heard, he says, in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, the charges of the more powerful concerning greed against others. Why then has he been silent, has he let it pass in quiet, and put a bridle on his wrath? Not at all, he says. And a clear proof of this is that he renders futile the effort of those who covet others' things. For what is the benefit of joining house to house, and of building hearths splendidly and lavishly, if there will be no one, he says, to dwell in them, as the war has consumed small and great? And what is the use of the broadest fields to them, when God does not allow them to be fruitful, because of the greed of those who acquired, or rather seized, them? For there will be, there will be such a barrenness in the fields, that twenty calves, or ten yoke toiling in the vineyards, will with difficulty produce one jar; and when six measures have been sown, to see a yield of fruits at half the sowing of the seeds. But, I think, for the labor of ten yoke of oxen, a great deal of vineyard land and likewise very many arable lots would suffice. Therefore the possession is useless, and the labor of being greedy is in vain, if no one will inhabit the houses in the cities. Nor indeed will the things in the fields be fruitful, as God destroys them, and reproves the injustice of the insatiable. But since each of us also has in his own soul an intellectual field, and works the seed of righteousness, let us be careful not to offend God. For then, then, like a safe and well-founded house, we shall inhabit manifold and various virtue, and we shall abound with grain like the valleys; and the God of all will bless our seed, and will increase the fruits of our righteousness, as the divine Paul says. Woe to those who rise early in the morning, and pursue strong drink, who stay late; for the wine will consume them. For with lyre and psaltery and drums, they drink wine, and flutes, but they do not look upon the works of the Lord, and do not consider the works of his hands. He connects to the first things other very grievous accusations against the rich. For it will be their lot, in addition to wishing to be greedy and insatiably doing violence to the weaker, also to be given to drinking to love, and to rejoice in luxury, and in unceasing revelries and drunkenness, and to be defiled by the evils that come from the love of the flesh; and to think that they must do this continuously at every opportunity. For wealth is sufficient to sharpen one for luxury, and to destroy the satiety from it. But "he who sows to the flesh," as Paul says, "will from the flesh reap corruption." For the end of temporary luxury will be long and perpetual weeping, and of carnal pleasure, destruction is the fruit. Therefore the prophet writes to us of the arrogance of the Jews, and their fading into luxury, and their dissipation into debauchery. For, he says, allotting all their time to gluttony, in the morning they seek strong drink, and they extend their drinking bouts with the course of the sun, and continue until the evening itself. For wine will burn them. For admittedly, wine, when drunk to excess, causes a certain burning in the bowels. But it will burn the lovers of drunkenness in another way too, for it will be for them an occasion for Him who punishes. And they will be utterly and completely burned, being sent into the eternal flames, which have been prepared for the devil and his angels. For this reason also the drunkard, along with the other profane ones, will be disinherited by God, and will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. For see how great the fading of the Jews has been at times toward the need for luxury. For where there is the sound of the lyre, and the sound of drums, and the concord of flutes, with good rhythm and applause, there certainly is also every kind of impurity, and the things done in secret by them, which it is shameful even to speak of. But this harms them: that they cannot behold the glory of God, nor gaze upon His works. For just as the eye of the body, whether from dust getting into it, or discharge being poured in, or a wound bothering it, cannot see clearly; so also the human mind, if it should be fattened by the luxuries of the flesh, cannot look up to God, nor indeed fix its sight accurately on the things done by Him; through which it is possible, and very clearly, to be able to understand who and how great the Creator is. For He is known from the beauty of created things; and one who gives his wonder to the things made by Him would marvel at Him very richly. For as the blessed Paul writes: "For his invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, both His eternal power and divinity." It is likely indeed that the prophet accuses the Jews as loving drinking bouts, and gathering very eagerly for luxuries; but not yet also having in mind, that is, to look at the future, that is, the things that will happen to them as from divine wrath, which he also calls the works of the hands of God. For He makes peace for those who love Him, and creates evils for those who provoke Him. For if they saw the works of the Lord that were to be against them, they would not have endured drink, but tears would have been their concern, and lamentation a friend, and toils and prayers, and the works of repentance, more pleasant than the evils of debauchery. Therefore my people became captive, because they did not know the Lord. And a multitude became dead, through famine and thirst for water. And Hades enlarged its soul, and opened its mouth, so as not to cease. And there shall go down the glorious, and the great, and the rich, and her pestilent ones. And a person shall be humbled, and a man shall be dishonored. And the lofty eyes shall be humbled, and the Lord Sabaoth shall be exalted, and God the holy one shall be glorified in justice. That for those who wish to live in luxury the matter ends in destruction and arrives at the very last of evils, the divine word teaches us in these things. For since those of the land of the Jews, more distinguished than the others, having abandoned as unprofitable the need to scrutinize the works of God, and to look upon the works of His hands, having practiced considering it as nothing, they occupied themselves with perpetual revelries, and wished to get drunk most dissolutely, being accompanied by flutes, and doing this all day long; they will be gone some will be captives and will serve their enemies, and there will be such a multitude of dead throughout the whole land, having perished by famine and thirst, that Hades, as it were, indulges himself with a wide and insatiable mouth, greedily gulping down those who descend, and shutting them up in his own treasuries. For when you hear of the soul of Hades being enlarged, you must think that he wishes to indicate nothing other than what I just said. For the divinely-inspired Scripture sometimes uses names tropically, and as if by metaphor, even for those things that do not have a soul, nor are numbered among the living, or are not even these in truth. For what soul does Hades have? But Hades is rather a place, and a grim prison of miserable souls. Therefore the souls of those who live luxuriously in this life will depart to Hades, and will fill up his soul, as it were. And the divine psalmist hints at something like this to us, speaking, I think, about every soul that loves pleasure and loves sin: He shall go to the generation of his fathers; he shall never see light. For just as holy Scripture says that the saints, when they depart from our affairs, are gathered to their fathers; for it is said somewhere to the blessed Abraham: "And you shall be gathered to your fathers, having been cherished in a good old age;" so also we say that those who die in their sins will run away to the generation of their fathers, saying that their fathers are those who live a life of the same kind and in all respects equal and similar. And if it be said that there is a multitude of dead, because of famine and thirst for water, we say that which Josephus wrote, who recounted in tragic detail in his work the magnitude of the calamity of the Jews; that when Jerusalem was besieged, women ate the infants they had borne, and were overcome by famine and the necessity for anything that would yield to the teeth. And that this happened not only in Jerusalem, but also in the other cities of Judea, how or from where could anyone doubt? Therefore very many were consumed by the war, and fell by swords; but of those who thus perished, the savagery of famine destroyed more. And if one should say that there was also a scarcity of spiritual waters, and of divine food for the impious Jews; and that they perished in this way, and as it were reached Hades, because they were not made alive through Christ, in the likeness of those who believed in him; he would not be wrong. For it happened that they suffered this also. But who might be thought to be the ones descending, for whom Hades himself widens his own soul, and will open his insatiable mouth, he adds, saying: The glorious and the great, and the rich, and her pests. For since they were the leaders throughout the whole land and the more distinguished, it was fitting that the subject people be well instructed through them; but they did not do this. But they became like types and a pattern for the others of the accursed life, and a holy oracle says somewhere to them: "For you have become a snare on the watchtower, and like a net spread upon Itabyrion, which those who hunt the prey have fixed." You see how they have become a snare and a trap for the rest, because the subject people are always wont to follow both the clemency and certainly the negligence of their leaders. Therefore, as being the cause, for themselves and for all the others, of the necessity of their perishing, they will be the first to descend and will advance into Hades, the divine wrath in a way leaping upon them even before the others. But they will be punished not because they became rich and glorious, but because they were pests, that is, corruptors and destroyers, both of themselves, as I said, and of the common multitude. But those who are puffed up with pride, he says, will be humbled and dishonored. For whom does the terror of death not humble? Or what eye that is lifted up and looks upward does a terrible and unbearable calamity not put to sleep? And when all these things have happened, he says, the Lord of Sabaoth will be exalted, in that day, that is, at that time, when the things foretold concerning them will come to an end. But the Lord of Sabaoth alone is exalted in judgment, and in righteousness, having punished with a right and holy vote the boastful people, the disobedient and pleasure-loving. Therefore we must avoid luxuries, and let us hasten to put as far away as possible the unprofitable loves of the flesh, or rather, the most abominable, so that insatiable Hades may not revel over us too. For we remember the Savior saying: "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation." And again, that "Blessed are you who mourn now, for you will laugh;" for the labor will end in refreshment, and the end of good toils will be for us a cause of eternal luxury. "For he who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption," as it is written; "but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." And the plundered will graze like bulls, and lambs will eat the desolate places of the captive. When the land of the Jews was still established and at the height of its prosperity, the neighboring nations fought against those of the blood of Israel. But since the God of all was the one shielding Israel, he so prevailed over those who opposed them as to conquer without a fight, and to terrify all, and to plunder their lands, and to ravage their cities, and to take and carry off the possessions of others with authority. But since they have acted impiously against Christ, and have been given over to the Roman armies for destruction and plunder, their cities were burned, and all their possessions were plundered by the conquerors. Then, when the Roman army yielded a little, those who were formerly plundered overran them, searching cities and houses, and they gathered the rest, and carried it off to their own lands. And the God of all indicates something of this sort to us, saying through the voice of a prophet: "Glean, glean like a vine the remnant of Israel; return like the grape-gatherer to his basket." That it will not be enough, therefore, for them to suffer only the things from the Roman army, but that the things from the cruelty of neighboring enemies will be added, he foretells, saying: "And the plundered will graze like bulls." For those who were formerly, he says, readily plundered by them, because God defended them, will graze upon their land like bulls, that is, terrible and arrogant, and having an invincible resistance. And lambs will eat the desolate places of the captive. By 'captive,' he means 'the besieged.' Therefore, he says, the desolate cities of the besieged will be grazed by lambs, that is, again, those from the nations. Since again he has made the argument to us as about bulls, he has remained with the figure, and has added lambs, so that we may understand the very strong as calves. But those who are not so, but are inferior in lesser strength, we call lambs. So indeed also the wicked and unclean powers will graze upon the heart of each of the indolent, like calves and lambs. And their food is the love of pleasure, and the inclination of a mind looking toward sin.

Discourse 4

Woe to those who draw sins to themselves as with a long rope and iniquities as with the strap of a heifer's yoke, who say: Let what he will do quickly draw near, that we may see, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know. The creator and Lord of all, conquering the weakness of human nature with gentleness, spoke to the ancients through the holy prophets, the things by which it was likely for them to change to the better, having left behind the worse, and to cease from wickedness and sin, and rather to live in virtue, and to choose to do what is good. And for this reason, at one time he set before them the rewards prepared for the saints; at another time he described the modes of punishment, those befitting lovers of sin, so that from all sides he might drive them for what is profitable. But there was no way capable of pushing away the worthlessness of the Jews. For having turned aside to greed and luxury, and already suffering from the utmost despair against God, they terribly attacked the holy prophets. And some, completely disbelieving the things spoken through them, would say: "Speak other things to us, and announce another delusion;" while others, all but accusing the long-suffering of the divine nature, laughing at one another as was likely, would say: But the days are far off, every vision has perished. And so God said somewhere to the blessed Ezekiel: "Son of man, behold the provoking house of Israel, they say, saying: The vision which this man sees is for many days, and he prophesies of distant times. Therefore say to them: Thus says the Lord Adonai: None of my words which I shall speak will be prolonged any more; for I will speak a word, and I will do it, says the Lord Adonai." But others again, all but despairing of their own salvation and life, grew bold in their anger, and indeed would say: Let the time of war come quickly; those wishing to ravage will not find us to be unmanly or fearful of noise. We too are experienced in war, and know tactics well. He rightly declares wretched those who have thought these things, and says: "Woe to those who draw their sins as with a long rope, and their iniquities as with the strap of a heifer's yoke." And by sins and iniquities in these words he means the punishments or chastisements for sins, which are still far off, and not yet near, because God still wishes to be long-suffering, but which are in a way drawn by them, through their wishing to fall into the stirrings of divine wrath. And I think we can most fittingly and truly say to each of such persons: "Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation and righteous judgment of God." For they draw, as I said, the time of punishment upon themselves, perhaps being vexed that He is about to punish them, and did not inflict punishments on them unrestrainedly as they were sinning. They draw, therefore, their sins as with a long rope, and their iniquities as with the strap of a heifer's yoke. For just as, bringing heifers, that is, oxen, under the yoke, they sometimes draw them with great force, and bind them for toils; in the same way, I think, those men also, bringing themselves under the things that are about to happen from divine wrath, would say: "Let what he will do draw near with speed, that we may see, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know." Another of the holy prophets also declares wretched those who say this and think thus, saying: Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord; for it is darkness, and not light, and gloom having no brightness in it. Therefore it is necessary, upon learning that God is grieved, to repent immediately, and to appease him rather with unceasing prayers, not to provoke him further when he is moved; nor indeed to despise him when he threatens; for he is long-suffering, and full of mercy, taking away iniquities, and passing over injustices; and is sometimes moved by the small tears of sinners to that calmness most dear to him. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who put darkness for light, and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight. Through these words he also convicts as being utterly foolish those who draw their sins as with a long rope. For it is necessary to deem worthy of all praise the need to repent, and through all gentleness to deliver themselves from the impending wrath, and with fastings to make their defense to the grieved God who rules over all; they have become unapproved money-changers, honoring the more shameful things, but debasing what is incomparably better, and what is most profitable for salvation for them. Therefore, woe is fitting for those who have thought thus. For they have become impious and foolish judges against themselves. For by saying that evil is good, counting darkness as light, and affirming that the bitter is sweet, and the sweet bitter, they chose to suffer the calamities of war, although it was easy to get out of the evil, but having thrust aside even the illumination through Christ, they have remained in darkness. And what does the prophet say? "They that waited for light, it became darkness unto them; waiting for brightness they walked in darkness." And they have slipped into such ill counsel and savagery of mind, that even when the gentleness of God and the sweet hope from it was set before them for enjoyment, they themselves rather chose the bitterness of being punished, and to be worn out by such terrible evils. He says they have suffered this because they have become wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight. It is true that, according to the voice of the writer of Proverbs, "Unreproved wisdom goes astray." It is burdensome and harmful for those who are accustomed to do this to love being self-willed, and to attribute to their own judgment alone the appearance of knowing what is beneficial. Thus also Holy Scripture says: But the conceited and contemptuous, arrogant man will accomplish nothing. The teachers of the Jews, having this sickness in their mind and heart, did not accept the counsels from the Savior. For they were, they were, not prudent in the sight of the Lord, but rather in their own sight, being supercilious and high-minded because of their knowledge of the divine laws, but having understood nothing at all. For they were blind guides of the blind, according to the voice of the Savior himself. Woe to them that are mighty among you, that drink wine, and the rulers who mix strong drink; who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the justice of the just. The more powerful and more renowned of the Jewish synagogue, who had pre-eminence over others in the knowledge of the divine laws, and who made the judgments among them, were greatly slandered for stretching out an insatiable hand to bribery, and for easily selling their vote to those wishing to wrong their brothers; although the law says clearly: "Judge a just judgment." That what I say is true, the prophet Habakkuk will confirm, saying: "How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and you will not hear? I will cry out to you being wronged, and you will not save? Why have you shown me toils and troubles, to look upon misery and impiety? Judgment has become before me, and the judge takes a bribe. Therefore the law is scattered, and judgment is not brought to completion, because the wicked oppresses the just. For this reason judgment will go forth perverted." And somewhere the divine Isaiah himself says to Jerusalem, that is, to Zion: "Your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving bribes, pursuing a reward; not judging for the orphans, and not paying attention to the judgment of the widow." And they did these things, being overcome by shameful gains; and perhaps they were unholily collecting contributions for drinking parties and luxuries, and gathering them from injustices. For he accuses them through the voice of a prophet, saying: And binding their garments with ropes, they made hangings adjoining the altar, and drank wine from extortions in the house of their God. Woe, therefore, he says, to the powerful and mighty, to those who elaborately prepare strong drink, to the lovers of drink, and who love drunkenness, to those who take away the justice of the just, that is, to those who condemn the wronged, but render a just verdict to those accustomed to be greedy. And this, I think, is to say openly that evil is good, and good is evil, and darkness is light, and light is darkness, the bitter is sweet, and the sweet is bitter. But it must be known that the mighty will be mightily tested; and from him to whom they committed much, they will demand much more, according to the voice of the Savior. For the things of punishment will not be in the same way for the leaders and for those under their hand. The For sometimes they will put forward the pretense of not knowing, perhaps, the will of their master; but others, although they knew it very precisely, have not done it. For this reason they will rightly endure a more burdensome movement from the one who punishes. Therefore, in the way that straw is burned by a coal of fire, and is consumed by a flame let loose, their root will be as dust, and their flower will go up like fine dust. For since they themselves against themselves, he says, have drawn sins as with a long rope, and have become not upright judges of matters, condemning the good, but praising the wicked, and they were wise in their own eyes, and knowledgeable before themselves, and looking to things even more shameful than these, they have justified the ungodly for the sake of bribes, and they took away the right of the righteous; for the sake of all these things, like easily combustible matter and in the manner of straw, they will be food for fire, and flames let loose will consume them, so that together with the roots the fruits from them are consumed, that is, that their offspring should be destroyed along with their parents, and be scattered by the gusts of a most violent wind like soil or dust. And he calls "a flame let loose" that which is extinguished by no one. For sometimes a fire falls upon standing crops or, that is, vines; but it has not become "let loose," with many defending and not allowing it to approach, nor indeed to consume the fields without hindrance. But when no one is working, that is, checking the further course of the flame, then indeed it will be a "let loose" flame, and unrestrained, and being unbridled against anything whatsoever that lies nearby. Therefore, since, when the all-powerful God was subjecting them to the misfortunes of war and punishing them by a holy decree, there was absolutely no one to defend them; for this reason he very fittingly calls the wrath a "let loose" flame. For as the blessed Moses says: "Our God is a consuming fire, and if he shuts up against a man, who will open? " And knowing this, the divine David sings: "You are terrible, and who will stand against you from your wrath? " It is necessary therefore, using all strength, to beg off wrath; for the matter is terrible, and hard to escape; and at any rate we have been taught to say in prayers: "O Lord, do not reprove me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath." For it is not, it is not being disciplined that is difficult. But it is burdensome and hard to bear, for this to be done against us in wrath and anger; so also the prophet said: "Discipline us, O Lord, but in judgment, and not in anger, lest you make us few." For they did not desire the law of the Lord of Sabaoth, but they provoked the oracle of the holy one of Israel. And the Lord of Sabaoth was angered with wrath against his people, and he laid his hand upon them, and struck them, and the mountains were provoked, and their carcasses became as dung in the middle of the road. The most wise Jeremiah rebukes the ignorance and arrogance of the Jews, saying: "How will you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us'? In vain was the pen made, a false scribe, the wise were shamed, they were dismayed and were captured. What wisdom is in them? Because they have rejected the word of the Lord." For they in no way accepted the evangelical preaching; but neither have they honored the law itself through Moses. For as Christ himself has said: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me." They have sinned, therefore, in both respects, and the wretched ones have rejected the word of God, neither accepting the prophecies through the law as true, nor indeed praising the saving evangelical word. For this reason God spoke about them through the voice of Jeremiah: "To whom shall I speak, and bear witness, that he may hear? behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; they will not wish to hear it." For they were reproaching the word of Christ, saying to those who were listening concerning him: "He has a demon, and is mad; why do you listen to him?" Therefore, since not they have rejected the law of the Lord of Sabaoth, and they have provoked the oracle of the Holy One of Israel, that is, of Christ; He was roused, it says, to wrath, and He struck them, and the mountains were provoked. And what mountains does he mean in this? Clearly, the Roman authorities, because of their conspicuous glory and their exalted dignities? And from the provocation of the mountains, their corpses became like dung, that is, the dead from the war, scattered everywhere, and perhaps lying in heaps, and filling all their land. And in another sense, against those who provoke the Savior God of all through disobedience. For the spiritual mountains are provoked, that is, the principalities and powers, and the world-rulers of this darkness. When this happens, it is somehow entirely necessary for those subjected to them to endure the death of the soul. For when the all-powerful God helps, even if the mountains are provoked against us, they are of no account. For it is written, that The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and will deliver them. But when He withdraws His hand, and no longer consents to save, then we shall lie down, and like dung we shall be under the feet of the enemy. For all this his anger was not turned away, but still his hand is high. Therefore he will lift up a signal among the nations that are far off, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth. And behold, they come swiftly, lightly; they shall not hunger, nor shall they grow weary, nor shall they slumber, nor shall they sleep, nor shall they loosen the belts from their loins, nor shall the straps of their sandals be broken, whose arrows are sharp, and their bows bent. The hooves of their horses were counted as hard rock; the wheels of their chariots as a whirlwind. They rush as lions, and they stand ready as a lion's whelp. And he will seize, and will roar as a wild beast, and will cast out, and there will be no one to deliver. And he will roar because of them in that day, as the voice of a surging sea, and they will look upon the earth, and behold, harsh darkness in their distress. That the measure of wrath upon them will not be limited to these things by the One who judges righteously, but will proceed even further, the present text will make clear. For although they have been savagely ravaged, oppressed by hunger and thirst, and caught in the calamities of war, the wretched ones have remained in apostasy from God, and have not escaped His wrath. For this, I think, is what he means by saying, 'Still his hand is high,' that it is striking those who have sinned. For the hand of the one striking is somehow always raised high. Then what or how great the provocation of the mountains will be, and who will serve their wrath, and with how much courage and boldness, and with what unaccustomed cruelty towards men they will come, he reveals, saying: "Therefore he will lift up a signal among the nations that are far off." For not bordering or neighboring to the land of the Jews were those who laid it waste and burned Jerusalem and all the cities of the Jews, but they were gathered from distant lands, and from all the earth. For they were very many; or rather, perhaps even beyond numbering were those who fought alongside Vespasian and Titus. A signal will be given, he says, as in a time of war and battle. For it is the custom for generals, when they are about to arm the multitude under their command for battle, to give a signal, raising high the so-called standards. Of which the prophet Isaiah also makes mention, saying: He shall be left as a mast upon a mountain, and as one bearing a standard upon a hill. For setting up masts on high hills, they either raise them, or lower them, or even hang something from them, towards which the fighting force looks. And thus he saw what seemed good to the general. Therefore he raises the signal, he says, and will hiss for them. And this again he takes from the custom regarding flies. For it is somehow a custom for beekeepers to hiss for them; and thus to lead them from the hives to flowers and grasses, and indeed also to bring them back from the fields, and make them lodge at home. He will hiss, then, he says. And they will arrive winged and light, having little concern for hunger, and not fearing toils, both sleepless and most ready for action, and trained in tactics, and riding on tireless horses, and rushing like a storm, and equal to lions, and devouring like wild beasts. And they will be so difficult to meet and terrible, that they will be able to conquer without a fight, with no one leading out against them, that is, having sufficient strength for assistance, There will be at that time a lamentation and a mingled cry, so that some will think nothing else than that the echo of the sea is scattered over the land of the Jews. And there will also be a harsh darkness, and not at all in every way that which is understood as in a mist and in the night, but rather that from terrors and perplexity. For the most difficult of evils darkens the mind. Therefore the God of all helps us through everything. For he does not make in vain the foretellings of things to come; and he goes through precisely the magnitudes of the evils; so that, since we are often unadmonished, and have made of no account the word that calls to repentance, we might at least, shrinking from being caught in such terrible punishments, receive the divine fear into ourselves, and having rejected evil things, we might transfer our heart at last to what is necessary, to choose the good. And it came to pass in the year that king Ozias died, I saw the Lord of Sabaoth, sitting on a high and exalted throne; and the house was full of his glory. And Seraphim stood round about him. Six wings to one, and six wings to the other. And with two, they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one cried to another, and they said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth, the whole earth is full of his glory. Not just on any single occasion, nor indeed without interval, did the blessed prophets receive the revelations of the visions from God. But rather in parts, according to what seemed good to the Lord. And in times in which he who reveals deep and hidden things, and knows the hidden things, wished to do this. For with him there is light, as it is written. Therefore, while Ozias, who is also Azarias, was still alive and ruling the thrones of the kingdom in Jerusalem, the blessed prophet Isaiah uttered the words concerning the things that had already happened. For Ozias, also Azarias, was among the most God-loving of men, for he is said to have done what was right in the eyes of God. But he did not preserve to the end the good and blameless glory of his piety. For having prevailed through God over the neighboring nations, and having accomplished very many and wonderful things against them, he was intoxicated by the ways of prosperity; and he slid into arrogance. For he came to such a state of mind as to even seize the sacred ministry, and to come, self-appointed, to the duty of sacrificing to God. For having entered into the divine temple, he did not wish to offer the sacrifices to God through the mediation of the Levites, that is, the priests. But having leaped up to the divine altar itself, he sought to offer incense contrary to custom and the law. And he was reproved by the priestly tribe as doing unholy things, and attempting to transgress the law. But since, glorying in the boasts of his kingdom, he had also assigned to himself that it was fitting to be a priest; and making of no account the counsels of the priests, he was immediately reproved by God. For he was made a leper, the disease having broken out on his very forehead. But I think it is necessary for an accurate knowledge of what has been said to also set forth the divine oracles themselves, those written about him. And it is as follows: "In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azarias son of Amasias, king of Judah, began to reign. He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Jecolia of Jerusalem. And he did what was pious in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Amazias his father had done. But the high places he did not remove; still the people sacrificed and offered incense in the high places. And the Lord touched the king. And he was a leper until the day of his death." And these things are in the Books of Kings. But in Chronicles, as I said: "And When he had grown strong, it says, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. And he acted wickedly against the Lord his God; and he entered into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense; and Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty-two priests of the Lord, mighty men; and they stood against Uzziah the king, and said to him; It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for us, the priests who serve, the sons of Aaron who have been consecrated, to burn incense. Go out from the sanctuary, for you have fallen away from the Lord. And this will not be for your glory from the Lord God. And Uzziah was enraged; and in his hand was the censer to burn incense in the temple; while he was enraged with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, above the altar of incense. And the chief priest and the priests turned toward him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead. And they hurried him from there, and indeed he himself hurried to go out, because the Lord had afflicted him." Since the law given through Moses commanded that the leper must by all means be sent out of the camp as unclean, and that it defiled and declared common because of the uncleanness of the leper whoever was with him, Uzziah dwelt in Jerusalem, thereby defiling almost all of Jerusalem. The Master has been silent, not dishonoring holy prophets, but rather showing those who dwell with the unclean to be unworthy of his admonition, contrary to what seemed right to the lawgiver. For so he says somewhere also to the blessed Ezekiel: "And I will bind your tongue, and you shall be mute; and you shall not be for them a man who reproves, for it is a rebellious house." Therefore he has become silent, although showing his indignation. For Jerusalem has been shaken, and the whole land of the Jews was quaked. And we shall know this through what the prophet Amos wrote. For it is as follows: "The words of Amos which were in Akkarim in Tekoa, which he saw concerning Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel two years before the earthquake." But when Uzziah died, the time of silence ended with him. And again the God of all gave visions of God to the holy prophets. For this reason the prophet Isaiah says: "And it came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord of Sabaoth sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." That the prophet therefore beheld the Son in the glory of God the Father, no one would doubt, as John writes clearly concerning him: "These things Isaiah said, when he saw his glory, and spoke of him." But consider for me the dignity of the God-befitting excellence, and the power over all creation. For he is upon a high and lifted up throne, very well crowned with the most distinguished boasts of his kingship. But the highest powers, after which nothing beyond created things is said to exist, stand around in a circle, holding the rank of servants, and honoring him with praises. And he says that the whole earth is full of his glory. But I think one must not suppose the divine throne to be set in local heights. For the thing is utterly foolish and unintelligible. But the divine throne is set on high, inasmuch as the glory of God's kingdom is also conceived to be beyond all intelligible nature. But the sitting upon it seems to signify a kind of stability and the establishment and permanence of good things in sameness. For thus also the divine David sings in the Psalms: "God sits upon his holy throne." And indeed the prophet Jeremiah also says to him somewhere: "For you sit forever, and we perish forever." For always and in all time, created nature is corruptible, and in these things is the measure of created beings; but, as I said, the wisdom that is the artisan and creator of all things sits, that is, it has an unshakable permanence in sameness. And he says the house is full of his glory. For Israel had not yet acted impiously toward our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory of God filled the house in Jerusalem. But when they denied his kingdom, and fell into impiety of ways. For this reason they heard the voice saying: "Behold, your house is left to you." He says that each of the Seraphim had six wings, so that with two they covered their face, and with two their feet, and with the remaining they flew. Seraphim is interpreted as burners, or those who make warm. For there is nothing cold among the powers above, which would be especially near to God. In this way, therefore, we ourselves, cleaving through faith and a good and most lawful conduct, are made fervent in the spirit, and warm in our love for God. And the Seraphim covering both their face and their feet with their wings, and flying with two, is a symbol of no one being able to see either a beginning or an end of the thoughts or words concerning God. For the head and the face signify the beginning, but the feet the end. For the Divine is without beginning and knows no end. But we with difficulty approach the things in between, I mean those according to the times in which things that once were not were brought into existence. They fly, indeed, as having nothing that is cast down. But their thought is always lifted up to God. For they do not, like us, think on things below, but the highest powers have their own mind in certain ineffable heights of thought. And their mouth is also for praising. For they offer doxology, and this in turn, not because they grow weary, as I suppose, but rather they yield the honors to one another, and exchange the doxologies. For all things above are in order. And saying "Holy" three times, they conclude the doxology with, "Lord of Sabaoth," placing the holy Trinity in one nature of divinity. For we confessedly say that the Father subsists; so also the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And no reasoning divides each of the named ones into a different nature, but one divinity is understood in three hypostases. And this has been testified to us by these holy Seraphim, who also say that the whole earth is full of his glory, proclaiming beforehand the things to come, and foretelling the mystery of the economy which has come to be through Christ. For before the Word became flesh, the wandering demon, the dragon, the apostate, held sway over the world under heaven. And creation was worshipped instead of the creator and Maker; but when the only-begotten Word of God became man, the whole earth has been filled with his glory. For to him every knee shall bow, and every tribe, and tongues shall confess, and they shall serve him, according to what is written. And the blessed David also proclaimed this beforehand in spirit; for he said: "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord." This, therefore, has been fulfilled by the calling of the multitude from the nations; and all worshipping him who for our sake became as we are, while remaining for his own sake above all. And the lintel was lifted up at the voice which they cried, and the house was filled with smoke. For the prophet has seen the Lord of Sabaoth sitting on a high and exalted throne, with the holy Seraphim standing around in a circle, and praising him with unceasing doxologies. And it was confirmed that the house was full of his glory. But now he says the lintel was lifted up, and the house was filled with smoke, and from the voice with which the holy Seraphim cried out. Shall we then say that the voice was the cause of the things that happened to the house? And yet how is it not exceedingly unseemly to choose to think this? In what way, then, shall we approach the meanings of the things set before us? Most excellently and wisely. Before the incarnation and advent of our Savior, while Israel was still conducting its life under the law without hindrance and without rebuke, that famous temple in Jerusalem which Solomon built was full of the glory of God. For they performed in it the sacrifices according to the law. But since the they did not receive him who arrived from heaven in human form, and was proclaimed through the law and the prophets, but rather even killed the author of life; he abandoned his house, he left his inheritance. For he has turned aside to the nations, and indeed the whole earth has been filled with his glory. But the land of the Jews has been given over to desolation, and the temple itself has been burned. When therefore, according to the prophecy, or foretelling, or voice of the holy Seraphim, the whole earth was filled with his glory, then was the lintel of the temple lifted up, and it was filled with smoke. Therefore, the phrase, "from the voice with which they cried out," is indicative of time rather, not at all the work and result of the doxology. But I think the phrase, "The lintel was lifted up," signifies that the temple has been abandoned. And that it has also been burned is indicated by his saying that it was filled with smoke. But if someone should wish to understand such things in another way, and to say that they were done intellectually against the entire nation of the Jews, he would not err from a fitting interpretation. For when the whole earth was filled with the glory of our Savior, as the nations were called through faith, then all spiritual security of the Jewish mind was dissolved. And like smoke, the wretched ones, having received the mist of ignorance into their mind, have become intellectually blind. For this reason also the Savior proclaimed to them, saying: "While you have the light, walk in the light, that darkness may not overtake you." And that the mind of the Jews is insecure and vulnerable to any passion whatsoever, being devoid of help from above, how could anyone of sound mind doubt it? And I said, Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips; and I have seen the King, the Lord of Sabaoth, with my eyes. The law commanded through the all-wise Moses that the profane should not mix with the holy, and there was very great observance of this among the Jews. And so to the holy apostles while they were still fishing, the Lord proclaimed, saying: "Let down your nets for a catch." When this had happened, a great multitude of fish was indeed caught, and the divine Peter, marveling at the power of the word, "fell," it says, "at Jesus' knees, saying: 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'" But Peter would not have wanted Christ to depart from him. But since he knew the purpose of the law, he confessed that he was a sinner, and he was afraid to be with the holy one, according to the custom that always prevailed among the Jews. And when Christ had once come into the country of the Gergasenes, and then had healed those who were savagely possessed by demons in the tombs, they marveled indeed at the divine sign. But Matthew said that "The whole city went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to depart from their region." And yet how was it not necessary rather to lay claim to the one who had healed, and to beg him to remain with them, and to become the creator of many other wonders? But at that time it was a proof of reverence and a way of the honor owed to the holy ones for some to decline to approach them. When Matthew had been called and had followed Christ, and then had invited him into his house; "And behold," it says, "many sinners and tax collectors came and reclined with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples: 'Why does your teacher eat with sinners and tax collectors?'" You understand then how they accused Christ as one who had neglected the law, precisely for being willing to live with wicked men. And somewhere God also blames those allotted to preside over the Synagogue of the Jews, saying through a prophet: "They did not distinguish between the holy and the profane." Therefore, it was a manner of reverence, as I said, and a tradition of the legal commandments for those with a reputation for worthlessness, and whose conscience is not free from sins, not to wish to be with the holy ones. The blessed prophet is also seen to have suffered something of this sort, for this reason he says: "Woe is me, for I am pierced to the heart." And not wretched for this reason, that he has been pierced to the heart; how is it not foolish to understand it this way? but that he has been pierced, he says, by his conscience, and it is clear that for this reason he said: "Woe is me, for being a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips; and I have seen the King, the Lord of Sabaoth, with my eyes." For since the holy Seraphim uttered the doxologies with pure and all-holy mouths, he himself, being taught by God, feared the matter, not being ignorant that praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner, as it is written. For admittedly the lips of Israel were unclean; for they had blasphemed against our Lord Jesus Christ. But if indeed the prophet says that he himself also has such lips, although he was completely without share in the impiety of Israel, we say that he moderates himself as a saint, and it is likely that, as one who is of the blood of Israel, he does not place himself outside the charge. But he submits to the common offense of the people, saving through this the ones who have sinned; that is to say, he confesses the sickness of human nature. Such is that which is said by the blessed David against all mankind: "I said in my ecstasy: Every man is a liar." For the mind of man is sick with falsehood, even if some should be delivered from the evil, gaining the matter by sobriety. The prophet therefore was afraid that, not being so pure, as indeed are the holy Seraphim, he had seen the Lord of Sabaoth, yet had kept silent, although he ought rather to have given glory, because he did not have so pure a mouth. But that one must offer hymns with pure mouths would be clear from one of the holy disciples speaking about the tongue: "With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. It ought not to be so, my brothers. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water." And one of the Seraphim was sent to me, and in his hand he had a live coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your lips, and it will take away your iniquities, and will cleanse your sins. The divine Paul writes concerning the holy angels, that they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation. And the matter is not inconsistent. For all things in the world that are among the powers above, and the measures of honor or ministry among them, and the boundaries of the glory of each have been set, by the God who distributes all things according to what seems good to Him. Nevertheless, the yoke is one upon all, and they serve the Lord's commands, not disdaining servitude, but rather counting what is genuine in these things as a portion of honor and glory. The mystery of Christ is therefore prefigured in the eyes of the prophet, being most excellently ministered by the powers above. Therefore one of the Seraphim is sent having a live coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And this, then, was a symbol of Christ, who for us and on our behalf offered himself to God the Father, as a spiritual sacrifice, pure and unblemished, and as a fragrant offering. For this reason also it is very fittingly taken from the altar. It is indeed compared to a live coal; and it is necessary to say for what reason. It is the custom for the divinely-inspired Scripture to compare the divine nature to fire. For so he appeared to the blessed Israel on Mount Horeb, that is Sinai, on the day of the assembly. Thus also to the blessed Moses himself, while shepherding in the wilderness, he appeared and spoke at times in the form of fire in the bush. Just as, therefore, the live coal is by nature wood, yet it is entirely filled through and through with fire, and has its power and energy; in this way, I think, would also fittingly be understood our Lord Jesus Christ Himself; "For the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." But even if He was seen as a man according to us, by economy, yet the whole fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him, I mean according to the manner of the union. For this reason also He is seen having the most divine energies through His own flesh. For He touched the bier, and raised the dead son of the widow. And indeed, spitting, He gave sight to the blind, anointing their eyes with clay. Emmanuel, therefore, must be very well likened to a coal, who, if He should somehow be on our lips, completely and in every way takes away sins, and will cleanse iniquities. Then how will He be on our lips? When we confess the faith in Him. Thus also the divine Paul writes: "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach. For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Therefore let the divine coal be on our lips, which consumes the refuse of sin, and melts away the filth of iniquity, and makes us fervent in the spirit. But if it is said to be taken with tongs, you will cleverly understand that we receive faith in Him, and indeed knowledge, as with some tongs, through both the legal and prophetic instructions, that is, predictions. From which also the word of the holy apostles is everywhere truly sealed, for using testimonies from the law and the prophets, they persuade their listeners, and, as it were, they themselves bring the coal to their lips, preparing them to confess the faith in Christ. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send? and who will go to this people? And I said: Behold, I am; send me. When the coal touched the prophet's lips, and took away his iniquities, then he also hears the voice of the Lord, and no longer fears, and is silent about the, "Woe is me," but very swiftly presented himself for the mission, and as it were a volunteer going for this very thing, the, "Behold, I am, send me." But if God should say: "Whom shall I send? and who will go to this people?" we say the voice is not of one who is at a loss, nor as it were of one who is in lack of someone to be sent, but rather of one accusing Israel as being exceedingly disobedient, and yielding to none of the previously sent, but rather killing them. For some they insulted, some they stoned, and some they killed, as Christ says, composing for us the parable in the Gospels. Whom then shall I send? he says. And who will go to this people? who having been disobedient to those already sent before, are both hard and difficult to meet, and have shown by their very actions, that it would not be for any ordinary person to approach them, but perhaps only for one who despaired of his own life. That Israel has become inflexible, and exceedingly unadmonishable, one might learn also through what God said to the blessed Ezekiel. And it is thus: "Son of man, go, enter the house of Israel, and speak my words to him, because you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and a slow tongue, to the house of Israel, nor to many peoples of foreign speech, or foreign tongues, nor of a hard language, whose words you will not hear. And if I had sent you to such, they would have listened to you; but the house of Israel will not want to listen to you, because they do not want to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is contentious, and hard-hearted." Rightly therefore, as it were, at a loss, or rather, as I have just said, accusing those of Israel for their very great cruelty. Whom then shall I send? The prophet therefore, having hesitated in no way: "Behold, I am here," he says, "send me." Therefore, whenever the divine coal touches us, we shall be clean of our trespasses, and eager and youthful for the mission, which is indeed what the divine disciples have done. For although they were from the Jews, and before their love for Christ, their lips were surely unclean along with the rest, but when they accepted the faith, and made the good confession, and the coal touched them also, then they were also called to the mission, and they followed without delay, even though the all-wise Moses said: "I pray, Lord, appoint another powerful one, whom you will send;" and Jeremiah again: "O Being, Lord Master, behold I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth." Therefore, those in Christ are more ardent for mission and ministry than the saints of old. And a clear type of this matter would be the blessed prophet Isaiah, who after the touch of the coal cried out and said: "Behold, I am here, send me." And he said: Go, and say to this people: Hearing you will hear, and you will not understand; and seeing you will see, and you will not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown dull, and with their ears they heard with difficulty, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I should heal them. That a hardening in part has happened to Israel, the divine Paul writes; explaining, as it were, in what way it happened that they suffered this hardening. "For until this day, he says, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart." For it was consistent for those who had henceforth slipped into such savagery of ways, to be very sick with disobedience, and to be willing to yield neither to the writings of Moses, nor indeed to the holy prophets; and I would add that not even to Christ himself, being seized by the darkness of an intelligible mist, and differing little from insensible stones. Therefore, God of all makes this prediction, and instructs the prophet to proclaim beforehand to them: that "Hearing you will hear and will not understand; and seeing you will see, and you will not perceive." For they were hearers of the Savior's voice; he taught in synagogues, he spoke in Jerusalem many times, but they were the same as those who had not heard at all. They were spectators of the things miraculously accomplished. For they saw lepers freed from their affliction, the lame leaping up, the blind recovering their sight, the dead rising from tombs; but they were benefited in no way, and the wretched ones continued as if deprived of their own eyes. For this reason they are also reproached through the voice of the saints, as having always been stiff-necked, and disobedient in heart, and killers of saints. And indeed he says the hardening was given to them, so that they might not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and he might heal them. And this was very clearly what Christ said to those who chose to disobey: "Do not grumble among yourselves; no one can come to me unless my Father who sent me draws him." And again: "Everyone who has heard from the Father, comes to me." Therefore they are not called to the knowledge of the Son, through the revelation of God the Father, because they were not worthy of salvation and life through him. But if someone should wish to approach the meanings of what has been said in another way, he will understand thus. For God of all foretells, as knowing the hidden and future things, and says that in every way they will both see and hear, yet they will remain as if neither having heard nor agreeing, and suffering this themselves from their own wicked opinion. And he adds to this, that in doing these things, they plot against their own heads. For they have become sick with deafness, and the inability to see, "Lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and they will turn, and I will heal them." Therefore, they themselves have become the cause of their own of destruction, neither lending a sharp ear to the things said by Christ, nor indeed opening the eye of their own mind. For if they had done this, they would have returned, and having obtained the appropriate healing, they would have preserved their own mind sound and healthy. And I said: How long, Lord? And he said: Until cities be laid waste because they are not inhabited, and houses, because there are no people, and the land shall be left desolate. And after these things God shall remove men far away, and those who are left shall be multiplied upon the earth. The prophet feared, lest perhaps the hardening brought upon those of Israel be continuous and unceasing. For this reason indeed he thinks it right to learn the time during which this will befall them, and until when the sickness extends. And in response to these things, God foretells the devastation of Jerusalem itself, and of the whole land of the Jews, and says: "Until cities be laid waste because they are not inhabited, and houses because there are no people." which indeed has come to pass, when Vespasian and Titus devastated Judea after the cross of the Savior, and the ascension into heaven. But that the punishment for the disobedient will not be measured out until they suffer these things, nor indeed will Israel utterly, that is, root and branch, perish, he reveals, saying: "And after these things God will remove men far away, and those who are left, will be multiplied upon the earth." For they were removed far from God, both having killed the saints, and adding to them the author of life. But those who were left, that is, those who were saved, and have believed in Christ, who are also the remnant of Israel, will be in great multitude, he says. For not a small part of Israel has believed, and this at the beginning of the book the blessed prophet Isaiah himself has revealed, saying: "And unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we should have become as Sodom, and we should have been made like unto Gomorrah." But it seems to some to understand the meaning of the things set forth otherwise. And when the prophet asks, and wishes to learn to what and how long a time the hardening will extend, God answers: "Until the cities be laid waste, because they are not inhabited, and houses, because there are no people, and after these things God will remove men far away;" so that through this we may understand the time of the consummation. For we must first hear of wars, and rumors of wars, and nation rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and cities and houses be laid waste, and then the end; after which men are then removed far away, that is, after the time of the resurrection, living a pure and long-lasting life, corruption having been entirely done away with, and death having been abolished, and all sin having been removed. But that Israel has been hardened, yet will be called in the last times of the age, since the divinely inspired Scripture says it clearly and plainly, I think it is vain to insist, and to seek for things that lead to full assurance. And yet there is a tenth upon it, and again it shall be for plunder, as a terebinth, and as an acorn, when it falls from its husk. And now the prophetic word reminds us of a history, which it is necessary, as it seems, to relate; for thus what is signified will be clear. For when they campaigned against the land of the Jews, as I have already said, Vespasian and Titus, the land of the Jews was consumed, being burned up along with its cities and houses, it was a terrible sight, and full of all pity to those who saw it, their nation had then come to this point of depopulation, so that he who says it does not err from the truth, that scarcely a tenth of the whole people was left in it. Then they passed some time being sustained in peace, yet not without fears, of suffering devastation again, which indeed also happened. For Hadrian in his time, administering the throne of the Roman empire, and indeed Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, overran the land of the Jews, and it was in no way less than the former ca- of the remnants being further desolated, of the captured being sent into captivity, when also the sufferings of the Maccabees happened to occur. God of all again makes mention of such accounts to us in a prophecy and says: "Yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return and be for a spoil." For it will not lie outside of his care, he says, even if it should be in remnants, and these small, the people of the Jews; but it will again be for a spoil. And the land will then again become to them like a terebinth, and they themselves like an acorn when it falls from its cup. For the terebinth is a plant, but if a shedding of its leaves should occur, it has a very great unpleasantness, having the driest branches. In this manner, I think, a land also that has suffered the desolation of its inhabitants will be in every way like dry plants, not having their bloom upon it, but also having suffered the shedding of its foliage. Likewise the acorn is the fruit of an oak; but when it falls from its cup, it will then be available to the animals accustomed to consuming it. Therefore, the land of the Jews has imitated the terebinth that has shed its leaves. But those who have fallen away from it by going into captivity will lie like acorns, having all but fallen from their own cup which bore them. Solomon also says something like this: "Like a bird when it falls from its own nest, so also is a man when he is separated from his own places." For what could be more wretched than those in captivity? And what is so pitiable and trampled upon as for men to fall under the hand of their conquerors? And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not besiege it. Those who reject the history in the divinely-inspired Scriptures as stale, naturally flee from being able to understand, in the proper way, the things written in them. For spiritual contemplation is both beautiful and profitable, and by brilliantly illuminating the eye of the mind, it makes men very wise. But when something of what has been done historically is brought to us through the sacred Letters, then indeed the useful thing from history must be sought, so that from every side the divinely-inspired Scripture may be seen to be saving and benefiting us. Therefore, in these things the prophetic word relates to us what happened in the times of the reign of Uzziah to those from Judah and Benjamin, and to the ten tribes in Samaria, which were also named Ephraim, and indeed also Israel. And since the whole word of the prophecy came in the times of four kings, the prophet sets down the events in the times of each, and necessarily marks them, imposing the best order on the visions, that is, on his words. Therefore, when Azariah, that is, Uzziah, died, Jotham succeeded to the kingdom, and he followed the purpose and the practices of his own father. For he too is said to have done what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as Uzziah did, except that he did not remove the high places, but the people still burned incense in the high places. And Uzziah sought, beyond what was permitted, to act as priest to God and to offer incense, and he was struck with leprosy for this reason. Jotham, however, was not so. But when he also died, Ahaz succeeded to the kingdom, while Pekah the son of Remaliah was ruling over Israel, that is, of the twelve tribes. This one stirred up war against Ahaz and Judah, and killed one hundred and twenty thousand in one day. For the God of all was provoked by the impieties of Ahaz, concerning whom it is also written in the fourth book of Kings, that he walked in the way of the king of Israel. For he became an impious man, and worshipped idols, and made his children pass through the fire, sacrificing to the unclean demons. Therefore in the times of his reign, they conspired against both Jerusalem and Judah, both Pe- Pekah the son of Remaliah, and Rezin king of Aram, that is, of Syria. And they came as if to lay it waste, but they did not take the city. But Ahaz, fearing the assault to be unbearable, makes a great collection of money, and sends an embassy to the king of the Assyrians, Tiglath-pileser, asking him to come to his aid and to campaign against Rezin, which indeed was brought to completion. And the Assyrian came and took Damascus, and he also killed Rezin. And when Pekah son of Remaliah, who had reigned over Israel in Samaria, died, Hoshea son of Elah succeeded to the scepter, and during his reign, Shalmaneser the Assyrian came against Samaria, and he took all of it, and carried Israel away captive, and settled them in the mountains of the Persians and Medes; then he ordered some of those under him to inhabit Samaria, both the one from Cuthah and the one from Sepharvaim. For it is written thus in the books of Kings, and the account for each of the things said is long in the divinely inspired Scripture, but I have made the narrative concise as far as possible. But we will speak of each thing in turn, following the meanings of the text before us. In the days, then, it says, of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, both Rezin king of Aram, that is, of Syria, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, conspired against Jerusalem, and they came to lay it waste, but they were not able to besiege it. And these things have been said for now with the force of an introduction, and as in a narrative of what happened. For it reveals the plan and the attempt itself, and it adds immediately also the outcome of the matter: For they were not able, it says, to besiege it. And it was reported to the house of David, saying, "Aram has made a pact with Ephraim," and his soul was shaken, and the soul of his people, as a tree in a forest is shaken by the wind. Having defined, as I said, the occasion of the narratives, and having stated summarily in a brief chapter the attempt of the two kings, and that their purpose did not come to fulfillment, he then begins to detail each thing in his account. For it was reported, he says, to the house of David, that is, to the one who was reigning, and they announced that Aram had made a pact with Ephraim. And by Aram he means the Syrian, and by Ephraim likewise the ten tribes in Samaria. Since these things are this way, the house of David, that is, Ahaz, learned of it and believed it. His soul was shaken, and the soul of his people, as a tree in a forest is shaken by the wind. And the term, "was shaken," he uses commonly, instead of, "was terrified," and almost fell out of his mind. For the dreadful of terrors are somehow able to shake the mind, and to agitate the soul, and to seem to suffer something of the sort that a tree in the woods would suffer, being tossed this way and that by the blasts of wild winds. And the occasion for the cowardice, or rather for his distress, was what had happened. For I have already said that during his reign, Pekah had warred against Judah, and in one day killed one hundred and twenty thousand from the people. When, therefore, even Pekah alone was so great as to easily overpower those in Jerusalem; how was it not necessary for him to show the utmost fear, both Ahaz himself and the people under him, when the Syrian had conspired and was arming with Ephraim against Jerusalem? And the Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son who is left, at the pool of the upper highway of the fuller's field. And you shall say to him, 'Take care to be quiet, and do not be afraid, nor let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands. For when the anger of my wrath occurs, I will heal again.'" Truly the Lord is compassionate and merciful, and wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth; and he manages all things clearly, and... preparing for each one the way of salvation. And this we can see is so from the facts themselves. For Ahaz became an idolatrous man, abominable and profane. But when he was already in inescapable evils, and the compassionate one saw him almost drunk with calamities, He immediately adds the possibility of partaking of the salvation from Himself, and He promises aid, so that he might cease from idolatrous madness, and be prepared to abstain from the things he had already stumbled in, and to receive the light of true knowledge of God. Therefore the prophet commands him to meet him with Shear-jashub, which is interpreted as a remnant and what is left behind; almost as if the type signifies as a symbol to Ahaz that the remnant of Judah that has remained with God will be saved. For the prophet is taken as a type of God, and very well does He make the promise of aid at the pool of the upper conduit of the fuller's field. And again the pool is a type of the saving font of holy baptism, which both brings us to the way above, and of the spiritual fuller, that is, of the one who wipes away all our filth and frees us from defilements. Therefore the promise is secure, and as in a type of the particular the universal and through Christ, a wise riddle has been given to the prophet. And it says, "Take heed to be quiet, and do not be afraid, nor let your soul be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands." And to command him to be still and to continue without cares, and indeed to be free from harsh fears; was then a call very prudently to obedience, and as it were referring to the first principles of the need to honor the words concerning God, and to readily affirm as true whatever he might say. And he calls those who conspired against him firebrands and smoldering pieces of wood, as those who are about to cease both from being and from their kingdom. For just as a piece of wood, that is, a firebrand, when it is taken out of the fire, smokes, yet it is at its end of even having fire in itself; in this same way, I think, a person who is about to come to the end of either life or a matter, might reasonably be called a still smoldering firebrand or piece of wood. And since he would know that they had become especially fearful, and in great dejection, because of being defeated having fought against Pekah, when also, as I said, one hundred and twenty thousand from Judah fell in one day; he also removes them from these fears, and says: "For when the wrath of my anger comes, I will heal again;" that is, not even they would have fallen, if my anger had not given them into the hand of their enemies. But if, he says, the things from anger should come upon some, I will heal again those who have suffered. For He who delivered them over out of anger, will easily deliver them through His innate gentleness and love for mankind. And the son of Aram, and the son of Remaliah, because they have devised an evil counsel concerning you, saying: We will go up to Judea, and having spoken with them, we will turn them to us, and we will make the son of Tabeel king over them; thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: This counsel shall not stand, nor shall it be. He neither allows the report of the plots against him to be disbelieved, nor does He permit him to be excessively crushed with fear. But rather having confirmed and declared as true the agreements, that is, the conspiracies of the two kings against him, He promises aid, shifting him to the need to rely on them rather, and not to be attached to the worship of idols, and to the words of false prophets, who say countless things according to the mind of those who bring them inquiries, but they speak nothing of the truth. Therefore that they have counseled, he says, to go up to Judea, and to speak with those under your hand, and to persuade them to follow their opinions, is true and acknowledged. For they wish to set up the son of Tabeel. But this will not be, he says. And who is the one promising? The Lord of Sabaoth, that is, the Lord of hosts, or of armies; with whose assent the must prevail, with whomever he might happen to choose, who will overturn the things decreed? And to his divine judgments, who is able to resist? Therefore, he strengthens for faith those who are still unbelievers. For those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick, just as the Savior himself has said. But it must be known that he calls the Syrian the son of Aram, that is, Rezin, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, who had ruled over Israel, that is, of the ten tribes in Samaria. But the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; but yet in sixty-five years, the kingdom of Ephraim shall fail from being a people, and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. And if you will not believe, surely you shall not understand. For those wishing to clarify the things in the divinely-inspired Scripture, there is certainly a need for historical narrative, so that from every side the truth may follow the divine words. Therefore the prophet explains the things in the sacred Writings, through which it is especially possible to best approach the meanings of the things set forth. Therefore in the times of the reign of Ahaz, both Rezin king of Syria and Damascus, and Pekah son of Remaliah, reigning over Israel in Samaria, conspired against Judah and Jerusalem. Therefore Ahaz, fearing the attack, persuades with money Tiglath-pileser the king of the Assyrians both to defend him and to overturn the attack of those who had conspired. And he came and took Damascus, being the metropolis of the Syrians, and killed Rezin himself. And when Pekah, who was the son of Remaliah, died in Samaria, Hoshea son of Elah succeeded to the kingdom, a wicked man, and given over to the deceits of demons. While he was administering the kingdom, Shalmaneser the Assyrian came up against all of Samaria, and immediately captured Hoshea, and put him in the rank of a servant; and having ravaged the entire country, and having made it destitute of the sons of Israel, he established in their place some of his own inhabitants, that is, of those under his hand, both the Cuthite and the Sappharvaean; and I think these nations are Persian. For it is so written in the books of Kings. The prophet gives us the narrative of this history, saying: "Thus says the Lord: This counsel shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass, but the head of Ephraim is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; but yet in sixty-five years the kingdom of Ephraim shall fail from being a people." And the composition of the words is obscure; but one must approach it thus: The head, he says, of Aram, that is of Syria, is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin, that is, Rezin; for the head of both the country and the city is their king. And the kingdom of Ephraim will fail from being a people; yet in sixty-five years the kingdom of Ephraim, that is, of Israel, will fail; the head of Aram, that is Damascus, will also fail, and the head of Damascus, that is Rezin. For, as I said, Tiglath-pileser took both Damascus and Rezin, and Shalmaneser took Hoshea the king of Ephraim, that is of Israel, and Samaria, that is Samaria, the word "will fail" applying to both in common; and the head of Ephraim, Samaria, will fail again. And he calls Samaria the head of Ephraim, that is Samaria; for the metropolis of Samaria is Samaria. And when he says Ephraim, he means Israel; and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah, that is Pekah; and again the word "will fail" applies to all. And to these he adds: "And if you will not believe, surely you shall not understand." And the word is very plausible. For to those who insult the word of God with unbelief, understanding from him could not be produced. Therefore one must receive without delay the things from God, and readily assent to what he promises and speaks. For thus good understanding will be in us, and the illumination of the wisdom from him will shine around the mind. And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying: Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God in the depth, or in the height. And Ahaz said: I will not I will ask, nor will I tempt the Lord. He tries in every way to move Ahaz, who held the throne of the kingdom in Jerusalem and who had strayed far too much toward the unruly and loved to be devoted to the false worship of demons, to what is better, and indeed to the necessity of attaining the doctrines of truth, and to choose to think rightly about God. Therefore, since it was of great importance to the worshipers of idols, and a matter of diligence, to be overly curious about the outcomes of events, and to ask for oracles from temples, and to be deceived by the words of false prophets, with dangers hanging over them, he in a way prevents Ahaz, who was about to do this, and directs him to have requested a sign, not from their usual sanctuaries, nor from the false prophets any longer, but rather from the Lord God. And he has assigned the manner of the request to his own choices, saying: "To the depth or to the height," that is, either to heaven, or to earth, and even to the things below. And through this he has given full assurance, and gives one to understand that being God and Lord of all, He works what seems good by His authority, whether one might wish to see something in heaven, or something on the earth. But Ahaz refuses, not as one revering God, but rather the wretched man is being utterly insolent, even if he made himself seem venerable with words of piety. For I will not ask, he says, nor will I tempt the Lord. For since God commands him to ask, the wish not to ask clearly has impiety. He feigns that he does not want to be tempting Him, and puts forward a legalistic saying, as it were: "For you shall not tempt the Lord your God." And yet, how will reason not cry out against all the foolishness of Ahaz? For when God Himself permits him to ask, how is it not better to choose rather to do that which He has commanded, than to invent excuses perversely, and to make the flimsy pretext of obedience, "I will not tempt the Lord"? But his purpose was not to accept the words from above and from God, but rather, crowning the oracle-giver with the superior vote, to be overly curious about falsehoods and perhaps the flights of birds of omen, and to ask for help from demons. And he said: Hear then, O house of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men? And how do you weary the Lord? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. When Ahaz had refused the request for the sign, and would not endure to honor or know the God who is by nature and truly, and Lord of all, he tries to teach him that He will not be entirely unknown by Israel, nor indeed will He lose His own inheritance, but they will come to know Him in due time. However, he no longer deems Ahaz, who was insolent and hateful to God, worthy of a word, but has addressed rather the house of David, that is, those from the tribe of Judah, from which Christ Himself was born according to the flesh. But as God, He makes the prediction with extreme forbearance. For after first charging that it has been treated as nothing to offend the all-powerful God Himself, and, as it were, to try to stir up struggles and toils for Him, as far as it depended on them, by not being willing to walk uprightly; then indeed, then he makes the proclamation of the universal and most general help. O, therefore, he says, house of David, if offending men is not without penalty, why do you weary the Lord, who does not wish to punish, but is able to do this and very easily? But since you refuse the request for the sign, I come of my own accord to this, he says; and even if you wish to be sick, I bring the cure, since I am good and a lover of mankind. The Lord Himself will give you a sign, giving full assurance that the straying Israel will also be saved in due time, and will not be ignorant of the Master, but will be a worshiper of the God who has saved. And this has been accomplished through Christ, who called Israel to full knowledge, and delivered him from all sin, and from the will to worship wood and stones. Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel. Butter and honey he shall eat; before he knows or chooses evil, to choose the good. For before the child knows good and evil, he refuses evil, to choose the good. And the land which you fear shall be abandoned, desolate before the face of the two kings. Some of those who have interpreted the divine Scriptures have published, "Behold, the young woman shall conceive in her womb." It seems, however, to the Jews that the Mother of the Lord must be designated by the name of 'young woman,' and not rather be called 'virgin.' For they think that the power of the mystery is nullified if she is called a young woman, and not rather a virgin. But one might see them being ignorant in many ways. For first, even if the virgin were called a young woman, she will not cease to be a virgin. Then they say that the prophet spoke about the wife of Ahaz, "Behold, the young woman shall conceive in her womb, and shall bear a son," so that we might understand this to be Hezekiah who was born from him. But not examining the words of the prophecy, they seize upon what seems inconsiderately right, and then think to establish their own aim through this alone. But, O excellent sirs, one might say to them, who called Hezekiah Emmanuel? Or whence could they show that before he knew good or evil, he refused evil in order to choose the good? Therefore, having bid farewell to their triflings, we shall accept what is right and true, believing that the holy Virgin is designated by God through the prophecy set before us. For thus the sign will be truly wondrous and exceedingly great, reaching into the depth and the height at once, according to the divine promise. For the only-begotten Son, who was begotten from above and from God the Father according to nature, emptied Himself, and was brought forth from a virgin's womb in the flesh, not from human seed receiving its origin, but from the power and operation of the Holy Spirit. For thus it was said to the holy Virgin by the voice of the blessed Gabriel: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Therefore, he says, she will bear a son. And you, O house of David, who now, he says, refuses to trust in God, and to ask a sign from Him, for the confirmation of what He has promised, because you are more inclined to idols, you shall call his name Emmanuel, that is, you will confess God revealed in human form. For when the only-begotten Word of God appeared in our likeness, then He was also with us. For He who is above all creation, became in our likeness. But see how, in order to show that He is at the same time truly God and man, he applies to Him both divine and human things. For that He truly became in the flesh, he tries to assure us, by saying that His food was that which is suitable for infants, both butter and honey. But that, although having become flesh, He will be no less superior to sin as God, he teaches again, immediately adding: For before the child knows good or evil, he refuses evil, in order to choose the good. For humans who have not yet reached puberty, nor indeed arrived at a measure of age that is honored with wisdom from time, would not be at all suited to be able to discern what is bad and what is good; but when the time already calls for this, then they make a free choice of what must be done. But the divine and most high nature, not in our condition, but in its own and fitting heights, is always inaccessible to evil; and it casts off the ways of wickedness, not being tempted at all, not enduring disturbance, but rather naturally and essentially refusing evil. And in no other way, I think, than as someone might say about light, that it surely refuses to be darkness. For it does not endure suffering not to be light. Therefore, it signifies the ever-fixed state of the divine nature towards the good, saying, that "He refuses evil in order to choose the good." And this is true also of Christ Himself. For even if He was born according to the flesh through the holy Virgin, being by nature God and the Word revealed from God, yet He was holy as God from the womb and before it, or rather, even before every age, not having slipped from His own advantages because of His humanity; but neither did He neglect human things on account of the economy; so that He might be believed to have truly become like us, and might sanctify our very birth. But He says that the land will be abandoned, which he suspects and fears because of the two kings. It is as if he were to say clearly: When the Virgin, having conceived in her womb, shall bear a son, you, O house of David, shall call his name Emmanuel; then all those who trouble the holy land will abandon it. For it will no longer be accessible to those who wish to ravage it. But the saying is spiritual. For when Emmanuel was born, the truly holy land and city, that is, the Church, was established in the beauty of hope, and has trodden down every enemy, who, knowing her to be unconquerable, have withdrawn, having abandoned her as one saved by God. For I will be to her, says the Lord, a wall of fire round about, and I will be for glory in her midst.

Discourse 5

But the Lord shall bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your father's house, days that have not yet come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah the king of the Assyrians. Since Ahaz was greatly troubled by the alliance of the two kings, Rezin and Pekah, the God of all promised assistance; but since He wished to confirm him in faith, He commanded him to ask for a sign, "either in the depth or in the height." But when Ahaz refused, and said most perversely, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord (for he sought rather the deceptions of the false prophets), God, in a way, went over of His own accord, and Himself gave a sign to the house of David. For He said: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel." But when the discourse about these things was well concluded, He turns the prediction of things to come again to the person of Ahaz himself. For it was necessary, it was necessary for the announcement of the salvation through Christ to be made to those of the house of David, that is, those of the tribe of Judah, from which Christ Himself also sprang according to the flesh; but He makes the announcement of the terrible and dreadful things that would happen at times to those who chose to disobey, so that they might know that it is truly bitter, and not without penalty for those who dishonor the divine glory to give trouble to the Lord, and to choose to worship other gods beside Him who are not gods. Therefore, that at times, both Jerusalem itself, and all the land of the Jews, were about to fall into the utmost miseries, and to come under the hand of their enemies, He subtly foretells. But I shall try, as far as I am able, and before all else, to clarify the rather obscure composition of the words. "God, he says, will bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your father's house, days that have not yet come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah." The meaning of the verses is as follows: In the time of the reign of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, Ephraim departed, that is, tore himself away, that is, again, the ten tribes, from the tribe of Judah. For the ten tribes were separated from the tribe of Judah, and have inhabited Samaria, but the tribe of Judah and the half-tribe of Manasseh have remained in Jerusalem. But as time went on, many dreadful things happened to them. For Samaria has been sacked, and the neighboring nations, Idumeans, Moabites, and those from Philistia, have overrun Judea. Therefore they have suffered many terrible things, and have experienced hard days, both these and those. Therefore, he says, He will bring days God, the like of which have not yet occurred, that is, have come upon you from that time, from when Ephraim removed, that is, separated himself from Judah. But what is this time for us, or what are these days? The king, he says, of the Assyrians, that is, Nebuchadnezzar, who sacked Jerusalem, and by force conquered all of Judea, and also burned the divine temple, and omitted absolutely nothing of beast-like cruelty, which he is not found to have committed against the entire nation. And it shall be in that day that the Lord shall whistle for the flies, that which holds sway over a part of the river of Egypt, and for the bee, that is in the land of the Assyrians; and they shall all come, and shall rest in the valleys of the land, and in the clefts of the rocks, and into the caves, and into every ravine, and in every tree. He expands the narrative, and goes through in detail the assault of the war, and that those coming against them at the appointed times will occupy all their land, both villages and cities. And I think it is necessary to repeat what has been written in the fourth book of Kings, for the accurate clarification of the things that will be. Therefore, the son of Ahaz, to whom the discourse is now addressed, was Hezekiah; and of Hezekiah, Manasseh; and of Manasseh, Amos. And his son was Josiah, a pious man, but he died in the following manner. Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, leaving his own country, set out with his whole army and hastened against the land of the Assyrians. Therefore Josiah, fearing lest somehow he might also come against Judea and take it under his own hand and rule over it, wanted to lead his army out against him, although Pharaoh was declining battle with him; but resisting, he died in the war, and the Egyptian prevailed over the land of the Jews, and he advanced to such a point of strength that he even removed from the kingship Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, who was reigning, and brought him in chains to his own country, and appointed Eliakim as king, and imposed tributes on the nation, and demanded a great collection of money. Then after Eliakim had reigned over Judea for eleven full years in number, his son Jeconiah succeeded to the throne; then after him, Zedekiah, during whose reign Nebuchadnezzar campaigned against Judea, who, having burned them all, and adding Jerusalem itself to the other cities, took Israel captive, together with the sacred vessels, and did those things which are also recorded in the Holy Scriptures. The force of the preceding words gives us the narration of these histories. "Therefore, he says, it will be in that day (that is, at that time), the Lord will whistle for the flies, that which holds sway over a part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee, that is in the land of the Assyrians." The discourse, therefore, is constructed from a metaphor based on the experience of beekeepers, who with whistling both lead the flies out of the hives into the fields and bring them back again, as if shutting up livestock in certain pens. And he compares the Egyptians to flies, as I suppose, on account of their multitude and the not very melodious sound of their voice. And to the bee, the nation of the Assyrians; for the bee is variegated, both colorful and marked in many ways. Such, in a way, as far as it pertains to garments and dress, are both the Assyrians and the Persians; for they are lovers of ornament, and always esteem being variously attired, and are indeed spurred on towards this. These, he says, will all come, and will rest in the valleys of the land, and in the clefts of the rocks, and in the caves, and upon every ravine, and in every tree. For since he has framed his words as if about flies, he continues with the trope. But it certainly shows that they will search their entire country, so that none of those in hiding can escape notice; even if they should happen to hide themselves in rocks, or in valleys, or also conceal themselves in thickets and glens. And in another way also, in those who provoke the God of all and do not shrink from offending Him, the wicked and opposing powers, like wasps, make their abode and take up their lodging, and the no one warding off the strange passions within us, that is, defending and having the strength to save. For if God wishes to do harm, who is able to help us? In that day the Lord will shave with the great and drunken razor, which is beyond the river of the king of the Assyrians, the head and the hair of the feet, and he will take away the beard. It is necessary for us first to put the text together in these matters; then, finally, to speak what is signified by the thoughts. Therefore in that day, he says, that is, at that time, with the great and drunken razor, which is of the king of the Assyrians, who is beyond the river, clearly the Euphrates, the Lord will shave the head, and the hair of the feet, and will take away the beard. And he calls the great and drunken razor of the king of the Assyrians, who is beyond the river, his sword, which, as it were, shears unsparingly, and rejoices in being drunk with the blood of the fallen. And this is the meaning of the words. But we say that it was a form of extreme dishonor for some to be seen at one time with their head and beard shaven. And indeed God of all threatened somewhere the daughters of Zion, who were exalted and walking with a high neck and with winks of their eyes, with the removal of their prosperity. For he said that, And it shall be, and instead of a sweet smell there will be dust, and instead of a girdle you will gird yourself with a rope, and instead of the golden ornament of the head, you will have baldness on account of your works. And some did this, dishonoring themselves also over the dead; whence also the law through Moses enjoins those who have received the divine ministry not to be shaven over the dead in the same way as others, nor indeed to destroy the appearance of the beard. For it is written thus. And when Jerusalem was sacked under Nebuchadnezzar, men went up from Shechem, and from Salem, and Samaria, as Jeremiah says: Eighty men with shaven beards, and with their garments rent, and cutting themselves, and manna and frankincense in their hands, to bring it into the house of the Lord. Therefore, to shear the head and beard with a razor was a form of mourning and at the same time of dishonor. The prophetic word said that the land of the Jews would suffer this at times. For it will remain, he says, when its children have perished, both mourning and most dishonored. But if someone should wish to approach the contemplations in another way, he will think of something like this. For by the hairs of the head, he perhaps means those who are most honored in wealth and who have risen above the others in preeminence; for nothing is higher than the head; and by the beard, those in intelligence and understanding; for thus is beard always understood in the divinely-inspired Scripture. And when he names the hairs of the feet, he signifies somewhere, as is likely, those who are placed in the last and lowest rank. But the drunken razor spared no one at all, but together with those who were superior, it sheared off the middle and the last, and the intelligent of the land of the Jews, so as to leave it naked and bare. For Nebuchadnezzar transported almost all of Israel to the mountains of the Persians and Medes. And it shall be in that day, a man will nourish a heifer of oxen, and two sheep; and it shall be from the abundance of milk produced that he will eat butter and honey, every one that is left upon the earth. His purpose is to make manifest the working of the great and drunken razor, that is, of the Babylonian sword. For he says that the whole land of the Jews will be stripped bare, and will come to such a state of poverty and lack of men, that the one who is left and has been saved from the hand of the enemies, and has remained in the land, will be the master of one heifer and two sheep, although in the past those throughout all Judea were accustomed to possess and pasture very many flocks of sheep, and indeed also of oxen. Therefore, this is a clear proof of extreme poverty. And he further proves that they will be exceedingly few in number in places, saying: "And it shall be from the abundance of milk produced, that everyone who is left will eat butter and honey- slain upon the earth. From two sheep and one heifer, he says, there will be so much milk that it will be sufficient for all who are left behind to have their fill, if indeed they should wish to make their meals from milk. Is it not clear, then, that those who escaped the razor are altogether few in number, and have remained in each place of Judea? For how many would they be, for whom the [milk] of two sheep and one heifer would be enough for food and satiety? What then from this will result for the benefit of us who are spiritual, it is possible to see through the matters themselves. As many as practice what is hard to hear, and raise a haughty neck to God, will both be consumed by a lack of spiritual goods, and will become altogether few, and will be found in need of everything that knows how to nourish to spiritual well-being, and is able to bring them up, and very quickly, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. But such men will hear God saying through the voice of a holy one: Behold, those who serve me will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, those who serve me will drink, but you will be thirsty. For very abundant is the participation in every good from God for those who have resolved to think his thoughts, to whom he himself has also spoken, saying: "Eat, and drink, and be drunk, my neighbors." And it shall be in that day, every place, where there shall be a thousand vines for a thousand shekels, shall become a waste land and a thorn; with arrow and with bow they shall come there; because all the land shall be waste land and thorn. This would be the work of the great and drunken razor, and a clear proof of the nation's scarcity of men. For the war has so consumed the inhabitants of Judea, that barely a few in number were left behind in it. For this reason, he says, both the most beautiful and choicest of their possessions will be neglected, and will become waste land and thorn, since there are evidently none who know how to farm. For if there should be, he says, in one place a thousand vines for a thousand shekels, so that each vine is worth one shekel (and this is a measure of value), it will become waste land and thorn; so that even if someone should wish to approach the place, and only enter, he would not be able to do this without arrow and bow. For the thorns, lacking nothing of arrows and darts, would immediately wound the feet of one wishing to walk around. Therefore, wishing to do what is not right will be for us a cause of every evil. For we shall be laid waste in a way, not shrinking from offending God. For by doing, and indeed by being willing to think those things that are pleasing and dear to him, we shall bear the fruit of virtue, being deemed worthy of his care. For we shall hear Christ saying: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it, that it may bear more fruit." But having turned aside without restraint to impiety of ways, we are filled with spiritual thorns, with every kind of wickedness springing up in us. But the end of the thorn is fire; and the food of fire, or useless matter. And this the blessed Paul will make clear to us, saying: "For the earth which has drunk the rain that often comes upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whom it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it brings forth thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to a curse, whose end is to be burned." And every mountain that is plowed shall be plowed, and fear shall not come there. For it shall be from waste land and thorn for a pasture for sheep, and for the treading of an ox. He says that those left behind in Judea will be few, and that they will come to such cowardice, and indeed lack of manliness, that under a terrible and unbearable dread, they will spend their time in the mountains, and will depart from cities, and from the dwellings long desired by them, and will hasten to hide in woods and thickets. For this is the custom for those throughout all the country and city to do, if indeed there should be any of the enemy expulsion. For running up to the high and impassable parts of the mountains, they make the difficult terrain their weapon, and a remedy for cowardice to be in the clefts of rocks. This is what the Savior himself said to the people of the Jews: "Then," he says, "let those in Judea flee to the mountains." Therefore the most beautiful of places will become wasteland, he says, and thorns, since those who are left behind fear even to enter them alone, or are not even permitted by the thorns; but having fled instead into the mountains, there, groaning, they will take up the labors of agriculture. For every mountain and every hill will be plowed, since those who have fled to them desire to gather, not things for wealth and luxury, but whatever serves the necessary need of the body, and provides meager and hard-won sustenance. What then is the reason for living in the mountains and wanting to farm them, even though the choice lands have been overlooked? "Fear shall not come upon it," he says, "there." They will reckon these things among themselves, that fear would not come upon them if they wished to dwell there. Then he points out the magnitude of the utter desolation. For he says that the whole land, from the wasteland and thorns, will become pasture for sheep, and a place for the ox to tread, that is, for the grazing of cattle, the rich, the well-vined, the olive-bearing, the most beautifully treed, the one always abounding with fruits, the one flowing with milk and honey, according to what is written. Therefore, by pleasing God with obedience in everything whatsoever, we shall dwell securely, as in some country or city, in virtue, and we will prevail over our enemies. And nothing at all will terrify us. But we shall rather be caretakers of all reasonableness and good works, and full of the fruitfulness that pleases God, and freed from the intelligible thorn, and a desirable land, according to the voice of the prophet, and truly God's husbandry. And the Lord said to me: Take for yourself a great new scroll, and write on it with a man's pen, to quickly make a plunder of spoils. For it is at hand, and make for me faithful men as witnesses, Uriah, and Zechariah son of Barachiah. Having made a very sufficient prediction of the things that were about to happen in due time to the land of the Jews, and having shown the magnitude of the disaster, he usefully adds the things concerning Emmanuel, and having revealed the mystery concerning him, God makes it clearer to the prophet. For he said: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel." For that he will be the mediator of a new covenant, the first one obviously being abolished, as it had much weakness, and was grown old, and perfected no one according to the conscience, he hints, saying: "Take for yourself a great new scroll." And what could "for yourself" signify, if not surely that? For not, he says, to those who have chosen to disobey, but to those who in faith have honored the word concerning him will the things in the new scroll be given. That is, the mystery of Christ will be revealed. Therefore the scroll is new and great. For the new covenant speaking the mystery of Christ is not composed according to the first covenant, nor indeed will it be seen having the lowliness of the legal history, but as in excellence and height of knowledge and of doctrines. Whence also the divine Paul says most gladly, that he had suffered the loss of all things in the law for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ. It is clear then that when the first had grown old, as I said, a new and great scroll of the second covenant is taken, which is received upon better promises, as the most holy Paul says. And the scroll is written with the pen of a man. For what reason? When with the eyes of the mind we investigate the mystery of the holy and consubstantial Trinity, then at times we attempt to speak to others of the ineffable generation of the only-begotten Son of God; then indeed, then we have need of a pen not human and according to us. For what Would a word suffice to be able to make clear what is beyond mind and reason? But that reed alone is sufficient for such powerful narratives, which are beyond all understanding, concerning which God the Father says through the voice of David: "My tongue is the pen of a swift scribe." For no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know who the Father is except the Son, and to whomever the Son wills to reveal Him. But when we make discourses concerning His incarnation, then indeed, then there is need of a human pen; which indeed the wise John has also done, saying: "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." It is not at all difficult also to announce in our own voices His death in the flesh and His resurrection from the dead, and that as a kind of first-fruit and first-offering of human nature being renewed into incorruptibility, He ascended to the Father, and has sat down in the heavens. And He will come at the appointed time, and will be seated as judge. Therefore, the Spirit-inspired writers write with a human pen the things concerning the incarnation of the Only-Begotten. And he further commands, saying: "Make for me faithful men as witnesses, Uriah, and Zechariah the son of Barachiah." It should be known that at that time, when the word concerning these things came from God to the blessed Isaiah, Uriah was a certain prophet, and Zechariah was a priest and a teacher of the law. Therefore, the initiation into the mysteries and the understanding through the law and the holy prophets, that is, the prediction, are taken as a witness to Christ. For Christ is the end of the law and the prophets. We say that something of this kind was shown to the holy apostles at the time of Christ's transfiguration on the mountain. For it is written that, "After six days Jesus took Peter, and James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves; and was transfigured before them. And His face shone as the sun, and His garments were white as the light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him." Observe, then, how Moses and Elijah, that is, the priesthood and the law (for Moses was both), and indeed also Elijah, being taken as the representative of the holy prophets, were speaking with one another concerning His departure, he says, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. And what departure? Clearly, the end of the economy: the cross, the death, the resurrection from the dead, the ascension into heaven. For the law prefigured all these things through a shadow, and the splendid and great chorus of the holy prophets also foretold them. And he went in to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a male child. God revealed to the prophet that the birth of Christ according to the flesh was not of blood and of flesh, nor of the will of man, but was something new and unusual, and beyond the laws of human nature. For He Himself, he says, who said, "Take for yourself a new, large scroll," went in to the prophetess. Observe, then, how the mystery of Christ is written with a human pen and in our own words. For the divine Scripture is accustomed to say, "went in," instead of "came together," that is, had marital relations. Therefore the prophet sees a form of union having taken place with the holy Virgin, whom he also says is a prophetess, teaching a true matter; then he also says that a conception has occurred, and that a son has also been born. And the rendering of the vision is very swift, setting forth all things to the prophet for his knowledge. For that that all-holy body which was united to the Word was formed from the Holy Spirit, how could anyone doubt? Therefore the energy of the Spirit, through which the body was formed in the holy Virgin, was signified indirectly by the form of the union. For in this also Christ has become the first-fruit of those sanctified in the spirit, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Therefore He Himself was born of the Spirit according to the flesh and before the others, in order that also we are in these things through him. But it is necessary to note, that he commanded Uriah and Zechariah to be his witnesses, for making a swift distribution of spoils. And he added that, "For he is present." For the law has testified, and indeed the foretelling of the holy prophets, that Christ, having been born, will despoil Satan, and will plunder his goods, as he himself says, that is, he will make his own those who were once his worshippers. For Christ himself also said this, speaking as in the manner of an example: "Or how can someone enter the house of the strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his goods." And saying, "For he is present," he announced that the manifestation of Emmanuel would not be far off. This is what he is found saying to the blessed Habakkuk: "Yet a little while, and the one who is to come will come, and will not delay." And the Lord said to me: Call his name, Spoil quickly, Plunder swiftly. For before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take the power of Damascus, and the spoils of Samaria, before the king of the Assyrians. Having said above, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel;" he now commands his name to be called, Spoil quickly, Plunder swiftly. Is therefore the first name for him, that is, Emmanuel, meaningless? and would 'Spoil quickly, Plunder swiftly' be most fitting? We do not say this, but rather that. It is the custom of the divinely inspired Scripture to call the God of all beings by different names, and sometimes to devise appellations from the things done at various times. This is observed also in the case of Christ himself. For he is true God, and that the Word, being God by nature, became with us, when he appeared as one of us, the name Emmanuel would signify very clearly. But since he became man, he despoiled Satan, and indeed rescued from his wickedness those who had long been plundered and were enslaved to him through sin, 'Spoil quickly, Plunder swiftly' would show. That as God he was about to accomplish with ineffable power the redemption of those on earth, he prefigures, saying: "For before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take the power of Damascus, and the spoils of Samaria, before the king of the Assyrians." But the meaning of the preceding is very deep, and the narrative is spiritual. For the divine word is always somehow hidden in obscurities; for we will not find, as in a history and in perceptible things, that Christ, immediately after being born, despoiled Damascus, or the country of the king of the Assyrians, ransoming those who had been carried away from Samaria to his country. But when we take it spiritually, then indeed we shall certainly see the truth. Therefore Damascus, that is all of Syria, and indeed the land of the Assyrians, that is, of the Persians and Medes, was full of idols; and for this reason it is called the land of carved images; for there were altars and sacred precincts everywhere, and those accustomed to frequent the precincts, I mean the races of false prophets, and those whose art was sorcery. But all their power was the demons worshipped among each of them, and their leader, Satan. When, therefore, Christ was about to seize, as it were, both the power of Damascus and that of the king of the Assyrians, that is, Satan and the evil and profane hordes of demons, and to free the deceived from slavery under him, and before he came to that bodily age at which it would be fitting for him to know how to call father or mother, he made it clear, saying: "For before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take the power of Damascus." And 'He will take' is in place of 'He will subdue.' And likewise he will take the spoils of Samaria. That is, he will free the captives, having fought for them. Before the king of the Assyrians. Of the spiritual one, clearly, I mean Satan. For he was also the Damascus, and the power of Syria. Because even the worshipers of idols have all their hope of salvation in them; But that Christ despoiled Satan, having been born immediately, is easy to see. For Matthew writes: "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." They worshipped him, then, and offered gold, and frankincense and myrrh. Do you see how he despoiled Satan, and plundered him quickly? And that the purpose of his coming looks to the redemption of those who were in spiritual captivity, Christ himself would indicate, speaking through the voice of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind." And the blessed David also sings somewhere about him: "Having ascended on high, he led captivity captive." And he himself taught this, saying: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me." And the Lord added to speak to me yet again: Because this people does not desire the water of Shiloah that goes softly, but desires to have Rezin, and the son of Remaliah as king over you, for this reason, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and mighty, the king of the Assyrians, and his glory. And he shall come up over all your valleys, and shall walk over all your walls, and shall take away from Judaea a man who will be able to lift up his head, or able to accomplish anything. And his camp shall be so as to fill the breadth of your land. That, contrary to what is customary for men, the birth of Emmanuel will be strange and wonderful, that through the holy Virgin, and having stated very well that very many and truly most manifest divine signs would be accomplished at times, he reveals finally to the prophet, also the future madness of the Jews against him at the time of the incarnation. Indeed, the only-begotten Word of God came into this world, in the likeness of sinful flesh, not having the glory of his God-befitting excellence manifest and visible; nor indeed, according to his custom, dwelling in light unapproachable; nor being clearly attended by angelic powers; nor even perhaps in the glory of an earthly king; but very moderately and humbly, and with very much quietness. And this God the Father has declared to us through the voice of the saints, saying: "Behold, my beloved Servant shall understand, in whom I am well pleased; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles; he shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall his voice be heard in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench." And this is the manner of the economy of the Only-begotten in the flesh. But the wretched Jews, either not understanding at all the mystery concerning him or else impiously rejecting it, were terribly enraged, and sought to kill him, saying: "For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." And they have continued always hard and stubborn, and even beyond this in impiety. For they brought him to Pilate, saying: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him." And when he all but smiled at these things and said, Shall I crucify your King? they cried out, saying: "We have no king but Caesar." See then how they denied being ruled by him, and inscribed Caesar and men as their kings. Therefore God makes this very thing clear to the prophet in a riddle. But since I think it is fitting also to make the interpretation of the discourse suitable to the matters of that time; we say that by the water of Shiloah he likens the kingdom under God, which the Jews, having dishonored, have come to be under another, and have been given to the to enemies. For this reason he says: "Because this people did not want the water of Siloam that goes quietly, but want to have Rezin, and the son of Remaliah as king over you, for this reason, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, the strong and the abundant, the king of the Assyrians." They say that the water of Siloam flows so quietly as to be poured out without any sound. And Siloam is interpreted, "sent". It receives him therefore as an image and type of the coming of our Savior, which happened without noise, as I just said. And Christ is truly the "Sent One". For the wise Paul also names him Apostle and High Priest of our confession. And likewise Siloam is received simply as a type of the kingdom under God. Therefore, since this people, unbending and unruly, does not want to have the water of Siloam that goes quietly; for it shakes off the yoke under God; but desires rather to be under the kingdom of men, and for those who wish to take advantage of it to prevail over it, I mean Rezin and Pekah; for this reason I will send up upon them the water of the river, that is, of the Euphrates. And since the saying was somewhat unclear, he immediately adds and says, The king of the Assyrians, and his glory; that is, all those under him, and every nation that has submitted its neck to him. And he compares the multitudes to water. And this is a custom for the divinely-inspired Scripture. And indeed concerning Nineveh, and its innumerable multitude, he says through the voice of the prophets: "And Nineveh is like a pool of waters, her waters." And he continues with the figure and says: "As upon water and a river, and he shall come up over all your valleys, and shall walk over all your wall, and he shall take away from Judea a man who will be able to lift up his head, or be able to accomplish anything. And his encampment shall be so as to fill the breadth of your land." And all these things were brought to fulfillment, while Jeremiah was prophesying, when Nebuchadnezzar marched against the land of the Jews; and he took the renowned Jerusalem; and having burned the temple, and having killed the notable men of the Jews, along with the sacred vessels he carried off all the other multitude le- ft from the war to his own land. It is clear therefore that upon those who do not wish to have the water of Siloam that goes quietly, that is, Christ, or the kingdom under God, the king of the spiritual Assyrians will certainly leap, that is, Satan, and taking them captive, will place them under his own yokes, and will make them slaves, binding them with the chains of manifold sins. God is with us, know, O nations, and be conquered; hear, unto the end of the earth; you who are mighty, be conquered. For if you are strong again, you will be conquered again. And whatever counsel you shall take, the Lord will scatter it; and whatever word you shall speak, it shall not abide; because the Lord God is with us. The mind of the prophet leaps for joy, having clearly understood the mystery of Christ. Then taking up at once the person and the word of the holy evangelists and indeed of the apostles, he practically testifies to both Greeks and Jews, that for those who have made him their weapon, nothing will be able to resist. He commands the nations, therefore, to accomplish these two things: to recognize the mystery of Christ, and indeed that they must be conquered by those who teach it. For "know," he says, "and receive the word in him, and be conquered," that is, yield, and do not resist the holy mystagogues; but rather obey them to the end of the earth, that is, you who are in every city and country, even to the very ends of the world under heaven. And those who are conquered and are willing to yield the victory to the teachers of the truth, will easily receive the word from him, and having believed in Christ they will walk straight toward every good thing, and having achieved the virtue most dear to him, a brilliant and enviable they will inherit glory. And these things the prophet says to the multitudes of the Greeks, as from the person of the holy apostles and evangelists: But you, O Jews, having been strong, are defeated. For as far as the purpose of the Jews was concerned, they prevailed against Christ, the wretched ones having delivered him to the cross. But they planned a plan which they could not establish, according to what is written. For it was not possible to encompass with death the author of life. Therefore, even if you thought, he says, that you prevailed by killing the Lord, you were nevertheless defeated then, and show obedience by accepting the faith, or rather, know this, that even if you prevail again by not tolerating the teaching, but savagely rebuking those who proclaim the Gospel, you will be defeated again by the Judge who will then punish you, demanding penalties for such great folly. Which indeed has been done. For after Christ came back to life and ascended into heaven, they also plotted against the holy apostles themselves; and indeed bringing them into the councils they would beat them, accusing and saying: With a command we commanded you not to speak to anyone in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. Therefore, they seemed to prevail in this as well, but everything was useless for them, both plan, and thought, and word; for the divine disciples conquered, saying, because The Lord our God is with us. But they paid bitter penalties, being unwillingly defeated by the Roman armies. Thus says the Lord: They disobey the strong hand, the course of the way of this people, saying: Let them never say, It is hard. For whatever this people says is hard. I said that the blessed prophet, putting on himself the person of the holy apostles and evangelists, advised both Gentiles and Jews to be defeated by Christ, and for those to the ends of the earth to obey him. Then God to him, almost wondering at the foolishness of Israel and its great ignorance, says, They disobey the strong hand. "For all-powerful," and unbreakable, and all-prevailing is the right hand of God the Father, the Son, through whom are all things, and in whom are all things; who abolished death, and crushed Satan, and plundered Hades, and grants incorruption to those under corruption, and renews all things to their original state. Thus also through the voice of the psalmist those saved in Christ say: "The right hand of the Lord has exalted me, the right hand of the Lord has wrought strength." And it is also said in the Odes: "Your right hand, O Lord, has been glorified in strength; your right hand, O Lord, has shattered enemies." Therefore, they have progressed to such a point of impiety and also madness, as to choose to readily disobey the strong hand that saves, and to consider the matter of no account. And they likewise disobey the course of this people, he says; whose person he took up and said immediately: God is with us. And what kind of course of the people is it? Of those who have Emmanuel, the faith in him, the evangelical way of life, the one in the law and as in shadows having been disregarded. And they disobey the course of this people, saying: May you never say, It is hard. For whatever this people says is hard. For the word of the holy apostles seemed somehow hard to the Jews, because, setting aside the shadow at the proper time, they did not permit living according to the law of Moses, but rather evangelically and spiritually. But do not fear their fear, nor be troubled, sanctify the Lord himself, and he will be your fear. And if you trust in him, he will be a sanctuary for you, and you will not encounter him as a stumbling stone, nor as a rock of offense. Having first accused those of Israel as choosing to disobey the course of the people, that is, the one in Christ, and the mystagogies of the holy apostles, he turns the word of exhortation to them, and works in them an unbreakable mind, saying that they should not fear those who disobey them, nor at all receive the tumult from their foolishness; but rather having courage in God, to act insolently against the enemies; knowing well that He will be to them both a weapon, and a tower of strength, and they will easily prevail over their opponents. For this reason, he says: "But you shall not fear their fear, nor be troubled." But if one should wish to apply a slender mind to the thoughts of the preceding matters, he will understand it in another way. And it is thus. For the Jews feared not a little, lest they should somehow offend God, by rejecting the way of the life in the law; and accepting the word of the Savior, who drew them away from the types and commanded them to consider the shadow as nothing. And so they said about him: "If then this man were from God, he would not break the Sabbath." Therefore, that even if the divine disciples were from the Jews, they ought to renounce the fear of the disobedient, who feared, as I said, to offend against the law, by choosing rather to live according to the Gospel, he exhorts, saying: "But you shall not fear their fear, nor be troubled;" "but rather," he says, "let the Lord of glory be sanctified by you," that is, Christ, "and let him be honored by faith, and let him be feared by you." For thus he will be a sanctuary to you, and you will not encounter him as a stone of stumbling, nor as a rock of falling. He sets two great and excellent things in him. For first, he says, he will sanctify you who believe, and will make you partakers of his divine nature through the Holy Spirit; and in addition to this, you will gain the benefit of not falling upon him as a stone, nor indeed as a rock of offense. Which is indeed what the wretched Jews have suffered through their exceeding great ignorance, saying: "We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where he is from." Therefore, since they neither sanctified him, nor were willing to trust in him, they have remained completely without share in sanctification, and having stumbled as against a stone, they have fallen, and have come to be in every evil. But the house of Jacob is in a snare, and sitting in hollow places in Jerusalem; for this reason many among them will be weak, and will fall and be shattered, and they will draw near, and people who are in safety will be captured. Then will be manifest those who seal the law so as not to learn. The wise Proverb-writer said: "My son, let not your heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the Lord all the day long." For it would be fitting for those who are truly of sound mind to become imitators not of the foolishness of the wicked, but of the gentleness of the good. Therefore, since he advised the holy disciples to make Christ a sanctuary, and to trust rather in him, and to consider the madness of their persecutors as nothing, he necessarily added what great and terrible injuries will befall those who have chosen to disobey. For the house, he says, of Jacob, that is, the Jews, suffering from a very great and unceasing madness against Christ, will be like those who have fallen into a snare, and have been hunted for destruction. Or also like those in hollow places, that is, those who have slipped into a pit. And for this reason many among them will be weak, and will fall, and will be shattered, and they will draw near, that is, they will be near and not far from that which is naturally destructive. For they will be powerless and shattered, and easily captured by their enemies. And this was, then, what was said about them by God through the voice of a prophet. "Behold, I am bringing weakness upon this people; and fathers and sons together will be weak among them." Neighbor and his fellow will perish; and yet it is not so with those in Christ who are called to sanctification. For their strength and praise is the Lord, according to what is written. And the divine Paul will confirm this, saying: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." "Therefore the unbelieving," he says, "will be captured, people who are in safety." For as much as pertained to the help from above which always belonged to those of Israel, they were in some ways indestructible, and hard to fight against for their enemies, both visible and invisible. For God said somewhere concerning Jerusalem: "And I will be to her, says the Lord, a wall of fire round about, and I will be for glory in the midst of her." But since they have stumbled by treating Christ with insolence, they continue in the world destitute of all security, both spiritual and sensible. For the grace of the Savior has passed over to others, that is, to those from the Gentiles. "Then," it says, "shall be manifest those who are sealing the law so as not to learn." And who might these be again? Clearly, those justified and sanctified in Christ through the Spirit; to whom it would be fitting to say: "The light of Your countenance, O Lord, has been signed upon us." For the Son is the image and likeness and, as it were, the face of God the Father. And the light sent from Him to us is the Holy Spirit, through whom we have been sealed, being re-formed into the first image through sanctification. For we have been made according to the image and likeness of God the creator. Therefore, they will be manifest, it says, that is, distinguished and most well-known to God, and eminent in the world; those who are being sealed by the Holy Spirit, so as not to learn the law. Shall we therefore abstain from the legal readings? And yet how is it not ignorant to think thus, when Christ says clearly: "Therefore I say to you, that every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a rich man who brings out of his treasure new things and old." Therefore, we do not refuse to know the law; but to know it in such a way as to choose to live legally, that is, Jewishly, is to be avoided. For we will not sacrifice an ox, nor will we honor the God of all with sacrifices of blood. But rather we will offer to him spiritual worship as a fragrant aroma. For as the Savior says: "God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." And that for those sealed by the Holy Spirit unto newness of life, it is a great loss to still wish to live and conduct oneself Jewishly, that is, according to the shadow of the law, the blessed Paul will confirm, saying to those who, after faith, go backwards as it were, to the worship in shadows: "Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh?" And again: "But I say to you, that if you are circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. You have been estranged from Christ, you who live by the law, you have fallen from grace. For we through faith eagerly await the hope of righteousness." And he will say: I will wait for the God who has turned his face away from the house of Jacob, and I will be confident in him. That there is much obedience in those in Christ, and through these things the prophet tries to fully convince us. For the God of all was addressing them concerning Emmanuel: Sanctify him as Lord, and he himself will be your fear. And if you are confident in him, he will be to you for sanctification. And they, having very gladly received the word of initiation into this, without any delay promise obedience, and placing all their hope in him say: "I will wait for God, who has turned his face away from the house of Jacob, and I will be confident in him." And what might "I will wait" mean? Or surely that which the divine David also said: "Waiting, I waited for the Lord, and he attended to me." And he waits for the Lord who has chosen to think what seems good to him, and who follows his commands, and who most gladly endures the struggles for piety towards him. For to this the Spirit urges them through the voice of the psalmist, saying: "Be courageous, and let your heart be strengthened, and wait for the Lord." "Therefore I will wait," he says, "for the God who has turned his face away from the house of Jacob" See then, see how much intelligence they have in addition to their obedience. For from the things by which others have stumbled, and indeed have suffered the turning away of the divine face, by these very things they make their own hearts more secure for the inclination toward better things. For they fear the turning away of the divine eyes. For the judge is no respecter of persons, and one would not doubt that in every way and entirely, according to the ways of each, fittingly and justly he will either bestow praise or, that is, he will bring judgment. And those who have been insolent through disobedience, he will cast out of his presence and will consider them hateful. But those who have honored him by faith, he will consider as beloved for keeping the faith, but he will turn away from those who have abandoned the genuine thing, and he will consider them equal to those who have not believed at all, or perhaps even in a worse state. For it is written concerning some: "For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of truth, than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them." Behold, I and the children whom God has given me, and he will be for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of Sabaoth, who dwells on Mount Zion. Since they have rightly distinguished the good confession (for they said: "I will wait for the God who has turned his face away from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in him"), he immediately introduces the person of Emmanuel himself, bestowing intimacy upon those who have placed their hope in him, that is, clearly, the intimacy through the Spirit. For the Son has sent his own Spirit into us, and we have become his own; and in him we cry, Abba, Father. He therefore names us children of the Father, as having the regeneration through the Spirit, so that we might be called brothers of the one who is truly Son by nature. For he said through the voice of the Psalmist: "I will declare your name to my brothers." Yet even if he has become a brother and has been called our firstborn on account of his humanity, although he is God and the only-begotten Son, we have not been ignorant of his glory and his pre-eminence over all creation. And we know that we have been given to him by God the Father. And he himself is found saying this to the Father and God in heaven: "Those whom you have given me out of the world were yours, and you gave them to me." For the Son is by nature Lord of all; and he rules together with God the Father over every created thing. And since he became man, to whom all things are God-given and bestowed, he is said to have received the things of which he was lord as God: "For ask," he says, "of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession." He therefore rejoices over those who trust in him, that is, those called to the knowledge of the truth through faith; and all but stretching out his hand, he points them out, saying: "Behold, I and the children whom God has given me." Who then says these things? Emmanuel, clearly. Who will be, he says, for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Sabaoth, who dwells on Mount Zion. For so that those throughout the whole earth might believe that, being God by nature, he became man, and being Lord of all, he wore the form of a servant according to the economy for our sake; he worked very many signs throughout Judea, and made a most effective demonstration of his divine pre-eminence; the things accomplished miraculously and beyond reason: now raising the dead, now rebuking unclean spirits; and bestowing sight on the blind with authority. And the prophetic word will be an accusation of the perversity and impiety of the Jews. For he says that the signs and wonders have come from the Lord of Sabaoth who dwells on Mount Zion. But they, leaving nothing unattempted of outrageous deeds or words, dared to blaspheme, saying: "This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons." And if they say to you: Seek out those who speak from the earth, and the ventriloquists who speak empty things, who speak from the belly, should not a nation seek its God? Why do they inquire of the dead concerning the living? For he gave the law for a help, that they might say: Not like this word concerning which it is not possible to give gifts concerning it. Emmanuel himself weaves a catechetical discourse for those who have placed their hope in him, who have been reckoned as children; and they have been given to him by God the Father, as to a Savior and Redeemer and Life-giver, and able to enlighten, and to deliver from every evil; and it completely turns them away from their ancient customs, and their former madness. For it is the custom of the idol-worshippers to love the oracles from the demons, and to be fond of attaching themselves to certain vain-speaking necromancers, who say nothing true; but they simply belch out whatever comes to mind. But you, he says, even if someone should approach, saying: Seek those who speak from the earth, that is, those who pretend to bring up the dead; and to make their divinations as if from Hades; that is to say, the ventriloquists; who pretend to have certain gods in their belly, and thus to speak to those who approach them what comes from them, do not accept the advice. For they speak only from their own belly, and they are not a wise nation, so as to seek God and learn something from him. But say to those who advise such things: Why do they seek the dead concerning the living? do you see how he makes them most sensible? For not only does he command them to depart from their foolishness and madness, but he also commands them to become good counselors to the deceived. For you say, he says: Why do they seek the dead concerning the living? for the reasoning is common and human. For what sense would it make to wish to inquire about those still living from those lying in the earth, or souls who happen to be in Hades? And in another way, it is utterly ignorant to pay attention to necromancy and to the false words of sorcerers who have a dead mind and, as it were, a chilled heart. For they do not know the creator of all things, they do not have within them the life-giving word of God. They are, moreover, also supervisors of dead works. How then do the living, that is, those who have the life-giving power from above within themselves and have been enriched with the living Word of God, ask the dead about themselves? Therefore, say these things, he says, adding that he gave a law for assistance, that is, the evangelical one, so that those who pay attention to it may say: Not as this word, concerning which it is not possible to give gifts for it. For those who speak from their own heart alone sell falsehood; but the saving and true law of God, that is, the evangelical decree, which has been given for the help of those on earth, is not like this word, clearly that of the false prophets. But neither is it possible to give gifts for it. For as I just said, some people buy the false words of the sorcerers with silver. But the heavenly decree is set before those who are willing, through which we have been guided to anything good whatsoever. And indeed, we have learned as much as was necessary of the things that are to come. For to whom is it not plain that for those who do good things for us, and keep genuine love for Christ, everything whatsoever will be according to prayer? For he declares them blessed both in this world and in the age to come. Therefore, the law given by Christ for assistance is set before those who wish to know it, without silver and any gift. And this, then, was what was wisely spoken through the voice of Isaiah: "You who are thirsty, go to the water, and as many as have no silver, go and buy without silver and price." And a harsh famine shall come upon you, and it shall be that when you are hungry, you will be grieved, and you will speak ill of the ruler and of your ancestral ways. And they will look up to the heaven above, and down to the earth below they will look; and behold, affliction and distress, and darkness, severe anguish, and darkness so that they cannot see, and he who is in distress shall not be in want until a time. He transfers the discourse to the disobedient nation, that is, Israel, who, though they had broad and abundant consolation from God, and reveled richly in the legal instructions, did not receive Christ so as to know what leads to benefit. Therefore they have also slipped from their intelligible and spiritual intimacy with him, and have perished as if by a famine. For the God of all said through the voice of the prophets. "Behold, I am bringing a famine upon the land, says the Lord; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord; and from the east to the west, they will run about seeking the word of the Lord, and they shall not find it." When, therefore, he says, having killed the author of life, you endure a harsh and unbearable famine, not having the word of God, the bread from heaven, the one giving life to the world, then you will hunger. And indeed, having been brought to a sense of what has happened, you will speak ill of the ruler and of your ancestral ways. And what is this? For the teachers of the Jews, I mean the Scribes and Pharisees, did not cease from inciting the multitude under their hand against the Savior of us all, Christ. And they took as a pretext for their madness against him, reverence for both Moses and the law. For they persecuted him, saying, "If this man were from God, he would not break the Sabbath." Therefore they would persuade them to persecute him as a lawbreaker. When therefore he says: You who have been deceived by them will hunger, then you will speak ill of all your rulers and of your ancestral ways, that is, the lawful customs. For you will remember that your leaders incited you; and the pretext of the rulers for the madness against Christ was the ancestral ways; that is, the customs and the traditions, and not at all those of the law, but they also accepted doctrines from vain observances, commandments of men. There will be, therefore, upon you a harsh famine, and looking up and down and looking everywhere, that is, turning the eye of your mind about, you will see nothing else, he says, except dire straits and darkness, so as to be able to see nothing useful, and he who is in distress will not be at a loss until the time comes. Again he foretells the calling of the Gentiles. For those who are now, he says, oppressed in distress and famine of divine teachings, will not be at a loss. For Emmanuel will grant them the blessing, and will set before them spiritual foods, and will spread the divine table for them, saying that: Eat and drink, and be drunk, O neighbors. And this will be, he says, until a time, that is, it will not now come to an end. When also the word of prophecy concerning them came to be. But at the due time in which Emmanuel will shine upon those on earth. For then the multitude of the Gentiles is called. This first, drink, do it quickly, land of Zebulun, the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, and the rest who inhabit the seacoast and beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people walking in darkness, see a great light. Those who dwell in the land and shadow of death, a light will shine upon you; the greater part of the people, whom you have brought down in your gladness; and they will rejoice before you as those who rejoice at the harvest, and in the manner of those who divide the spoils. Saying that those who have chosen to disobey Emmanuel will be oppressed by a harsh famine and indeed also by want, having foretold that those in distress will not be at a loss until the time, according to the meaning already previously given. He begins to show also who were the first to believe, and who became the firstfruits of those called to the knowledge of Emmanuel who says: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me, who has also become signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord of Sabaoth who dwells on Mount Zion. For they say somewhere that the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali lie beside the lake of Tiberias, and are in the extremities of the land of the Jews, so as to be bordering on Galilee of the Gentiles, there being another one near the land of the Phoenicians. From these tribes, they say, the holy apostles for the most part came. And so, concerning their calling, Matthew, the blessed evangelist, explaining to us, first brings Jesus into the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. Then he clearly adds in what manner he made the holy apostles chosen. And he writes thus about Christ: "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken through might be fulfilled Isaiah saying: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned for them." And he adds to these: "And walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them: Come after me, and I will make you become fishers of men. And they immediately left their nets and followed him. And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him." It must be known that the Holy Scripture calls the Sea of Galilee the Lake of Tiberias; where also the divine disciples were found, practicing the art of fishermen. Therefore the God of all makes these statements through the voice of the prophet for the present time, as to the regions, that is, the cities of the tribe of Zebulun and Naphtali, which lay beside the Lake of Tiberias; and, as it were, giving them the cup of salvation, and bringing the wine that makes glad the heart of man, that is, the preaching about Christ. Drink this first, he says, do it quickly, that is, O land of Zebulun and Naphtali, receive the saving proclamation. But do it quickly, that is, without any delay. And the disciples, as I said, were sharp, and went very readily to believe in Christ. For they followed immediately, leaving their nets and their father, and did not need a long initiation. For they heard: "Come after me, and I will make you become fishers of men, and they followed him." In the same way we will find other of the holy apostles were called, and made the account of the initiation in Christ. For John writes thus about the Savior of us all, Christ: "The next day he wanted to go out to Galilee; and he finds Philip, and Jesus says to him:" Follow me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, from the country of Andrew and Peter. Philip finds Nathanael and says to him: We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth." And when he came to Jesus, then he heard him saying: "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you," he believed immediately, and indeed cried out, saying: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel." And Bethsaida, from which Philip was and indeed Nathanael, again lay beside the Sea of Tiberias. And the blessed David also remembers the proclamation of the disciples, and says: "There is Benjamin, the younger in ecstasy, the rulers of Judah their leaders; the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali." And that not only the divine disciples were to be called at times, but also the flocks of the Gentiles, he reveals, saying: And the rest who are by the sea and beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwell in the region and shadow of death, a light will shine upon you. For they walked like those from the Gentiles, and they lived in this world; like those in night and in darkness, because of not having the light of true knowledge of God in their mind, but falling as if into every pit; and stumbling as if against every evil stone. And he says they dwell in a region and shadow of death, because there was among them, that is, in their lands, nothing other, except only mist and darkness, the intelligible darkness, that is, and being as if in the likeness of the dead, although still living. For the shadow of bodies in every way imitates their forms, and does not differ at all in any way, as far as it concerns resemblance, which I speak of as in form; but not to know the God who is by nature And truly, it is in a way an imitation and shadow of death. But upon those who were sick with those things a light has shone, that is, after the one from Christ, and the evangelical oracle. From there came the greatest part of the people, whom you brought down in your gladness. For far more numerous are those called from the nations than those who believed from Israel. Therefore, he says, the greatest part of the people saw a great light, whom you brought down in your gladness. And he has put 'You brought down' instead of 'I have called back,' and 'I have redeemed,' as if they had been captives from diabolical rapacity. "They will rejoice before you, as those who rejoice in the harvest; and in the way that those who divide the spoils do." We shall understand the meaning of the preceding words in two ways. For if it is the divine disciples who are rejoicing in the harvest and dividing the spoils, we say that gathering those from the nations like some wheat into the Master's storehouse, and cutting them off from their ancient error, they rejoice in the same way as those who harvest in the fields; and snatching like from a tyrannical greed those deceived by Satan, and transferring them through faith to piety, they rejoice as those who divide the spoils. For some persuaded these, and others those; and to each the saved are a gain, just as to the victors are the spoils from the war. But if these things are said to be spoken concerning those who have believed, let us understand that at the time of their wandering, having no fruit of righteousness, they have been enriched with it by believing in Christ. But also, having been formerly ravaged and plundered by both the demons and Satan, they have conquered through Christ those who formerly despoiled them, and have become superior to their wickedness. Therefore they themselves also rejoice, as the prophet says, as those who rejoice in the harvest, and in the way that those who divide the spoils do. Because the yoke that lay upon them shall be taken away, and the rod that was upon their neck. For the Lord has scattered the rod of the exactors, as in the day of Midian. Those on earth being free, and having been made very well in the divine image, and created, as the blessed Paul says, for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them, the inventor of iniquity has taken great advantage of, and having turned them from the love of God, he made them his own worshippers, having placed upon them the hard-to-escape yoke of sin. Therefore, Christ rescued those who had acted wretchedly, and were in these evils, especially those from the nations, and again declared them free. For this reason, he says: "The yoke that lay upon them shall be taken away, and the rod that was upon their neck." And I think he means by 'rod' either the scepter, that is, the kingdom, clearly that of Satan, or perhaps the compulsion, and as it were the blow and the scourge. For the vile and profane host of demons, and their leader Satan, constrains us to its own will, all but beating us with a rod by the tyrannies of the passions, which it brings upon the mind, and forces the heart to wish to do what is not lawful. Therefore, he says, they will shake off the yoke from greed, and indeed also the rod, which they have always had upon their neck, just as servants are subject to the blows of the master. And again he mentions a story found in the book of Judges. And it is this. For having abandoned the God of all, those of Israel in the days of the Judges turned to unholy ways, and having greatly grieved the defending God, they were devoted to idols, and offered worship to the works of their own hands. For this reason they were given over to the Midianites; who plundered all their land, pillaging both cities and villages, and the things in the fields. And they instilled such terror in the wretched people, that they chose to dwell in rocks, and the impassable parts of the mountains, and to search out the recesses of the caves, and were afflicted by a severe and long famine. But God had mercy on them when they were greatly wearied, then has saved them by the hand of Gideon, who conquered the Midianites, and freed Israel from the necessity and rod hanging over them. Thus, therefore, the Lord scattered the rod of the exactors, as in the day of Midian. For as he then rescued those who were ensnared by unbearable greed, having driven out the covetous nation, so he has saved those from the nations, having driven away the rod of the exactors. And by 'exactors' he means Satan himself, and the demons, whose purpose and entire effort is to demand from people, as a kind of tribute or tax, their customary sins. For they always seek, from the one accustomed to fornicate, fornication, and from the one who steals, theft, that is, simply to strip clothes, and from each of those who are in passions, the things that are customary and dear to him. Whence I think the sacred Scripture blesses some, as not having heard the voice of the tax-collector. For every garment gathered by deceit, and every cloak with a change they will repay; and they will wish that they had been burned with fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, whose government was born upon his shoulder, and his name is called angel of great counsel. For I will bring peace upon the rulers, peace and their health. Great is his government, and of his peace there will be no end; upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it, in justice, and in judgment, from now and for all time; the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things. The remnant of Israel has been called to the knowledge of Emmanuel through the holy apostles; and the nations have also been called. And so he said: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali; then to these he added, Galilee of the nations; the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, that which is clearly through Christ, illumining intellectually, no longer one nation from Israel, but rather the whole world under heaven. That the enlightened were about to cast off the yoke of the devil's malevolence, and to escape the rod, he has fully assured by setting forth: Because the yoke that lies upon them shall be taken away, and the rod that is upon their neck. But we see that upon those who had served creation and had worshipped the works of their own hands, the yoke of diabolical malevolence was cast; and indeed upon those from Israel, the hard-to-bear burden of the law, and a truly unbearable load. And so the blessed disciples, to those who after the faith persuaded some to keep the things in the law, rebuked them saying: "And now why do you test God by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither we, nor our fathers were able to bear?" Therefore, the yoke of the law was very unbearable for those from Israel; and in addition to this, even more burdensome, the malevolence of the Pharisees was crushing them, not moderately, shattering them with their insatiable greed. For the leaders of the synagogue of the Jews were lovers of money, and had one purpose, to collect from everywhere, and to oppress the peoples under their hand. Therefore, it would be very right to say also concerning those from Israel: "Because the yoke that lies upon them shall be taken away, and the rod that is upon their neck." And by 'rod', as is likely, he names the greed of the leaders, because of their terrible inclination towards love of gain. For this reason, the wretched ones also killed the Son himself. For though they saw that he is the heir, they said among themselves, he says: "Come, let us kill him, and let us take his inheritance for ourselves." Therefore, since they had this impious and unholy purpose, they would have most gladly endured the loss of all their possessions. Or that they saw Emmanuel shining upon the world, he hints at, saying: "For every garment gathered by deceit, and every cloak with reconciliation, they will repay, and they will wish that they had been burned with fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us." For from deceit and guile, and from not judging rightly, they made their collection of money, he says; but it was sweet and dear to them, even up to the very of their robes and garments with exchange, that is, with addition. to send away and to cast off, or rather he says they wished to be consumed even by fire, being exceedingly vexed, because a child was born to us, a son. For having been entrusted with the master's vineyard, they wished to have the fruits for themselves and alone, offering to the master nothing at all. But by saying a child has been born, he clearly refutes the inertness of the Manichaeans' opinion, who refuse to say that the Word became flesh; that is, that He wore our flesh for our sake, according to the economy. But if they wish to think rightly, and to condemn their own ill counsel, let them not dishonor the words of the prophet, who says that a child has been born to us. For where there is a true birth from a woman, what place could there be for the idea that His sojourn came to be in appearance and shadow, and, so to speak, in fantasies alone? but he says the son has been given to us. For the only-begotten Word of God became man not for His own sake, but rather renewing our condition to what it was from the beginning, and as a ransom for the life of all, offering His own body as a fragrant aroma to God the Father. And he says that his government has been upon his shoulder, and it seems to some to mean something like this. For since, he says, our Lord Jesus the Christ, carrying the cross for Himself on His shoulders, went to the saving passion, and through it was exalted and has ruled over what is under heaven, for this reason it is also said that His government came to be upon His shoulder. The argument has plausibility, and the concept, being correct, should not be dishonored, even if one should choose to praise it. But it seems that in these things the prophetic word wishes to signify to us strength by the shoulder. For all our strength is in our arms and shoulders. And so the Son has been called the right hand and arm of God the Father. "Lord," he says, "who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Therefore, Christ ruled over what is under heaven through His own power; for He is the strength of God the Father. He has also been called the Angel of great counsel, clearly that of God the Father. And the wise John will testify concerning Him, saying: "He who receives His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God." And He Himself somewhere says to the holy apostles: "You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his Lord is doing. But I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." Therefore, for this reason, He names Emmanuel the angel of great counsel. And since He became man, He Himself attributed to God the Father the energy and power in all things done by Him, and through these things God the Father Himself is for us, which He makes clear by saying: For I will bring peace upon the rulers, their peace and health. Christ indeed gave the existing peace to the holy apostles as His own. For all that belongs to the Father is His, and indeed He said: "My peace I give to you; my peace I leave with you." But if Emmanuel Himself should be said to receive peace and health, understand again the skill of the economy with the flesh. For He received peace, clearly from the world, as the Father brought all to Him, and persuaded them to be at peace with Him, by worshiping Him, and accepting the yoke of His kingdom. "For no one can," he says, "come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him." And the wise Isaiah also cries out somewhere: "Let us make peace with him, let us who are coming make peace." He receives, then, peace from the Father, in this way, as I said. For we have heard Him saying to the Father and Son in the heavens: "Those whom you have given me out of the world, they were yours, and you gave them to me." And He receives health, that is, the revival from the dead. For since it is said that he became weak for a little while, because of yielding his own flesh, by the grace of God to taste death for all, receives health, that is, the return to life, and this he himself having accomplished again. For he raised his own temple, being himself the power of the Father. For if he is the resurrection and the life, of what would life have need for giving life? And if he is seen having raised the bodies of others again by his own power, how would he not have raised his own even before the others? And yet, he himself says to the Jews: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." For he teaches that the kingdom of Christ is unshakable and has stability forever, saying: "Great is his rule, and of his peace there is no end." For he no longer ruled only Judea, but rather all that is under heaven. And there will be no end of the peace offered to him by us. For we are at peace with him, we worship him, as I said, and through him and in him to God the Father. And being eager to remove from the midst sin, the cause of war. That he came to set free the nation of the Jews, he teaches, setting forth: "Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to establish it; and to uphold it in righteousness, and in judgment, from now and for evermore." Since the blessed prophet has sufficiently made for us the discourse concerning Emmanuel, he sets forth the time of the incarnation, saying: "The zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things." But what sort of zeal and over what things, it is necessary to say. For the Dragon, the apostate, seized all that is under heaven, and subjected to his own scepters man, who was made in the image of God. Therefore, what had happened against us was truly worthy of all zeal, and full of all greed; therefore the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth set free those throughout all the earth. And in another way, those of Israel provoked him to jealousy with what are no gods, as it is written, and with their vanities, and finally they crucified Emmanuel. They were provoked to jealousy by the gentiles, as he himself says: They provoked me to jealousy with what are no gods. They angered me with their idols, and I will provoke them to jealousy with a no-nation, with a foolish nation I will anger them.

Discourse 6

The Lord sent death upon Jacob, and it came upon Israel, and all the people of Ephraim will know, and those who dwell in Samaria, saying in arrogance and with a haughty heart: Bricks have fallen, but come, let us hew stones, and let us cut down sycamores, and cedars and let us build for ourselves a tower. The prophet's discourse concerning Emmanuel has been long, which having skillfully completed, he returns again to the things at the beginning; and they were these: For he strongly accused Israel, as being disobedient and provoking God who had always saved them, and on account of this reason, giving itself over to the worst evils; for he was saying that they did not want the law of the Lord of Sabaoth; but they provoked the oracle of the holy one of Israel. And the Lord was angry in wrath against his people, and he laid his hand upon them, and struck them. And the mountains were provoked, and their carcasses became like dung in the middle of the road. And by the provoked mountains he means the kings of the Assyrians; for they have become arrogant and boastful, and lofty in their minds. Who, having shaken all Samaria from its foundations, took Israel captive, and carried them away to the mountains of the Persians and Medes. Therefore, having completed, as I said, the proclamation of Emmanuel, he follows again the purpose set forth in the beginning, and relates the destruction of Samaria, saying: "The Lord sent death upon Jacob, and it came upon Israel." It must be known that both the Hebrew edition, and other interpreters, have put "word" instead of "death." For it says, "The Lord sent a word upon Jacob, and it came upon Israel." But what kind of word? Evidently, one that condemns the impious, and subjects to punishments those who had abandoned him, and had worshipped the works of their own hands. So whether it is said, God sent death, or a curse, or a word, the force of the concepts will not be inconsistent, but will rather proceed to one and the same purpose. He mentions, however, a history in these things, which I will relate briefly. For thus and with difficulty will the meaning become clear. Therefore, at various times in Jerusalem, both good and evil men have reigned over Judah, that is, Jacob; and no less so over Israel from the tribe of Ephraim in Samaria. For from the tribe of Ephraim was also their first king, Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who also persuaded them to worship his golden calves. Therefore, of those who reigned at various times both in Jerusalem and in Samaria, very many have become, as I said, fearlessly offending God, profane and idolaters, worshipping the host of heaven, and having unholily served wood and stones; such a one was also this Ahaz, who also made his own children pass through the fire, and wrought a great many evils against Jerusalem, and he also transgressed against the divine temple itself. But when he was removed, seized by death, Hezekiah succeeds to the scepter, while Hoshea son of Elah was reigning in Samaria over Israel, that is, the ten tribes. While he was governing the kingdom, the king of the Assyrians marched against Samaria. And along with it he also captured many other cities of Judaea. Then after this, while Sennacherib was overrunning Judaea, God miraculously saved Jerusalem, as Hezekiah was pious. And it is written thus in the fourth book of Kings: And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. And they took it at the end of three years, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. And Samaria was taken, and the king of Assyria carried away Samaria into Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the mountains of the Medes; because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and transgressed his covenant, all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and they did not hear, and did not do. And in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. And these things are from the holy Scriptures. But that Sennacherib destroyed Samaria, coming up against Jerusalem, we will effortlessly see from what the blessed prophet Isaiah himself has written. For Rabshakeh addressed those sitting on the wall thus: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying: Your God will deliver you. Did the gods of the nations each deliver his own country from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arpad? and where is the god of the city of Sepharvaim? Were they able to save Samaria from my hand? Therefore Sennacherib destroyed Samaria along with the other cities and countries; then he besieged Jerusalem. For because he had spoken foolishly of the divine glory, an angel went out from the Lord, and killed from the camp of the Assyrians in one night one hundred and eighty-five thousand. Therefore, since Sennacherib came against Jerusalem, but had already destroyed Samaria when God delivered it up, because it chose to do worse things than those in Jerusalem, he necessarily says: "The Lord sent death upon Jacob, and came upon Israel.” But Samaria has been burned, in which Israel dwelt, that is, the ten tribes, and it has utterly perished. And it was, I think, wise for those who remained in it to consider that offending God is truly most difficult; then, having understood this, it was by all means necessary to appease the one who was grieved, and by changes for the better to soothe the one who was provoked. But they did not do this, nor did they take it to mind at all; but being senseless, they spoke even more greatly: “Bricks have fallen, but let us hew stones, and let us cut sycamores and cedars, and let us build for ourselves a tower.” O what great ignorance. For why was it not necessary rather to say: We have offended through foolishness the all-powerful God? And for this reason, our cities and villages were captured. Come, let us by repentance unload the wrath. But they did not say these things; but rather, insulting the security that comes from God's help, they said that the walls of the cities in Samaria had been made of crumbling brick. But if we hew stones, and the incorruptible woods, I mean sycamores, and cedars, and fit them together and raise a tower, we will be invincible to our enemies, and we will remain unassailable. Therefore, those saying these things, he says, with hubris and a proud heart, will know, that is, they will learn again, where their plan will lead, and that their counsel will again end in destruction. It should be known that after the sack by Sennacherib in the time of Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar made war on Judea and took it all by force. and he sacked Samaria, both it and Jerusalem. Therefore, the prophet Jeremiah says: “Cursed is he who puts his hope in man. And makes flesh his arm.” For no one will save the one who has come under divine wrath. “For the high hand, who will turn it back,” according to what is written? And God will dash those who rise up against Mount Zion against them, and will scatter their enemies; Syria from the rising of the sun, and the Greeks from the setting of the sun, those who devour Israel with a whole mouth. When God strikes because of many sins, he brings dressing to those who have suffered, so that he might appear in every way to be calling them to repentance, I mean, both through pain and consolation. He promises something of this sort now to those who suffered the devastation. The passage before us has a historical explanation, which it is necessary, as I said, to speak of briefly. For the last war by Nebuchadnezzar was waged against all of Judea together, and indeed of Samaria, and they were carried away captive, and they served their enemies for seventy years. But when the time of wrath was completed, the God of all again had mercy, and indeed he arranged for them to be released, after Cyrus the son of Cambyses had conquered the Babylonians. And when those who had suffered arrived at the holy city, they wished to rebuild its walls. And indeed they did so, and they built their divine temple. But no less, although they had suffered so much, and had paid the penalties for their ancient transgressions, the neighboring nations rose up against them again out of envy. For they did not want Jerusalem to become strong. But most of all the others, those from neighboring Syria and Damascus attacked fiercely. Yet they were conquered, as God saved and defended those from the captivity. For they had overcome their enemies. Then, as time went on, Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, king of Asia, was aggrieved at Ptolemy, who was then king of the land of the Egyptians; and having stirred up a war, he was conquered, and was saved with difficulty. And so that he might not run home completely empty-handed, having no memorial of victory, he campaigned against Judea, took Jerusalem, and having it under his hand, and having plundered all the holy vessels, he established a certain general, Lysias, in Judea, ordering him to guard the province. But when the aforementioned Antiochus into the has run his own kingdom, the Jews have warred against Lysias the general, and have been victorious. Indeed, learning these things, Antiochus died from grief. Therefore, the God of all promises aid to those who were ravaged by Nebuchadnezzar, and who barely escaped captivity, he says: "And God will dash to pieces those who rise up against Mount Zion, against them." Do you hear how he who strikes also binds up? Who then are those who rise up? Syria from the rising of the sun, and the Greeks from the setting of the sun. For Antiochus was a Greek by race, coming from Macedonia. And this is in the west. For the land of the Macedonians is part of the West, especially when it is considered in comparison, according to its position, with those from the rising of the sun. And these are Syrians and Damascenes. And since he says concerning the Greeks, "those who devour Israel with their whole mouth," it must be known that Antiochus treated the Jews cruelly and inhumanly, and killed countless numbers wretchedly and pitiably, when the Maccabees also contended, and the glorious victories of those men were accomplished. And Josephus recounts these things in his book about them. But indeed, the children of the Greeks devour Israel in another way, and it is necessary to say how. For their poets and orators, having reached the height of eloquence, and as far as it pertains to words, being clever and wise, sometimes seize the spiritual Israel, that is, a mind that sees God, and deceive those who have already believed in Christ, so that they choose with them to worship the creation rather than the creator. These devour Israel with their whole mouth, to whom one must not pay attention. For if the brilliance of speech is seen to run together with good works, it will be both acceptable and pleasing to God. But what else would it be, bare and alone, than, as the most wise Paul says, "a resounding bronze, or a clanging cymbal?" For all these things his anger has not turned away, but his hand is still raised high. And the people did not turn back until they were struck, and they did not seek the Lord. For the God of all saved even a sinning Israel, and granted aid, so that they became greater than those from neighboring Syria, and from the setting of the sun, who were devouring him with their whole mouth. Yet the Lord's anger against them, he says, did not turn away, that is, it did not cease, but rather the hand of the one who strikes remained high, evidently ready to inflict other blows upon them. For what reason? For the people did not turn back, he says, nor did they abstain from their own sins. He did not seek out the Lord, because he wished to think and to do what seemed good and pleasing to himself. But they remained holding such an opinion, until the high and all-powerful hand was brought upon them. But what again was the subsequent blow, how is it not worthwhile to see? For last, as I said, Nebuchadnezzar took all of Judea. And he relocated Israel to the mountains of the Persians and Medes. And since, as I said, the times of the captivity had already passed, they were brought back to Judea, and have inhabited Jerusalem, the tribes no longer being divided into two, but all henceforth having become one kingdom. For this was what was said by one of the holy prophets: "And they shall come up out of the land, and shall appoint for themselves one ruler." Therefore, after all returned from captivity to Judea, those from Syria and those from the rising of the sun warred against them, yet they themselves were also defeated, as God defended the redeemed. Then they spent the intervening time until the coming of our Savior not living auspiciously, nor indeed completely departing from those ancient sins, but rather conducting themselves improperly and unlawfully, and very neglectfully. And when Christ shone upon those throughout the world under heaven. For God appeared to us, according to the voice of the psalmist; they have kept their stubbornness, and have done what is not lawful, not accepting the word from him, not honoring it with faith. And why do I say these things? Acting with unholy insolence, they arrived at such a point of impiety, and of unholiness of ways, as to hand him over to the cross, and to deny the Holy and Righteous One, and to try to inflict death upon the author of life, the one who justifies the ungodly; and for this reason he shone upon those throughout all the earth, in order to abolish death, and to render inactive the sting of sin. For all these reasons, the hand of the one who strikes has remained high, and his anger has not turned away. For they have been given over to desolation, with Vespasian and Titus warring against them, and the entire force of the Romans, at which time the wretched ones were utterly destroyed, their land being burned, and the temple itself being shaken down, and having fallen completely, so that not a stone was seen lying upon a stone, according to the Savior's voice. Therefore, since the compassionate God is long-suffering over our failings, to despair is very difficult, and I say that we ought by every means to appease him when he is grieved. And he does good to those who do not sin; but he saves those who have chosen to disobey through the gentleness that befits him. Let no one among us, therefore, be hard-hearted, nor slow to perceive his gifts, but through the very ways he has seen fit to do good even to those who are not good, coming to a recognition of his inherent love for humanity, let us repent of what is past. And let us reshape our own will toward the need to serve him, and to choose the ways of reasonableness. And the Lord will take away from Israel head and tail, great and small, in one day, the elder and those who show partiality; this is the beginning; and the prophet, and the one teaching lawless things; this is the tail. And those who bless this people will be leading them astray, and they lead them astray so that they may devour them. By saying that the hand of the one who strikes has remained high, he clearly relates that the divine wrath upon them would never cease, and what sort of manner the torment to be inflicted upon them would be at times. For, he says, there will be taken away from Israel in one day, that is, at one time—clearly, the time of the war with the Romans—both head and tail. And what the riddle is, he interprets, saying, great and small, that is, distinguished and insignificant. And who these might be, he again showed by adding: The elder, and those who show partiality. And by these he means, as I suppose, the tribe that had obtained the priesthood, that is, those of the blood of Levi, whom the people under their authority also called elders. And indeed the divine disciples addressed them, saying thus: "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are this day examined for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been healed, let it be known to you and to all the people, that it is in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth." For these elders, having the authority to judge, did not render correct verdicts on each of those judged by them, taking bribes insatiably and showing partiality to the rich, although the law through Moses cried out: "Judge righteous judgment;" and also, "You shall not show partiality in judgment," placing it everywhere. This then, he says, is the beginning; and it has been reckoned as the head. For the priest is the head of the peoples, when it is conceived as of one body. And he says that with the elder will also be taken away a prophet and one who teaches lawless things. And this, he says, is the tail, that is, what follows. For there were some among the Jews who interpreted the law given through the all-wise Moses; but they did this in a distorted manner, incorrectly adding to the words of Moses unwritten traditions, commandments and teachings of men. These have led the people of the Jews astray, and have made them raise a proud neck against Christ. Therefore, since these also followed the opinions of the priests, who were placed in the rank of the head, he called them the tail. For as I said, when we think as of one body, it surely follows the tail to the head. But since he called them prophets, we will not reckon them to be holy and true. For he added that they teach lawless things. But we say this: For there were indeed false prophets in Israel from time to time, that is, at the times when there were true prophets. But after the times of the captivity, one could not say with certainty that there were any others at those times; unless perhaps one were to speak of those whom Gamaliel, being a teacher of the law and honored by all the people, also mentions, as it is written in the Acts of the holy apostles. For he addressed those in the council concerning the holy apostles, saying: "Men of Israel, take care for yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For before these days Theudas arose, claiming to be somebody great, to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves; he was slain. And all who followed him were dispersed, and came to nothing. After this man, Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census, and drew away people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were scattered." Therefore, he says that the head and the tail will be taken away, according to the meaning just now given by us. But he says that those who bless this people will be leading them astray, and they lead them astray so that they may devour them; for the leaders of the Jews, having been entrusted with the holy and divine tabernacle, and being ordered to perform the sacrifices according to the law, urged the peoples under their hand to bring gifts, saying that they were blessed if they brought them lavishly. And they did this bitterly, not laying claim to or caring for reverence towards God, but looking to their own avarice. For this reason, he says, they lead them astray, so that they may devour them. For being insatiable, as I said, in their desire to be rich, they did not teach the peoples that it is fitting to please the God of all by choosing to fulfill the law; but rather they urged them to honor him with offerings beyond their means. For on account of this reason, they themselves did not accept the faith in Christ, and shutting up as it were the kingdom of heaven, they did not permit others to enter into it. For they knew that when the shadow of the law was abolished, and the evangelical proclamations were received, the worship in types and through blood would surely cease, and sacrifices would also be abolished, when the worship in spirit had been introduced. And this is a complete removal of their inherent insatiable avarice. Therefore God will not rejoice over their young men, and he will not have mercy on their orphans and their widows, because all are lawless and evil, and every mouth speaks unjustly. And now the word leads us, from clear examples, to things beyond sense and intelligible. For here he speaks of young men, not at all, of course, those in bodily robustness, or those in the prime and youth of the flesh, but he means rather those who would have spiritual strength in mind and heart, so as to be able to accomplish very youthfully the things through which they will be illustrious, and most well-known to God, and full of all gentleness. And to those who are so disposed in their state, the blessed John has addressed, saying: "I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and you have overcome the evil one." But before the coming of our Savior, there were some, even among the Jews, who, in the manner I have just mentioned, had practiced acting manfully, by choosing to fulfill blamelessly the commandment that had been given, and being able to excel very richly in the glories according to the law. And they were not rejected by God. For it was still the time of the shadow in the law, and when the evangelical and Christian way of life had not yet been revealed, those things were held in much praise. Thus it is also written about both Zechariah and Elizabeth: "Now it came to pass in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, that there was a certain priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah, and his wife was of the of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." In this manner, I think, the holy prophets themselves also lived. And indeed, the divine Paul, although saying openly that he was blameless according to the righteousness which is in the law; "But what things were gain to me? these, he says, I have counted loss for Christ." Therefore, before the coming of the Savior of us all, Christ, some who took pride in the things of the law were esteemed, and were brave and youthful. But after His appearance, and the preaching of the gospel, the things in the law have ceased, the shadow has passed over to the truth, and worship in spirit and in truth has been brought in. Therefore, God does not rejoice in the young men of the Jews, that is, those who are still acting manly, by choosing to live according to the law. And unacceptable are the sacrifices through blood, and circumcision of the flesh, teachings of baptisms, and the idleness of Sabbaths. But we have been taught, as I said, the way of the life that pleases God. Rejected, then, and very rightly so after the cessation of the shadow are the young men according to it; and far from being pitied are the orphans and widows. He calls orphans those who, as it were, are in need of spiritual conduct and of instruction from teachers. And similarly, we say widows are souls that have become destitute of the ability to bear fruit, because they do not have the sower and provider of all good teachings. But that we will find those from Israel to have been deprived of true instruction, on account of their insolence toward Christ, no one would praise. For their eyes were darkened that they might not see, according to the voice of the psalmist. And their backs were bent. And this continually, so that they are not able to look up, but as if stooped over, they are fixed on earthly things. But they will suffer this, he says, not in vain; but because all have become lawless and wicked, and every mouth speaks lawless things. For how are they not lawless, and full of all wickedness, who hastened to inflict death on Him who calls to life, Him who knew no sin, although the law says clearly: "You shall not kill the innocent and righteous?" How has not every tongue of the Jews spoken unjustly? For they cried out against Christ to Pilate, saying: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him." And, "If you do not kill this man, you are not Caesar's friend." For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. And iniquity shall be burned as a fire, and shall be devoured by fire as dry grass; and it shall be burned in the thickets of the forest, and shall devour all the things round about the hills; for the anger of the wrath of the Lord, the whole land is burned up, and the people shall be as if burned by fire, a man shall not pity his brother, but he will turn to the right, because he will be hungry and will eat from the left, and a man will not be satisfied eating the flesh of his own arm. For Manasseh shall eat Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; for together they shall besiege Judah. While the divine wrath is still at its height, and the very hand that brings the scourge and torments upon them is raised, he tries to foretell clearly each of the things that will happen, making the hearers more sober-minded by the terrors. For on this account God made predictions of the terrible things, so that, fearing to offend him, they might not be subjected to the evils of his wrath, but rather might be carried away from the terrible things. Therefore, iniquity will be burned as fire. And he says iniquity not the thing itself, of course; for it is foolish to think or say this; but those who have been steeped in iniquities, and have already come to such a point of depraved manners, that they should no longer be called lawless, but rather iniquity. These, therefore, will be burned as fire, he says, that is, they will become a fire against themselves. For no other will bring the flame upon them, but they themselves will be sufficient for this for one another. They shall be burned as dry grass, and as the thickets of the forests. For flames always rage somehow, when they fall upon easily flammable material; and I mean dry grass, and the wood in the forests. But I think that the prophetic word wishes to reveal these things to us in this; For when Vespasian and Titus, as I have already said, were ravaging Judea, and besieging the cities in it, there was the greatest tumult in each one. On the one hand, famine was wasting them away, and on the other hand, the seditious in each city were plundering houses, and attacking those who seemed to be more prominent, so that the outrages from the inhabitants became more grievous than the battle from without. Josephus clearly records these things, Therefore, he says they will be burned in the thickets of the forest, calling, I think, the common multitude dry grass and the thickets of the forest. For the people were divided against each other into dissensions and factions. And that the evil will also touch those who seem to be something, he further declares, saying; And it will consume all that is round about the hills; calling hills, I think, those who are set above and stand out from the others, either in reputation, or in wealth, or in some other way. And I just said that those accustomed to sedition in each city terribly attacked those who seemed to be illustrious, so that in desperation they did things which not even the hand of the enemy would have sometimes done. And these things, he says, are because of the fierceness of the Lord's wrath. For thus has the entire land of the Jews been burned up. And what he has said enigmatically, making these things clear to the hearers, he immediately adds; And the people shall be as if burned by fire. A man shall not pity his brother. For just as those who bring fire to calves provoke them to anger and prepare them to make more vigorous assaults against whomever they might go; so, he says, each of the people will be as if burned by fire. For they will be impetuous and unmerciful, and not knowing brothers, they will all be terrible and savage-tempered against one another, and in the manner of beasts sharpened by hunger for savagery against certain ones; they will turn aside to the right, and they will eat from the left; that is, they will turn hither and thither, biting those on the right, those on the left, sparing no one at all, and having an insatiable desire for assaulting one another. For he shall not be filled, he says, a man eating the flesh of his own arm. O strange affair! They will not even spare themselves, he says, as if from unmitigated madness. For having once become desperate, they will proceed boldly to anything whatsoever of the most outrageous things. Then he says, that 'For Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh.' But Ephraim and Manasseh were two brothers, and sons of Joseph. But nature, he says, will not then award peace even to those joined in disposition by blood; the laws of kinship will be inactive. For brothers and kinsmen will rise up against one another, one against one, and two against another. For, he says, 'Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, because together they will besiege Judah.' Therefore, then, all things were filled with confusion, and for all the things done out of wrath were indiscriminate, both against whom it is not right, and by whom it is not right. And these things, as I said, historically happened for the hordes of the Jews to suffer. But we must also be on guard for ourselves. For the disobedient is punished, and if anyone should fall into this, he will be burned as if by fire, fleshly pleasure and hot desire consuming him. And he will have an unbearable battle in his mind and heart; for the flesh will rise up against the spirit, and will be in great tumults. Wherefore, as the divine Paul says: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." For being subject to God we shall walk in the spirit, and we shall be superior to fleshly desires, and we will conquer the flames within the mind, and we will keep the heart free from sedition. For the peace of God, as it is written, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our thoughts. For all this his anger is not turned away, but Still a high hand. Woe to those who write wickedness. For writing, they write wickedness; turning aside the judgment of the poor, and seizing the judgments of the needy of my people, so that the widow might be plunder for them, and the orphan spoil. And what will they do in the day of visitation? For the affliction will come to you from afar; and to whom will you flee to be helped? and where will you leave your glory, so as not to fall into affliction? When the prophetic word explains to us more broadly the disasters of the Jews, and the future harms at the hand of their enemies, then indeed it adds very wisely and with good management the causes for which the God of all was grieved, and it tries to teach that a righteous decree was passed upon them, calling them to justice. For not unjustly are nets spread for winged creatures, as it is written. Woe, therefore, he says, to those who write wickedness. For writing, they write wickedness, turning aside the judgment of the poor, and seizing the judgments of the needy of my people. For there were among the Jews those who were called scribes. And it was their task to make clear the purpose of the law in each matter for those who wished to learn, and to present such things to those entrusted with judging the peoples. And it is written that, "The lips of a priest will guard judgment, and they will seek the law from his mouth." Therefore, being overcome by shameful gains, they made their writings unjust, impiously making merchandise of what seemed right to the divine law, and as it were mixing wine with water, and making the pure silver appear debased, so that they might wrong the widow, and seize the judgments of the needy, and subject the orphan to the evils of greed, like some plunder readily cast aside for those who wish to be rich. But these, he says, what will they do in the day of visitation? And he calls the day of visitation the time of war, in which God visited those who write wickedness and pervert the right judgments of the law. For what wealth will help you, he says? And in what way will the collection of things gathered by you through greed be of use? You have done wrong, you have corrupted the law, you have trampled on the purpose of the lawgiver. Then where will you go? And what doing or saying will you escape the day of visitation? For the affliction will come to you from afar. For the Jews fought very often against the neighboring nations, I mean the Idumeans and Elamites, Moabites, and Syrians, and those called Philistines; and it happened that they were seen to be better, prevailing over many in battles. But now, he says, the affliction will come to you from afar; that is, your battle is not against the Idumeans, the war is not against the Moabites; nor against any of the neighbors, whom at times you have also conquered, and having obtained the better lot in battle, you bound on the crown of glory; but now the affliction will come to you from afar. And through these things, it seems to signify either the assault of the Assyrians, or that of the Romans. For both these and those are from afar. But when the affliction has been brought on, where will you leave your own glory, so as not to fall into the affliction? For you have often prevailed over, he says, your enemies, and rising up against those who came upon you, you have saved your cities and lands. But now where will you leave the glory for this? for you will all fall, your valor against others helping you in no way. For what will you do so as not to fall into affliction? And he calls affliction, that which was brought upon them as from divine wrath, and the disaster from war. For when God brings punishments upon those who sin, who will turn them away? Or what manner of help could there be for those under penalty and chastisement? There is none. Therefore, the divine David also psalms and says: "Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor chasten me in your wrath." And again: "You are terrible, and who shall resist you? From that time is your wrath." Therefore, no one will turn away the divine wrath. But repentance, as it were, softens it; or rather, it would not be moved at all in the first place, if one should wish to live rightly and lawfully, and indeed according to pleasing to the decrees from him. For all these things his anger has not turned away, but still his hand is high. Woe to the Assyrians, the rod of my anger, and wrath is in their hands. I will send my wrath against a lawless nation, and I will command my people to take spoils and plunder, and to trample the cities, and to make them as dust. But he did not so consider, and in his soul he has not so reasoned; but his mind will change, and to destroy not a few nations. And if they say to him, Are you the only ruler? and he will say; Did I not take the country above Babylon and Calneh, where the tower was built? Did I take Arabia and Damascus, and Samaria? In the manner I took these, I will also take all the countries. Everywhere we shall find God has taken thought for his own glory. For he is angry if indeed he sees some who have chosen to be contemptuous, and are zealous to make of no account what is pleasing to him, but as it were shaking every rope, so as to incline toward the most outrageous things. But he turns such people around, almost leading them by a rein strongly, for that which most of all results in their benefit. For thus somewhere the blessed David also says: "With bit and bridle you must bind their jaws, of those who do not draw near to you. Many are the scourges of the sinner." And he brings punishment upon those who transgress, handing over his own wrath as a kind of rod into the hands of men who are not good, so that they themselves might become the punishers of the impious. And it happens that those who have been employed for this purpose think something great against those who have been punished, or rather against the one who delivered them up. For they do not understand that they have prevailed over them because God permitted it, and brought upon them the sentence that they should suffer; but they think that they have prevailed even though he willed to save them. He therefore transfers his wrath to them, and very rightly so. And since he opposes the proud, he indeed casts down their brow, and subjecting them to fitting punishments, he attempts to convince them fully that it was not the work of their strength, but of his own commands to overcome those who were punished. The king of the Assyrians has suffered something of this sort. For since he took Judea, and sacked the cities, he has grown very proud in himself, and indeed he thought to conquer the holy land, even against the will of God who presides over it, and promises to save it. For this reason he says, that his anger has not yet turned away, but that the "woe" will also be brought upon the Assyrians. And what is the reason for this? For the rod, he says, of my wrath, has been given into their hands, by me, clearly, so that with it they might strike those who have acted impiously against me. I commanded them, to make my people spoils and plunder, and to trample the cities, and to make them into dust. For if I had not removed my saving hand, and shown them to be naked of the ever-customary help given by me to them, they would never have been captured, having always been stronger than their enemies through me. But the Assyrian himself did not so consider, and in his soul has not so reasoned, but as far as his own mind was concerned, he will change; that is, he will destroy not a few nations. For he thinks that no one will rise up against his forces, and that he will surely prevail without effort, and he will be master of every nation, with no one leading out against him. But to one having so insatiable a soul, and always wishing to rule over all things, even if someone should approach him saying: "Are you the only ruler?", that is, will you be able alone to rule over all that is under heaven? To this, he says, he will utter an arrogant voice, saying that: "Did I not take the country above Babylon, and Calneh, where the tower was built?" "I took Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria; in the manner I took these, I will also take all the countries." Calneh, where the tower was built by the ancients, is situated, in a way, in the farthest parts of the east, and beyond the country and land of the Babylonians. "Just as, therefore," he says, "from the very borders of my own eastern land I have set the boundaries of the kingdom, and I have taken Damascus and Samaria, which were not helped at all by the gods in them; thus I will also seize the outer lands. It is necessary to remember that Rabshakeh also, proclaiming the words from the king of the Assyrians, addressed those sitting on the wall: Thus says the king of the Assyrians. Let not king Hezekiah deceive you with words which will not be able to deliver you; and let not Hezekiah say to you, God will deliver us; and after other things, again: Have the gods of the nations each delivered his own land from the hand of the king of the Assyrians? Where is the god of Hamath and Arphad? And where is the god of the city of Sepharvaim? Were they able to deliver Samaria from my hand? Which of all the gods of these nations has delivered his land from my hand, that he should deliver Israel from my hand? Therefore, he promises to subject to judgment the Assyrian, who has great thoughts, and has chosen to laugh down the divine wrath. For even among ourselves the passion of arrogance is hated. But when one becomes insolent even against the divine glory, then indeed the 'woe' will be brought very justly upon those willing to do this. Wail, you carved images in Jerusalem and in Samaria. For in the way I have dealt with Samaria and its man-made idols, so will I also deal with Jerusalem and its idols. He has just now introduced the Assyrian as having high and arrogant thoughts. For since he destroyed the cities of Samaria, with the falsely-named gods not helping them, and their temples and altars being burned down again. And as he was disposed to bring Jerusalem, that is Judea, under his hand, and even if Christ who always defends and saves her should perhaps not wish it, the prophetic word immediately sets before us the reasons for Samaria itself being captured, and very many cities of Judea. For this reason, and very fittingly, he recalls the ways of impiety, and commands them to wail and lament. And almost astounded at the apostasy from an excessive love of God, he exclaims: Wail, you carved images in Jerusalem and in Samaria. For where the God of all should have been honored with fitting honors, there he is overlooked, and deprived of the honor fitting and owed to him. For the wretched ones, having assigned reverence to carved images, have dared to say to the wood: "You are my God; and to the stone, You have begotten me." Therefore, with astonishment, as it were, the aforementioned exclamation was made by the prophet; that is, carved images in Jerusalem and in Samaria. He says something like this also through the voice of Jeremiah concerning Jerusalem. What has the beloved done, an abomination in my house? And somewhere he said also through one prophet: "The watchman of Ephraim is with God, a prophet is a crooked snare on all his ways, they have fixed madness in the house of the Lord." For having set up altars and handmade things in Jerusalem, they have sacrificed to Baal, and to the host of heaven. And those in Samaria have also done these things. In the way therefore, he says, I have dealt with Samaria and its handmade idols, so will I also deal with Jerusalem and its idols. For those whose audacious acts are kindred, an equal punishment would fittingly follow. Therefore the Assyrian took both Damascus and Samaria. And the way to this matter for him, and the pretext for prevailing, was the making of idols, both in Samaria and in Jerusalem. For this reason also for those accustomed to do such things, the most fitting punishments have been sought. Difficult, therefore, it is, and a cause of wrath from God for us, the making of idols everywhere, even if one should happen to do this in mind and heart. For those things also carry one away from the love for God, bewitching the heart, and dragging it out to things which are not proper. And it shall be, when the Lord has finished doing all things on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will bring [punishment] upon the great mind of the ruler of the Assyrians, and upon the height of the glory of his eyes. For he said: By my strength I will do it, and by the wisdom of understanding, I will remove the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their strength; and I will shake inhabited cities, and I will seize the whole inhabited world in my hand as a nest, and as abandoned eggs I will take them up; and there is no one who will escape me, or speak against me. He says that the Assyrian, who has thought such exceedingly arrogant things, will not be outside of the common lot. For the Lord resists the proud, according to what is written, and for the charges of arrogance He always demands an account from those who are sick with this disease, and He shows them to be pitiable and cast down, so that they might know not to lift up their horn on high, according to what is written; but might rather be mindful of their own nature and weakness. For when, He says, He has finished doing everything on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, that is, when the matters of wrath against them come to an end, then He will bring His hand, and the smiting rod, upon the great mind of the ruler of the Assyrians. But He called him a great mind, not placing the matter to his praise, but rather condemning him, as being nothing other than only God-hated arrogance. For he has thought nothing human; but things that perhaps even surpass all created nature. Therefore, He will bring it upon the height of the glory of his eyes; and by eyes, He means in this, instead of thoughts, or rather reasonings. For these are high, as I said, and exceedingly arrogant. But being God, and looking into the heart and kidneys, and knowing the hidden things, He also makes them clear to us, and says. For he said: By my strength I will do it, and by the wisdom of my understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their strength, and I will shake inhabited cities. Observe, then, how, as one not needing help from above, he attributes to his own powers alone the ability to do all things, whatsoever he might wish; and he thinks that he is also so wise and skilled in strategy, as to be able very easily on his own to move the boundaries of nations, and to break their strength and make it into plunder, and to shake cities, not those without men and deserted, but even if they should have very many and countless inhabitants in them. And his arrogance does not stop at these things. For he boasts that he will also seize all that is under heaven, and very easily, readily, and without a fight, he is disposed and thinks according to what comes into his mind. For I will seize, he says, the whole inhabited world as a nest, and I will take it up as abandoned eggs, and there is no one who will escape me, or speak against me. O terrible arrogance, O foolish reasonings! He sees the whole universe as the nest of a single sparrow, he likens those throughout all the earth to eggs left behind by the warming bird, so that coming like a serpent he might devour them. And he hates those who speak against him, and he does not expect the besieged to come to words with him at all. These things would be fitting to attribute also to the person of Satan himself. For he himself is the father of pride. And he thought that he would seize the inhabited world with no one opposing him. But it was not so at all; rather the outcome of events for him turned out to be the complete opposite. For Christ has spoken against him on our behalf; and He has not only spoken against him, but has also contended for the life of all, has conquered the sinner, and has put him under the feet of the saints. For He said to them: "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." Shall the axe be glorified without the one who chops with it? Or shall the saw be exalted without the one who pulls it? Likewise if one takes up a rod or a staff; not so, but the Lord of Sabaoth will send dishonor upon your honor, and upon your glory a burning fire shall be kindled. He clearly refutes the Assyrian, puffed up in vain, and completely ignorant, that it was in no way the work of his own hand to destroy Samaria, and to capture with it the other cities, but rather of the decree from above being brought upon them who had committed intolerable impieties, just as a certain axe, or a rod or a piece of wood. For tell me, he says, O most senseless of all, will an axe be glorified without the one who chops with it? For an axe that is perfectly sharpened and cutting would be suitably able to shear the wood in the fields. Would anyone then praise the axe, as if it were able to do this, without the one who chops with it? What will the saw accomplish by itself, unless someone both pulls it and pushes it again? But if indeed one takes up a rod or a piece of wood in any way; will it not be so again? For the rod will lie on the ground, and the piece of wood has been cast down, but if someone takes and brings them against others, then surely they will come to be put to work. Why then, he says, have you thought lofty things? Why do you raise your eyebrow? Do you think that by your own power you yourself have succeeded in capturing the cities, having been taken up in the order of heaven by the hand that does those things, that is, the divine hand? The glory, therefore, is not yours; but rather of God, who like a certain axe, or rod, or piece of wood, brings your cruelty against those who have offended Him. You shall not, therefore, be so, he says, as you yourself thought. Nor indeed will you remain in the same state of glory, nor will you luxuriate in such delicate honors. You will not do it by strength, nor by the wisdom of your understanding will you remove the boundaries of nations. You will not seize the inhabited world like abandoned eggs. But the Lord Sabaoth will send dishonor upon your honor, and upon your glory a burning fire will be kindled. By his honor, he means the army acting under him and subject to him. For in it he was glorified. A fire, therefore, will come against it, he says, and will burn up your honor. And in what way this happened, he makes clear again, and not at length. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and he shall sanctify him with a burning fire, and it shall devour the wood like grass. In that day the mountains shall be extinguished, and the hills, and the forests. And it shall devour from soul even to flesh. And he who flees shall be as one fleeing from a burning flame; and those left of them shall be a number, and a child shall write them down. What has been said is very difficult to grasp, and the construction of the wording makes the interpretation most difficult. But we shall again clarify the meaning hidden in what lies before us, having said those things beforehand. For Shalmaneser the king of the Assyrians captured Samaria, and he sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem, who, having come and besieged it, spoke to those on the wall the words from the one who sent him, and he added to these things blasphemies against God, saying that God shall not deliver Jerusalem from the hand of the king of the Assyrians. King Hezekiah, distressed at such things, made supplications to God, saying: Hear, O Lord, look, O Lord, and see the words of the Rabshakeh, which the king of the Assyrians has sent to reproach the living God. And God promised them salvation. And indeed an angel of the Lord went out, and in one night killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand from the camp of the Assyrians. When this had happened, the Assyrian was struck with unbearable terror. And hearing the news that Sarsatha king of the Ethiopians had come out against his land with the very few who were left, he fled. This is what the prophetic word now enigmatically explains to us. For the God of all has become a light to Israel, having appointed the law that is able to enlighten. But this, he says, the light that belonged to Israel, will not be a light to the armies of the Assyrians, but a destroying fire. That the God of all considers the people in Jerusalem his own and dedicated to him, he will teach everyone, through the fire that was kindled among the Assyrians. And this is the meaning of, "He shall sanctify him with a burning fire." For what is called 'being sanctified' will not be partaking of every kind of sanctification, but rather signifies also that which is dedicated to the glory of God. As he says to Moses: "Sanctify to me every firstborn that opens the womb, the males for the Lord." And 'sanctify' in this context, means 'dedicate,' he says. Therefore, he says, the God of all will sanctify Israel God, that is, will show what is dedicated to him and chosen in burning fire; through the fire kindled against the Assyrians. And in these things he calls the unexpected destruction "fire." For if he did not consider them his own people, he would not have kindled the fire against the enemies, which also consumed the multitude of the Assyrians like grass or wood. On that day, therefore, he says, that is, at that time the mountains shall be extinguished, and the hills and the forests, and it shall devour from soul to flesh. To hills and forests and mountains he well likens the multitude of the Assyrians itself, and its leaders, and those preeminent over the others like hills or mountains. But these will be extinguished; that is, those formerly fervent and terrible will grow cold against their will. For this the phrase "will be extinguished" indicates. For death will devour them, all but consuming both souls and bodies. For that souls are not destroyed along with bodies is clear to everyone. But through these things he subtly indicates the strength of the wrath. But, he says, the one fleeing will be as one fleeing from a burning flame, and those left of them will be a number, and a child will write them down. For very few, as I said, having leapt away as if from a burning flame, scarcely escaped with the king. And he says they are so few in number as not to surpass even the mind of a young child, in being able to write or count them. For the tradition of the Hebrews holds that only ten in number were left, who with Rabshakeh announced what had happened to the king of the Assyrians. These are the wages of his arrogance. And the type is also useful for us. For if someone wishes to be outside of divine wrath, and not to be consumed by divine evils, he should earnestly refuse to be willing to suffer from things kindred and equal to their perversity. And it shall be in that day that the remnant of Israel shall no longer be added, and the saved of Jacob shall no longer trust in those who wronged them, but they shall trust in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. And the remnant of Jacob shall be upon a mighty God. When the fire has been kindled against the army of the Assyrians, these two things will be achieved and will exist, he says: for the boaster and destroyer will cease, unwillingly, from such a terrible and odious arrogance. For he will depart in fear, and unexpectedly put to shame. He will know through the event itself, and even if he should not wish it, that he has become an instrument of divine wrath against sinners, and that he has not at all overcome them by his own strength. And these things will happen to the Barbarian. But for those of Israel the wonder will be for their benefit, and the remnants of those in Samaria, that is, of Israel, and moreover of Jacob, that is, again of the two tribes that are in Jerusalem, will cease from their ancient error, and from cold and useless thoughts. For they will not be trusting in those who wronged them. For since the enemy has fallen, consumed by the hand of an angel, they have known precisely the all-powerful right hand of the Savior, and they will make him their savior and redeemer, and in him they will have all their hope, having spurned those who wronged them. But who these are, and in what manner they have wronged, it is necessary to say. For the God of all has saved those of the blood of Israel, presiding and defending, and showing them to be stronger than their opponents. But when they turned to resistance, and some fashioned golden calves, and others Chemosh and Baal-peor, and kindled worship for them; and they have also worshipped the host of heaven; the God of all from time to time delivered up the opponents, sometimes to the nations surrounding and dwelling around Judaea, I mean both Idumaeans and Moabites, and those from Elam, and sometimes to those far away, I mean both Assyrians and Egyptians. When war therefore was rushing down and announced throughout the whole land, how is it not better that those from Israel should make their defense to the offended all-powerful God, and by their recourse to what is better, avert His wrath? For they should have removed the profane multitude of idols from their midst, and acknowledged him as savior and redeemer. But of these things they took little account at all. But they sent embassies sometimes to the Egyptians, and sometimes to the Assyrians, and called for aid from them. For this reason, I think, God was even more greatly sharpened against them. Therefore, they wronged both Israel and Jacob, on the one hand, the falsely-named gods, by calling down divine wrath upon them and preparing them to trust in them; and on the other hand, those who sold them useless aid for money and gifts. When, therefore, he says, the multitude of the enemies was consumed in one night, they will finally be trusting in God, and having known by experience itself the all-powerful right hand of the one who saved them, they will not place their hope in those who wronged them, but in the Holy One of Israel in truth. And the remnant of Jacob will be upon a mighty God. For they will no longer trust in wood and stones, but will rather make him their strength, who has always been their helper and defender, a weapon and an unbreakable wall. And if the people of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. For a word finishing and cutting short in righteousness, because God will make a shortened word in the whole world. That of those who have chosen to disobey, and who have been greatly diseased with stubbornness and intractability, there would be no account with God, but that He saves and deems worthy of all forbearance the obedient and tractable, He makes very clear to us through these words. For the Assyrian came against the entire nation of the Jews; and his purpose was to spare no one, but to utterly ravage the whole land, and to render it devoid of men, and desolate of its inhabitants. And he destroyed Samaria, and with it he captured not a few cities of Judea; but God miraculously saved those in Jerusalem. What then is the reason for this? Yes, he says, because not all of Israel had been impious, but there were perhaps some who were very distressed by those who were impious toward God, for this reason a holy and most just verdict was passed, bringing judgment only against those who had sinned. That the account is true we shall see without effort, and as from what is written in the prophet Ezekiel. For he said that he had seen some from Israel worshiping the sun, and that he heard God saying concerning them: "Have you seen, son of man, is it a small thing for the house of Israel to commit the iniquities which they have committed here? For they have filled the land with iniquity. And they have returned to provoke me to anger." Then he says he saw a man clothed down to his feet and girded; and the God of all said to him: "Go through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the iniquities that are done in the midst of it. And to these he said in my hearing: Go into the city after him, and strike, and let not your eyes spare. And have no pity, slay to utter destruction old man and young man, and maiden and infants, and women. But come not near any man upon whom is the mark." See then how God seals with his grace the pious and genuine man, and the one who is angry and laments over the things by which others dare to offend him. Therefore, even if.... the multitude of those from Israel exists, and is compared to the sands lying on the shores, the remnant will be saved. And this indeed happened in the times of Hezekiah. For, as I said, Samaria was destroyed, and very many cities of Judea were taken along with it. And this was done also in the last times of the age, when the Only-Begotten shone upon us in the flesh. For then indeed God also made a shortened word in righteousness in the whole world. For the law through Moses comes by long circles, and is cumbersome - he makes the declaration of what is useful, barely revealing through riddle and shadow what leads to benefit. But our saving and evangelical word is both brief and, as it were, cut short, that is, concise, having the truth naked, and making the way of life clear, there being no difficulty, nor any obscurity brought upon the proclamations. For, as I said, the matter of truth is simple. And then the remnant of Israel was saved, that is, those who by faith honored his appearance, while the other multitude suffered turning away. For they had behaved insolently towards the Savior and Lord of all, having previously killed prophets, and having stoned those who were sent; and what, indeed, of outrageous things did they not practice? Therefore thus says the Lord Sabaoth: Do not fear, my people, who dwell in Zion, because of the Assyrians, for with a rod he will strike you. For I am bringing a plague upon you, that you may see the way of Egypt. For yet a little while, and the wrath will cease, and my anger will be upon their counsel. For since with a holy vote and a gentleness befitting him, the God of all saves the genuine ones, but hands over those who have grieved him; Do not fear, he says, my people, who dwell in Zion, because of the Assyrians. For the Rabshakeh came to Jerusalem and besieged it, and threatened to burn it down and destroy everyone. But he did no harm at all. For he departed as a fugitive, his army having fallen against all expectation, and having perished in one night. Therefore, he did not destroy those in Zion with the sword. But since he once terrified them with his attacks, and prepared them to be in fear of suffering, he is seen almost raising only a rod against them. Do not, therefore, he says, be terrified by the Assyrians, for with a rod he will strike you, and he will inflict, as it were, a short blow, the one resulting from terror, with me allowing this also to be done against you, that you may see the way of Egypt, that is, so that you may learn how much you have harmed yourself, by going away to Egypt and seeking aid from there, while God who saves was overlooked. Hezekiah, then, during whose reign the Assyrian besieged Jerusalem, did not seek the aid of the Egyptians. But Hoshea, son of Elah, reigning over Israel, is found to have done this instead. And it is written thus in the fourth book of Kings: "And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place. In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel for nine years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him." Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant; and he returned tribute to him. And the king of the Assyrians found wickedness in Hoshea, because he sent messengers to So, king of Egypt; and he did not bring tribute to the king of the Assyrians in that year. And the king of the Assyrians besieged him, and bound him in a prison house, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. And it should be known that Ahaz also, the father of Hezekiah, when the king of the Damascenes was warring against him, bought the aid of the Assyrians, at which God was very greatly grieved. I am bringing, therefore, he says, a plague upon you, that you may see the way of Egypt; but yet a little while, and the wrath will cease, and my anger will be upon their counsel. For they perished, as I said, by divine wrath. But having planned to subdue Jerusalem itself as well, they missed their aim, and their plan became fruitless for them, as God changed the outcome to the complete opposite of what was expected, And God will stir up against them according to the plague of Midian in the place of affliction, and his anger will be on the way by the sea, toward the way of Egypt. They will fall, he says, when the wrath from above and from God is brought upon them; and there will be no need at all of toil for those from Israel. For they will survive, not by the shots of bows, not by strength of hands, not by using military experiences, but they will prevail rather by the hand of God, striking and consuming the arrogant people; just as indeed it happened to the Midianites to suffer. For they, gathered together in multitude and by tribe, were plundering nearly the whole country of the Jews, and inflicting an unbearable dread upon them, they forced them unwillingly to depart from cities and villages, and to encamp with difficulty, and this fearfully, on the mountain peaks. But God came to their aid then also, and saved those in danger through the hand of Gideon, who had very few fellow-soldiers, who also threw the enemy's phalanxes into confusion, in night and darkness shattering the pitchers, and displaying torches, and blowing the horns, so that something of this sort also happened to those from Midian to suffer. For since the battalions were thrown into confusion, with God terrifying them, they were unable to distinguish in the darkness and night who was a friend, or a kinsman, or who was the enemy, they fought with one another, and did the deeds of enemies, and perished wretchedly by one another's hands. Therefore, it will be brought, he says, according to the plague of Midian in a place of affliction. And by a place of affliction, he means the time in which these things happened to occur. That God will all but lead astray the barbarian's wrath, and will turn it aside upon others, he reveals saying: And his wrath by the way of the sea, to the way towards Egypt. For the king of the Assyrians, Tiglath-pileser, was the one who had taken Samaria by force, imposed tribute on those inhabiting it, and demanded tolls and taxes from those who were ruling over Israel at the time. But when it came to this, and Hoshea the son of Elah had power over Samaria, he did not send tribute to the king of the Assyrians, as it is written. And since he knew that he would be completely and utterly indignant, he hired the hand of the Egyptians for assistance, if indeed the one who imposed tribute and tolls should wish to take up the law of war against them. And those who ruled the Egyptians at that time promised this very readily. Grieved at this, the Assyrian marched with his whole army against the Egyptians, laying that charge against its rulers, that Hoshea had rebelled, and had shaken off his yoke, taking as a pretext for his madness the promise of assistance from them. That God, therefore, will transfer the barbarian's wrath to others, as I have just said, he has revealed by saying: And his wrath by the way of the sea, to the way towards Egypt. For Jerusalem is situated far from the sea, but the road leading towards the Egyptians and a very easy one, the neighbor of the sea, they call it even to this day. And it shall be in that day, their fear will be removed from you, and his yoke from your shoulder, and the yoke will be destroyed from your shoulders. I said that the Assyrian, having conquered, imposed tributes on those from Israel, and wished to bring the people allotted to the all-holy God under his own scepters. And for this reason he was armed against the Egyptians. What then does it say? Having conquered the Egyptians, will he again impose his own yoke on those who have always had a free neck, and know only the kingdom under God? By no means, he says. For at that time his fear will be removed from you, and his yoke from your shoulder. For since that people, greater than number, has fallen, and perished in one night, an angel consuming it, how is not all fear removed? Or how was the yoke upon every shoulder not as it were both shaken off, and in addition to this also destroyed, that is, completely gone? Seeking only to be saved, and to run home, and no longer raising their former brow against Judea. For he was considering, as I said, to place it under Judean yokes. But his hopes were made vain, and what was expected has turned out to the complete opposite. For it was gladly saved not with weapons conquered, but rather by divine commands and by the hand of an angel; and the paradox. For in order that he might appear knowing all things, and holding the end of matters in his eyes as God, even if it has not yet happened, he also announces most clearly and vividly the manner of that man's flight, the places and the lodgings, and that he will terrify most of the cities of Judea, although the wretch has run away as a fugitive. For he will come, he says, to the city of Aiath, and will pass through to Migron. These are the names of cities and villages, or places. And at Michmash he will lay up his baggage. For the Hebrews say that when the Assyrian was in Michmash, he left all his baggage there, fearing an attack from those of Israel. For he thought that they would run in pursuit. Then he says: And he shall pass over the ravine, and come to Aiath. Fear will seize Ramah, the city of Saul. The daughter of Gallim will flee, she will be heard in Anathoth; Madmenah is beside herself, and the inhabitants of Gebim. The tradition of the Hebrews has something of this sort. For they say that only [ten] survivors returned to him from Jerusalem and announced what had happened. Then with a very few he was brought back to the land that bore him, and he had thrown into confusion all the villages and cities, and they made his mere passing, as in flight and cowardice, unbearable. But wherever God defends and is willing to save, there is nothing that causes pain, but every hand of the enemy will grow weak, and strength and experience in war and the art of tactics will fail. Encourage today by hand to remain in the way. Encourage the mount, the daughter of Zion, and the hills that are in Jerusalem. Putting the text together we shall necessarily bring out the clarification of its meaning. O hills, therefore, he says, that is , the prominent and the preeminent, and those who are exalted above others in Jerusalem. And through these he signifies either holy prophets, or even the very choir of the priests. Encourage the mountain, that is, my daughter Zion. And encourage, almost stroking with the hand, and touching the head, so that she may remain in this way. But in what way? In trust in God, clearly. For it has been promised that He will both deliver, and save easily, and cast down the Assyrian, and remove the fear of him, and destroy the yoke, and will set them free from all greed. But these things will be, he says, when they remain in this way, that is, clearly, in trust in God. Therefore encourage today, that is, at the time appropriate to the matter, and establish this mindset in her. For it is not possible for the truth to be deceived, God will not speak falsely. For if He should approve something, this will certainly come to pass, when we honor with faith, and with a genuine mind gladden the one who promised to save. In this same way the saints also exhort us, saying, Resist the devil, and he will flee from us, and, that The angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear him, and will deliver them. And he himself also said through the voice of David, concerning every person who trusts in him, and places his hope: "Because he has hoped in me, I will deliver him. He will cry to me, and I will hear him, I am with him in affliction, and I will deliver him, and I will glorify him." For he will glorify those who glorify him, the Savior and Lord of us all, Jesus Christ, through whom, and with whom, to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory forever. Amen.

Discourse 7

Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, will confound the glorious ones with strength, and the lofty in their pride shall be broken, and they shall be humbled, and the lofty shall fall by the sword, and Lebanon with its lofty ones shall fall. In the completed book the discourse was about both the Assyrians, and of the one who administered the power of the Persians, who campaigned against Judea and Jerusalem, but unexpectedly suffered things from divine wrath. For Israel was saved miraculously, not by drawing a bow, not by snatching a shield, not a horseman, not by leading out [phalanxes] against his phalanxes with skill, not by conquering the hand of the enemies by the law of war, but in the power and grace of God. For an angel of the Lord went out, it says, and in one night killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand from the camp of the Assyrians. Since this had clearly happened, those who were expecting to perish danced, and they offered up hymns of thanksgiving to God who had saved them, saying: "In the evening weeping will lodge, and in the morning, rejoicing." And in addition to these things: "You have turned my mourning into joy for me; you have torn my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness." But the insolent one, and arrogant, and shouting that great and destructive thing, "I will seize the whole world in my hand like a nest, and I will take it up like abandoned eggs, and there is no one who will escape me, or speak against me," was convicted of thinking great things of himself in vain. For he barely escaped, and as a fugitive departed for home, having left Judea. Therefore the God of all also said: Do not be afraid, my people, who dwell in Zion, because of the Assyrians. And the manner of his flight was also described, as he was, so to speak, shaking cities and villages in his passing. And again: Fear will seize Ramah, the city of Saul. And in interpreting such things, we have made the narrative more historical, yet not outside of the truth. For it is somehow entirely necessary that the discourse of the interpretation be adapted to the quality and power of the things set forth. But since it is the custom of the God-inspired Scripture, through things that happen in short order and historically, to sometimes reveal mysteries, and to fashion images of hidden meanings, we say that the inventor of sin has tyrannized over us, and over the sanctified peoples of the Savior, that is, through the Spirit, and those purified through faith, he leaped upon them terribly and bitterly, and campaigned against the Church of God, brandishing against her the most unholy phalanx of the spirits under his hand; and perhaps he thought he could also overthrow it, and very effortlessly, the truly venerable and holy city of God, the spiritual Jerusalem, but he was captured, having considered none of the things that were possible. For it was not possible for him to besiege the holy city, and to overpower a right hand so very strong. For who will stand against God who is powerful in all things? Therefore he perished together with his own shield-bearers, and has been driven away from the flock of the pious, he who leaped upon them like a savage beast; and he has been cast out from his tyranny over us. And the Savior taught us this, saying: "Now is the judgment of this age; now the ruler of this age will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." For the passion of Christ became the overthrow of death, the casting down of the devil, and the destruction of sin, as he was lifted up on the cross, bringing down and casting to the earth the boast of the devil. Therefore, after those things, at the opportune time now also the God of all introduces the discourse concerning the birth according to the flesh of the Only-Begotten, and reveals the mystery beforehand through the voice of prophets, so that when the events had come to their conclusion, he might receive undisputed faith from all. What therefore does he say? "Behold now, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, will throw the glorious into confusion with strength." The mystery of Christ transforms those on the earth into a newness of evangelical life, with the older customs clearly having been overturned, and those in shadows and types no longer having the power to prevail. But this was the purpose of his arrival into this world, and he has come to proclaim, and before all others to those of Israel, that the things imposed until the time of reformation, that is, the one in law in letters, is therefore completely abolished, the mind of believers being refashioned, as I said, to better things and a spiritual way of life. For all things in Christ are new. But although they should have been persuaded by him, and before all others the leaders of the Jewish synagogue, who boasted not moderately in the glories of the priesthood, they vehemently opposed him from the contrary, they acted impiously, and though always speaking of the law through the all-wise Moses, they wished to render ineffective, as far as they were concerned, the mystery of the economy in the flesh of the Only-Begotten. But it was impossible for them to do this, but setting their own will against the Savior and God of all, they perished miserably, wretches that they were, on the one hand attacking one another and plotting the law of war, and on the other falling into the hands of the Romans, who also burned the temple itself. Behold, therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, will confound the glorious with strength. He calls the one who confounds "Lord of Sabaoth," terrifying the hearers with dread, so that no one might suppose, perhaps, that he would be weak, or that he used threats that would not be accomplished, and not at all things that would certainly be brought to completion. For what will be unaccomplished of the things undertaken by the Lord of Sabaoth? And he says that those who are high with pride will be shattered. For they have truly become high with pride, not only killing holy prophets, and saying shamelessly to those who give the best counsel: "Speak to us other things, and report to us another deceit," but even whetting their tongue against Christ himself, and raising their horn on high, speaking iniquity against God, according to what is written. But these will be humbled, he says, and will fall by the sword. For they perished, as I said, on the one hand as God brought upon them the sharpest wrath, and as it were consumed them with a sharp sword, and sheared them of the glories of righteousness, and dismissed them from leading the peoples, or also in another way, he says they will fall by the sword, that of their enemies, clearly, as I just said. But also Lebanon, he says, will fall with the lofty. In this, he likely calls the temple Lebanon, which has been torn down, and has been burned, and has fallen together with those who have a haughty brow. For truly arrogant was both the swarm of priests, and Israel itself with them, having dishonored the Savior and Redeemer of all. And we will find Jerusalem itself called Lebanon. And so the prophet Zechariah said somewhere to it: "Open your doors, O Lebanon, and let fire devour your cedars." Let the pine howl, for the cedar has fallen; howl, you oaks of Bashan, for your dense forest has been cut down. For since he likened Jerusalem to Mount Lebanon, thus he named it, necessarily adhering plausibly to the turn of speech, and he usefully names the peoples in it, and indeed its leaders, as cedars and a dense forest, to whom he also commands to howl, because their destroyers would leap upon them like forests. But if anyone should choose to grasp a hidden contemplation, and to apply the force of the preceding to Satan himself, and to the wicked powers under him, he too will not walk outside of a likely aim. For the evil-loving throng of demons has been shattered and has perished, and with them the apostate dragon himself, the lofty one, and the haughty, and as it were likened to Mount Lebanon. For before the coming of our Savior, he was conspicuous to all, and absurdly worshipped everywhere, and had seized for himself the glory of divinity. And a rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall grow up from his root, and the spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of the fear of God shall fill him. The prophet, having foreknown through the torch-bearing from above the clear things that were to be he makes the prediction. For it was said in later times to the blessed David by God who rules over all: "Of the fruit of your loins I will set upon your throne." And since He who knows all things instilled in the holy prophets the foreknowledge of things to come, this too was proclaimed beforehand by them, so that the mystery might be attested from all sides, and be believed to have happened. He says, therefore, that a rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and that a flower shall also come up, and not after the glorious with strength are troubled, and the lofty are humbled, and with them Lebanon falls, then he says the rod from the root of Jesse springs up. But in the first parts, the power of the whole matter was being shown more summarily. For what was going to happen to those of Israel who had wickedly provoked our Lord Jesus Christ, we have learned in a brief account; but now the narrative returns to, as it were, the very highest beginning of the matter, I mean the incarnation of the Only-Begotten, and His birth according to the flesh from a woman, which was to be according to the economy. He therefore called Christ according to the flesh from the root of Jesse a rod; and moreover, in addition to this, also a flower, and through the rod, as is likely, His royal dignity is indirectly signified. For the rod is a symbol of royalty. And indeed the divine David says somewhere to Him, the Son: "Your throne, O God, is forever, a rod of uprightness is the rod of your kingdom." And a rod in another sense, as one who possesses all things, and holds them together for their well-being, and makes what is weak stand firm, that is, human nature, which was all but shaken to pieces, and intoxicated by passions. For the blessed David sings, taking upon himself the common person of all, "Your rod and your staff, they have comforted me." For the Lord upholds the righteous, according to what is written; and He is named by the voice of prophets a glorious staff, a rod of majesty; a rod also in another sense, since He is a good shepherd, laying down His soul for the sheep. For it is said to Him through one of the holy prophets: "Shepherd your people with your rod, your tribe, the sheep of your inheritance." But if it seems to anyone, and since He is a judge, and renders to each according to his works, for this reason, he will understand well, that He is also very fittingly called a rod. For it was said to Him, when Israel had acted insolently toward Him, and had intemperately turned aside to disobedience: "You shall shepherd them with a rod of iron, and like a potter's vessel you shall break them in pieces." Thus also the law of the all-wise Moses signifies Him to us; for the rod of Aaron that budded, and was brought into the Holy of Holies, is also taken as a type of Christ. For it blossomed with nuts, and what indeed is the meaning of the thoughts in the shadows, it is necessary to say. For some touch upon natural philosophy, and indeed say that a nut-tree rod, if it should lie by the head of some persons, is naturally productive of sleeplessness. Therefore, since Christ was about, by the grace of God, as the blessed Paul says, to taste death for everyone, and having dozed off for a short while, as it were, to be awakened again as from sleep, and to live again in a manner befitting God, death having been trampled underfoot. For this reason He is compared to a nut-tree rod. And through this divine and spiritual rod Moses worked wonders, delivering Israel from the bondage in Egypt. For he called it the rod of God. For it became for him a rod of power, according to what is written. When, therefore, the prophet, enigmatically revealing the mystery of Christ, says that the rod from the root of Jesse has appeared to us, then indeed, then with the eyes of the mind beholding Him, the only-begotten Word of God, through whom are all things, and in whom are all things, having been made flesh and become man, and having descended into a voluntary emptying of Himself, and having endured for our sake the birth according to the economy, I mean that according to the flesh and from a woman, he says together with the prophet: "O Lord, I have heard your report, and I was afraid; I considered the works, and I was amazed." Therefore, it is called a Rod for the reasons we have just stated. And again, a Flower; for in him human nature blossomed forth to incorruption, and to life, and to the newness of the evangelical life; and a flower in another way, because of the intelligible sweet fragrance. "For I," he says, "am a flower of the field, a lily of the valleys." And there came to us a certain fragrance, as it were, of the knowledge of God the Father. And indeed the divine Paul writes, and says: "Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the fragrance of his knowledge through us in every place, for we are the sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one, a fragrance of death unto death, but to the other, a fragrance of life unto life." Upon this rod, he says, that is, upon the flower that will be born from the root of Jesse, the Spirit of God will rest in due season, having many operations. For he calls it the Spirit of counsel and understanding, of knowledge and wisdom, of piety and fear of God. But we say that the proclamation of the prophetic skill does not introduce to us Jesus as a mere man, then become a bearer of the Spirit, and, as if in our rank, a partaker of the gifts from God, but rather it reveals the Word of God having become man, being full of every good, as pertains to his own nature, but appropriating along with his humanity also its properties. For it is proper to humanity to have of itself and from its own nature none of the gifts from above; "For what do you have that you did not receive?" is said to it, but rather to be enriched from without and adventitiously, that is from God, with things beyond its own nature. It was necessary, therefore, for the only-begotten Word of God, having brought himself down to emptiness, not to refuse the lowliness resulting from the emptying, and, being full by nature, to receive because of his humanity, not so much for himself, but for us who are in need of every good. So that if it is ever said that he received the Spirit, although he himself is the supplier of the Holy Spirit, and does not give it by measure, but distributes it to the worthy as from his own fullness, let the receiving be understood in terms of the measures of the emptying, for thus we will arrive straight at the truth. But consider this: "For the Spirit of God," he says, "shall rest upon him." For it was given in the beginning to the first-fruit of our race, that is, to Adam, but he became negligent about keeping the commandment given to him, he neglected what was commanded, he was brought down to sin, the spirit found no rest in men. "For all have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there was none who does good, no, not one." Then the only-begotten Word of God became man, without however ceasing to be God. But since, although he had become like us, he was impervious to sins, the Holy Spirit rested upon human nature, as in him first, and as in a second first-fruit of the race, so that it might also rest on us, and henceforth remain, dwelling in the minds of believers. For thus indeed the divine John says he saw the Spirit descending from heaven upon Christ. Just as we have become co-heirs of the evils that befell the first-formed man, so we shall be partakers of the things that were dispensed economically to the second first-fruit of our race, that is, Christ. That the Spirit which is said to rest on him did not work in him a partial grace, as in the saints, but was the fullness of the divinity, lodging as in its own temple in its own flesh, and not in something soulless, but rather in that which was ensouled with a rational soul, the prophet will make clear, saying: "The spirit of the fear of God shall fill him." And to the one Spirit he has given manifold energy. For it is not that the Spirit of wisdom is one, and another that of understanding, or of counsel, and of strength, and of the rest, but just as the Word from God the Father is one, but his operation is named in many ways; for he is life, and light, and power; so also you will understand regarding the Holy Spirit; for being one is conceived in many ways, but it also works in this way. And so the most wise Paul, enumerating for us the forms of different gifts: "All these things," he says, "the one and the same Spirit works, distributing to each one individually as he wills." He shall not judge according to appearance, nor reprove according to speech, but he shall judge with justice for the humble, and shall reprove the humble of the earth, and he shall strike the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the spirit of his lips he shall slay the ungodly. And he shall be girded with righteousness about his loins, and with truth wrapped around his sides. Having foretold very well that Emmanuel would be born in due time, he usefully adds also the things by which he would be recognizable from his inherent God-befitting virtue, and from the splendor in his works. For it was necessary, it was necessary to persuade in advance, with an accurate prophetic foretelling, those who were going to accept faith in him, who he was, and of what sort, and through what achievements he would come. For just as if someone, wishing to describe one of us to those who do not know him, paints him with words from what he knows him to be, and says about him that his hair is not long, but moderately short, and that his eye is bright, having a slightly smiling glance, and his nose is slender, and he goes through the other parts of the body, in the same way, I think, the blessed prophet too, since his discourse is about the Word who became man for our sake, for this reason he enumerates the signs of his God-befitting excellence and indeed authority, and so he says about him: "He will not judge according to appearance, nor reprove according to speech." The matter is God-befitting, and resembles the most high nature. For not to look at the reputation among men, but to make a right and unperverted and completely blameless judgment on each person, how would this not be fitting for the nature that is queen of all things? For it does not know how to look at the face, nor does it deem worthy of honor or account the one adorned with the coverings of wealth, or with dignities, when he wishes to take advantage of some, but it condemns him completely, and declares the worker of iniquity accursed. But he will not reprove according to speech; and it is necessary to explain in what way this should be understood, and this. For very many of us deem worthy of honor those who wish to praise, and even if some are not good in their ways, they assign them as a reward for their flattery, as it were, sometimes to serve, and they restrain the reproofs directed against them. But one would not see our Lord and God Jesus Christ having done this. Therefore, even those who chose to speak fair words, but were not yet good in truth, he often converted with sharp rebukes to choose to live more prudently. For once some of those called Herodians approached, and these were agents of the tax collectors, and then, preparing a bitter deceit for him, they said: "Teacher, we know that you teach the way of God in truth, and you care for no one. For you do not look on the face of men. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? But he said to these things, Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tribute coin." See then how he refutes those who flatter, and shakes off those who speak fair words. And he refuted, and not according to their speech; for they expected to be praised, perhaps speaking ironically, but practicing a clever and most talkative fine speech, but he unexpectedly called them tempters and hypocrites. Therefore he will not judge according to appearance, that is, he will not be a judge who shows partiality, nor will he reprove according to speech. For he will not endure, he says, those who have chosen to think impious things, but who put on fine speech for themselves like a mask of deceit and guile. This, indeed, he says clearly: "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." And again: "Many will say to me on that day, that is, the day of judgment: 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and many mighty works have we done? But then, he says, I will say to them: Amen, I say to you, I never knew you." What then does the impartial judge do in addition to these things? He will judge with judgment for the humble, that is, he will not overlook any of the humble, but will render a right and blameless judgment upon him. And he will likewise convict the humble of the earth; for just as he will not blush at the face of the rich man who wants to take advantage, but will make a just judgment upon the humble one; so too if someone, he says, of those in a lowly and humble state of life, should be carried outside the divine laws, and giving himself over to the charges of injustice should be caught, he says, this one too will be convicted. For it is written that, "You shall not pity a poor man in judgment." For just as distinction will not deliver the man of wealth, and prominence, and indeed of power from accusations, if he should be condemned for any transgressions, so the humbleness of being in a lowly and humble state will not free one from being wicked, nor will it release from the necessity of being punished the one who is weighed down by poverty and lives a detestable and thrice-miserable life. And he adds to these things some other of the most divinely-fitting dignities, which he says also belong to the Savior of all, Christ, because he was not a mere man like us, but was, as I said, the only-begotten Word of God, incarnate and become man. What then will he do? he says. He will strike the earth with the word of his mouth. And what earth? Most of all, that which he would curse. But what was said would be true also of every one. For he cursed all the earth, that is, the nature of man, saying in Adam: "You are earth, and to earth you shall return." For he no less cursed the world of the ungodly by drowning it with water. And in addition to these things he cursed Judea, when its inhabitants acted insolently toward him. For he said: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her; how often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is left to you." For in the words, your house is left to you, the suffering of the abandonment that came upon it is revealed. And having been abandoned by him, it has been consumed by war and fire, and by the hands of those who destroyed it. And another sign besides this, and an effect of the highest power, is to slay the wicked man with the spirit of his lips. For he rebuked the unclean spirits, and as much as pertained to the human, the voice was uttered through mouth and lips, but by the ineffable power of the spirit the multitude of demons was crushed. And he will be, he says, girt with righteousness about his loins, and with truth wrapped around his sides. For it is as if he were to say, His power and dignity are not at all of the things in the world, but rather the God-befitting glory, and as it were, to be girt with righteousness and truth. And a girdle is a sign of authority, and to say that he has his sides wrapped would be nothing other than signifying this very thing, that he will wear righteousness as a kind of belt, and with it, truth. And it is likely that he called the new and evangelical preaching both righteousness and truth, according to what was said to him through the voice of the psalmist: "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness; and your law is truth." For the law too was a teacher of righteousness, but it has not remained for ever, since a better and more perfect one has been introduced, clearly that which is through Christ. And the old law was not so much truth, but a type and a shadow; but Christ and his things are purely the truth. Therefore he also said: "I am the truth." And the wolf shall feed with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the bull, and the lion shall feed together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed together, and their young shall be together; and the lion and the ox shall eat straw together, and a nursing child upon the hole of asps and upon the den of the offspring of asps will lay a hand upon; and they shall not do evil, nor shall they be able to destroy anyone on my holy mountain; because the whole world was filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water covers the sea. In addition to what has already been said before, this is a great and exceptional sign, and one might, quite rightly, grant it to be a not unmarvelous result of our Savior’s advent. For before the only-begotten Word of God became man like us; before he took hold of the seed of Abraham, and was made like his brothers in all things, as it is written, the entire race on earth, I mean the human race, was divided into two nations, both that of the Jews, and that of those who had served the creation rather than the creator. And God was known in Judea; but a great and boundless swarm of idols was worshiped by the others; and what seemed right to each was honored with the glory of God; "For all have turned aside, together they have become worthless, and there was no one who does good, there was not even one." But the Jews, through the instruction of the law, being somehow tamed and domesticated by the ways of righteousness, honored a life befitting humans; while the others, that is, those who worship lifeless idols, not having the guiding law, were terrible in their thoughts, savage and rapacious, ready for greed, rushing towards pleasures and extreme excesses, and most prone to anything of the most shameful kind; of whom one was like a wolf, another similar to leopards, on account of their minds being, as it were, tattooed with very many and manifold varieties of passions; another was unrestrained in his mind, effortlessly achieving greed against those he chose, continuing through life likened to lions. But those who were nourished in such savage characters and ways, when Christ transformed them to a most gentle and holy life, ceased from the cruelty that was in them; and they too have honored the life befitting humans, that is, the one in meekness. For they have believed Christ when he said: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Therefore, together with faith they have gained also the casting off of their ancient cruelty, and the being good and meek, and the living intermingled with the saints. For they too have been called fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God; this I think the prophetic word hints at for us in many ways in these things. For, it says, the wolf shall pasture with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, that is, through Christ the savage will be joined to the tame, those who are in no way holy to the holy and sacred. For insofar as Israel was educated by the law and knew the ways of gentleness, it was tame and meek, and at the same time holy, and like a sheep and a goat; and both animals are sacred and clean, and in addition to this have received tameness from their very nature. But a wolf and a leopard, and indeed a lion, are naturally savage and incompatible with the others; but in Christ this too has been accomplished. For they were brought together with one another, both Jews and Greeks, making as it were a common food, that is, the evangelical and apostolic proclamation, and being under one chief shepherd of all, who knows how to pasture, as the prophet says, in a good pasture, and in a rich place. But also a calf, it says, and a bull and a lion will pasture together. And it seems to call a calf the newly-grown and new people of those who have believed, that is, the one who is an infant in Christ; and a bull, perhaps, Israel, as the first-born. For a bull precedes a newborn calf in time. Or, by calf he indicates the one who is superior in knowledge and virtue. Such as to say that the small with the great, and the old with the younger, will be blessed by the Lord, according to the voice of the psalmist. And the most wise John also knows such an age of mind and soul. For he writes and to fathers and to little children, and in addition to this also to young men, assimilating, I think, the measure of each one's mind, that is, of understanding and of the knowledge of God, to the ages of their bodies. Therefore, he says, they will feed together and at the same time, calf and bull, and lion. And he again usefully interweaves the lion with the calf and the bull, so that you might again enigmatically understand that those who have been justified in faith, and have come under the scepter of the Savior of us all, Christ, are not from the clean and sacred alone, that is from the tame and meek, that is, those who have been tamed through the law, but also from the wild, that is, clearly, from the Gentiles, with the Savior of us all, Christ, joining them together into a unity of spirit, and transmitting the good from this to the children of children, that is, to their descendants. For the peace of Christ extends to this point and among us, and the good that comes from unity of spirit and unity of faith. For this, I think, he indicates by adding, that their children will be together, and lion and ox will eat straw together, he says. Observe that he did not say the tame would change to the food customary for the wild, but the wild to that of the tame; for admittedly the bear and lion are carnivorous, but the ox and calf, or kid, are not; rather such animals are grass-eating. But the wild, he says, will abandon its habits. It will rather change to the food of the tame, for they too will eat straw. And the food would be a type of the teachings. It is possible, then, to understand that before faith in Christ, the nations had evil teachers, who set before them beast-like learning, and persuaded them to honor the works of corruption and destruction. But when they were called to the knowledge of the truly existing God, they were delivered from their ancient error and their familiar learnings, honoring the flourishing and easily digestible food of the evangelical instructions together with those from Israel. But also a little child, he says, will lead them, that is, they will be under teachers and guides who do not have a bitter and malicious mind, but rather are simple, and childlike in malice, but wise in their understanding. Such are all those in Christ who have the divine treasure in earthen vessels, and having their heart free from perversity and depravity, in no way lacking compared to newborn infants. For the Savior himself says that such are worthy of the kingdom of heaven; "Let" for, he says, "the little children, and do not hinder them to come to me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." And that they might have the greatest guilelessness in mind, and be unconquerable and invincible, and superior to all fears, he hints, saying: "And an infant child shall lay his hand on the hole of asps, and on the den of the offspring of asps, and they shall not do evil, nor shall they be able to destroy anyone on my holy mountain." And the holes and dens of asps, I think, he calls either the evil hosts of demons, or the houses, as it were, and lairs of unholy heretics; so that we do not say churches; upon which those who are childlike in Christ, often laying their hand, easily prevail, being harmed in no way; For it is Christ who defends them, and destroying the bites of their wickedness, and rendering the venom ineffective. For they shall not be able, he says, to destroy anyone on my holy mountain. And by holy mountain he means the Church, because of being set on high with respect to glory, and the loftiness of the doctrines within her. For there is nothing lowly among us. For we are not accustomed to offer equal reverence to the creature as to the Creator, bypassing the Creator and Maker; nor indeed do we bring down the God Word, the creator of all things, from the glory that befits him, numbering him with the created things. And he says that the whole world has been filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and so is full of piety towards him, just as, of course, the wide and spacious sea is full of its own waters is. And one might see that this is also true. For where at all or among whom is Christ not named? or what race of men has not submitted to him? For every knee will bow to him, and every tongue will confess him according to what is written, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And in that day there shall be the root of Jesse and he who rises to rule the nations, in him they will hope, and his rest shall be honor. The contemplation of the things obscurely said gradually shines forth, and what he said through riddles, these things he makes very clear to those who are eager to hear. For in what way will the wolf feed with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the ox, and the lion eat straw together, and when at all will these things be, and who are they who were once savage and harsh, but after this will be tame and gentle, and how will they be pastured mixed with the tame and the sacred under the one chief shepherd of all, he clarifies by saying: And there shall be the root of Jesse. But what will he be and over whom? So that he may rule, he says, over the nations, and also become a hope for those who have no hope, that is, clearly, the Gentiles, to whom the most wise Paul also writes, saying: "Therefore remember that you, the Gentiles, who are called the uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants, having no hope of the promise and without God in the world. But now you who were once far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ." But even if they were without hope, and having no God in the world; for they have worshipped the works of their own hands; yet having been called through faith to the knowledge of Christ, they have also been placed under him, and they have had the God who is by nature and truly, and they have become partakers of the hope of the saints. And his rest, he says, shall be honor. You will understand what is said in a twofold way. For if one should choose the rest in these things to signify the death of Christ in the flesh, which he willingly endured for us, not as enduring death, for he was life by nature, but as it were causing the flesh to rest for a short time; the matter is honor, and nothing else. For the Savior of all and our Lord Jesus Christ has been glorified, having endured the slaughter for the world, and voluntarily undergoing death for the life of all. And so he said to the Father in heaven, when he was about to go to the precious cross: "Father, glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you." And again: "Now the Son of man is glorified, and God is glorified in him." For as far as it concerned the madness of those who crucified him, and the unholy and hateful undertaking, the passion was a disgrace and dishonor to him. For they perhaps thought that he suffered unwillingly. But since he came back to life, having plundered Hades, and having shown by the very deed that he is stronger than death, we shall find the outcome of the matter ending in honor and glory for him. Therefore, he says, in this way his rest shall be honor. But if one should wish to approach the contemplations in another way, he will understand the meaning of what has been said as follows. For Christ will not be only a hope for the nations, but he will be revealed in due time, that is, he will arise not only to rule them, but he will also grant them his rest in them for honor and glory. For the mind of the saints is a beloved dwelling place for him, and he lodges with the worthy, and rests in the holy souls of those who worship him, and to those who have received this thing it is both honor and glory. For what could be equal in terms of renown to having God lodged and dwelling in one's heart? Therefore, in this way also his rest in us will be an honor to those who once are willing: "For if anyone hears," he says, "my words, my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and we will make our home with him." And it shall be in that day, the Lord will add to show his hand, to be zealous for the remnant that is left a remnant of the people, which if it be left from the Assyrians, and from Egypt, and Babylonia and Ethiopia, and from the Elamites, and from the rising of the sun, and from Arabia. The prophet, then, in these words calls "day" the time in which the coming of Christ occurred, and the mystery of the economy in the flesh of the Only-Begotten was revealed. Then indeed, then, he says, the Lord will show his hand, that is, there will be a great demonstration of power; and this not in vain, but for "the sake of making zealous the remnant that was left of the people, which shall be left from the Assyrians," he says, and from the other nations. But it is necessary, I think, to elaborate on the meaning of what has been said to make it clearer. For in the times of old, the nation of the Jews had grown exceedingly weary, being ravaged, on the one hand by the Assyrians and Elamites, and on the other hand by those from Egypt and Babylonia, and from the rising of the sun, and from Arabia. But after this, Christ having shone forth, the most mighty hand and all-working right hand of God the Father made itself manifest through wonders, and was eager to fully convince those of Israel that He was in truth God, and the Son of the true God. For what of the most admired things was not accomplished among them? For all things were befitting of God and extraordinary, and had a clear and most evident demonstration of the highest power. At that time, he says, therefore, the Lord will proceed to show His hand, in order to make Israel zealous, and, as it were, not to concede Christ to the nations alone, but that they also might choose to have hope in Him, and indeed also to seek to be under Him, and to make Him a ruler, guide, and teacher, who for this cause became man. And indeed He said through the voice of David: "But I was appointed king by him on Zion his holy mountain, proclaiming the decree of the Lord." For Christ came, saying He was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And so He first preached among them, and He commanded the holy apostles: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But since the wretched ones, out of excessive folly, persisted in insulting with their disobedience Him who had come for this, He then turned to the nations, and the last have become first, and the first last. For this reason now the prophet, being a Spirit-bearing man and enriched with the knowledge of future things through heavenly enlightenment, first mentions the nations, and then after them Israel, as being cast behind those sanctified by faith, and placed in the rear and among the remnants, according to what is written. And he shall lift up a standard for the nations, and shall assemble the lost of Israel, and shall gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And the jealousy of Ephraim shall be taken away, and the enemies of Judah shall perish. Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not afflict Ephraim. In a remarkable way the prophet especially concludes for us his discourse in these words. For he takes what happened historically as an image of a spiritual matter; and I think it is necessary to state this also clearly, as far as possible. For Rehoboam, his son, succeeded to the rule of Solomon; and the nation of the Jews was split from him into discord; and the ten tribes and the half-tribe of Ephraim were relocated in Samaria, while in Jerusalem remained the tribe of Judah, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. And at times, certain men of both these and those reigned; in Jerusalem, those from the tribe of Judah; but in Samaria, those from the tribe of Ephraim; and great jealousy was kindled between the parts, and frequent wars, and uprisings against one another, as is also clearly narrated in the books of the Kings. But since the Chaldeans and the kings of Persian Babylon, having laid waste, so to speak, all of Judea, carried away captive to their own, both Israel and Judah, that is, those in Samaria, and those in Jerusalem; then, having been freed from captivity, they returned again to their own land, and dwelt no longer divided, but all in Jerusalem; and they ceased from anointing kings and rulers over themselves in turn, and from afflicting and envying one another, as they had done before. For they were at that time under one man, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, who was from the tribe of Judah, and also under Jesus the son of Jozadak, who was preeminent in the priesthood. And so far, the historical account. But it was the prophet's purpose, from more manifest events and from what had happened to those of old, to show forth the achievements of our Savior's advent. For when the sign was raised, that is, the precious cross, and had become manifest to the nations and peoples throughout the whole world, there came a release for those in captivity (clearly, the spiritual one), a coming together in one mind, a zeal for concord and one faith among those formerly divided; who, having been yoked to many unholy tyrants (for they had served unclean spirits), shook off their yoke, and have run together very eagerly to the spiritual Zion, that is, Jerusalem, which is the Church, and have come under one king, that is, Christ, of whom Zerubbabel was a type, bringing back Israel from captivity with Jesus the great priest accompanying him, so that in him Christ might be understood as king and high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, as the divine Paul says. That the sign of Christ, that is, the precious cross, became the cause of those throughout all the earth being brought together in one faith, and thus being reconciled through it to the all-holy Father, would be clear from what the divine John the evangelist has written. For he brings in the accursed Caiaphas saying to those in the council: "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." And to these very words he added: "This he did not say on his own authority, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad." For Christ has become our peace, according to the Scriptures, He who broke down the middle wall of the partition, and abolished the law of commandments in ordinances, and created the two peoples into one new man; reconciling both through Himself to God the Father, and destroying the enmity between them, so that all of us in one spirit and in one body, being of one soul and one body with one another, in Christ that is, might bear fruit for Him, the righteousness which is above the law, and the purity of the evangelical life. Therefore, coming from the things that were done historically to the spiritual contemplation, you will understand very well the mystery of Christ. And they shall fly in the ships of foreigners; they shall at the same time plunder the sea, and those from the rising of the sun, and Idumea, and on Moab they shall first lay their hands; and the sons of Ammon shall first obey. In what way, then, those from the four corners of the earth, that is, all the nations, will be brought together to the unity in Christ through faith, and to the bond of holy love, he makes clear again in these words. For before the precious cross, Christ said to the holy apostles: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." For as He Himself said again: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But since, having reached the extreme of all impiety, they have acted insolently toward Christ, and have killed the author of life, and they denied the Holy and Just One; then indeed, then having trampled upon death, and having been raised from the dead, he commanded his holy disciples: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." And when he had ascended into heaven, and then the power from on high had descended upon them, they no longer remained preaching Jesus in Judea alone, but some went to the East and preached in the cities there; others went to the West, and others bestowed the words of instruction upon the neighboring nations; and it was somehow necessary for those wishing to travel throughout the whole world under the sun to also make use of sailing. And so the divine Paul claims to have spent a night and a day in the deep. And the one who wrote the Acts of the holy apostles says that he and those with him embarked on an Alexandrian ship with the sign of the Dioscuri. For it was a custom somehow, especially on Alexandrian ships, to have such inscriptions on both the right and left of the prow. And since it was likely, as idolatry prevailed at that time, that the Dioscuri were inscribed on the ship , it therefore follows that the master of the ship was a foreigner, that is, an idolater. Therefore, they will fly on the ships of foreigners, he says, that is, they will cross swiftly and eagerly and as if on wings, and they will plunder the sea. And it is a custom in the divine Scripture to call the parts toward the west "sea," because the sea there is very great and wide. And so the blessed David, declaring the God of all to be the creator of the whole world, says, "The north," he says, "and the sea you have created." And that the divine Peter, and indeed the all-wise Paul himself, having reached the parts of the west, preached Jesus, no one would doubt. And they will plunder, he says, also those from the rising of the sun, and Idumea, and they will lay their hands upon Moab. And the sons of Ammon will be the first to obey. For after the land of the Jews, all the neighboring and adjacent lands, and even those further away, were full of idolaters, and incompatible in their mindset with those who know the one God by nature and in truth. And the Idumeans and Moabites, and indeed the sons of Ammon, were neighbors to those of Israel, and they inhabited a neighboring land, but were terribly different, and among the most hostile. And they worshiped the stars, and held the Morning Star in all reverence, and called it God, preeminent among the others. But upon them also first the true Morning Star shone into their mind and heart, and the light of the spiritual day dawned. And having cast off that ancient darkness, and having further rejected the worship of creation, they have worshipped Christ, and made those who were formerly most hostile, I mean those of Israel, their mystagogues and guides on the road that leads to salvation. And the Lord will lay waste the sea of Egypt, and he will lay his hand upon the river with a mighty wind, and he will strike the seven ravines, so that one may cross it in sandals. And there will be a passage for my people left in Egypt; and it will be for Israel as the day when he came out of the land of Egypt. The inventor and father of sin has prevailed out of greed over all under heaven. Having led man astray from the truth, he made him a worshiper of the herd of demons, and placed him under his own yokes; But the Egyptians especially have become more superstitious than others and terrible in this regard. For there were temples everywhere and altars throughout their land, and countless shrines, and a swarm of statues, and many-formed things in their sanctuaries. For they have worshiped birds and fish, a goat and a sheep, and a calf was their object of worship. But God visited them even in this state, and together with the others called them to the light, and to the knowledge of truth. For in it they preached the Gospel of Christ, both Mark the blessed evangelist, and others after him at various times; on the one hand, coming from the land of the Hebrews, and on the other hand, also from among those who had believed , appointed at various times as mystagogues and teachers. It is necessary to explain in what way this was achieved, broadening the account of the history. For before the Roman power prevailed over all, and each country had its own leader, that is, a king, there was great division among the nations; on the one hand, because the difference of religion caused enmity to be kindled between them, and on the other hand, because those who wished were allowed to plunder those from another land, with no one rebuking them. Therefore there was for a long time very great lack of intercourse between the nations, and for anyone to be caught within another's country was not without penalty. But when the rule of the Romans prevailed over all, and they came under one leader, they were taught to live by their laws, and henceforth intercourse between the nations became fearless, and a great civility prevailed; then, indeed, then a passage, or a way, was made for those evangelizing Jesus, so that they could also pass into Egypt. And in what way Augustus Caesar captured the land of the Egyptians, the prophetic word explains to us. For the river of Egypt is wide and large, and flooding at certain times, it comes through seven mouths, bestowing its stream upon the neighboring sea; and being, moreover, in the parts of the marsh-men, it forms long and wide lakes, and floods all their land, so that even the grain-bearing land is navigable. So when Augustus Caesar, having conquered Judea, came to the land of the Egyptians, its inhabitants thought that even if they chose to be quiet, and to abstain from war and arms, the fact that it was girded with lakes and rivers would make the country impregnable to him. But since it seemed good to the God who rules all things to subject the land of the Egyptians also, with the others, to the Roman scepters, having pushed the water of the river toward the sea with a most violent south wind, He made the whole land passable, so that those wishing to cross both the lakes and the ravines themselves, that is, the seven mouths of the river, did not, so to speak, even have to loosen the sandals on their feet. Thus, with God smoothing the passage for the Roman army, the Egyptians were conquered. This again the prophet teaches us, saying: "Thus says the Lord Sabaoth, And the Egyptians shall drink the water that is by the sea; but the river shall fail and be dried up; and the rivers shall fail, and the canals of the river; and every gathering of water shall be dried up, and in every marsh of reed and papyrus, and all the green sedge around the river, and everything sown by the river shall be dried up by a blight-wind."-Therefore, he says, the Lord will lay waste the sea of Egypt. It is a custom of the divine Scripture to call even the lakes seas. And He will bring His hand upon the river with a mighty spirit. For we say that the bringing of the most violent wind against the waters was the work of a hand, that is, of divine power. For He struck the seven ravines, that is, the mouths, and made them so dry, as to cross them in sandals. Then indeed, then, he says, there will be a passage in Egypt for my people who are left. And who was this? Those from Israel who believed, concerning whom also the prophet Isaiah says: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." And the firstfruits, as it were, of the remnant are the blessed disciples and those with them, of whom the divine Mark was also one. But it shall also be, he says, as the day when they came out of the land of Egypt; that is, those of the blood of Israel, having proclaimed the divine and heavenly word to those in Egypt, will rejoice greatly, just as they certainly rejoiced on that day when they came out of the land of Egypt. For again they themselves of the in they were brought forth from the slavery of Egypt. But having become ministers of the divine proclamations, and genuine stewards of the evangelical decrees, they did not deliver the Egyptians from carnal slavery, but taking them from the hand of the devil, they made them free. And while the all-wise Moses was mediating, the river was changed into blood; but now for them in Christ the water has become saving. For we have been saved through holy baptism. Then those who pursued Israel, having assailed the Red Sea, were drowned; but through the holy apostles they were taught to swim through the surge of the present life, and to be seen as superior to worldly waves. Then the terrible and most violent hail fell upon them. But since they have been initiated into the mystery of the economy in the flesh, the divine rain has descended into their mind, making it fruitful. A deep and three-day darkness was brought upon them; but they have come to be in light. They mourned their firstborn; but the Firstborn from the dead, that is, Christ, saved them from death and corruption. Therefore, on account of all these things it was fitting for those of Israel to rejoice, as when they themselves came out of the land of Egypt. And you shall say in that day: I will praise you, O Lord; for you were angry with me, and you have turned away your anger from me, and have had mercy on me. Behold, my God is my Savior, the Lord; I will trust in him, and I will be saved in him, and I will not be afraid; because the Lord is my glory and my praise, and he has become my salvation. Saying that those from the nations have been saved through faith in Christ, and that the most superstitious of all others have come to the knowledge of the truth, he fittingly introduces them giving glory. For of being wholly delivered from the first and initial ignorance which was in them, and of finally turning to choose to think the things that seem good to Him, even to the God who alone saves, a clear demonstration would be their haste to give glory, and to offer thanks to him like a spiritual sacrifice. Therefore, at that time, he says, when there would be a passage in Egypt, that is, for those who preach the evangelical and saving word, You, he says, who were long ago in deep darkness, and a bitter idolater who was buried in the deceits of demons, when with the eyes of the mind you look up to the light; when you see the glory of the one who has called you, and are brought to the perception of from what things to what things you have passed; and that though yoked to a bitter tyrant, you have escaped his greed, and have run for the aid of the all-powerful God who saves the lost; then indeed, then, rejoicing in yourself very much and quite fittingly, you will cry out, saying: I will praise you, O Lord; for you were angry with me, and you have turned away your anger from me, and have had mercy on me. And they offer up thank-offerings, and they kindle doxologies, not because they have come under divine wrath, but because having done so, they have been shown mercy. And we say that the God of all is angry with those who say such things, clearly, with the idolaters. For what reason? The divine Paul will make it clear to us, having written: "Claiming to be wise, they became fools. And they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for a likeness in the image of corruptible man, and of birds and of creeping things, and of four-footed beasts. For this reason," he says, "God gave them up to a debased mind, and to dishonorable passions, to do those things which are not proper." For those who misrepresented the divine glory, and attributed the excellent beauty of the highest nature to such wretched creatures, how would they not most fittingly be subjected to the impulses of divine wrath? But since, he says, you have turned away your anger, you have had mercy on me (for I have been called to knowledge through faith, not according to the works which we have done, as it is written, but according to his great mercy); for this reason, he says, having been brought to a perception of the great gift, I will offer you unceasing doxology, and indeed I will also say: Behold, my God is my Savior, the Lord; I will trust in him and I will be saved in him. For of old, falling down before woods and stones, and offering sacrifices to senseless statues, they besought to be saved through them. But since they have known the true God, having thrust aside those falsely named, they point to him alone, saying: Behold my God, my Savior, the Lord. I will no longer be trusting in woods and stones, he says, but in him alone, and through him I will be saved. And if he who of old took advantage and snatched away into error, comes again tempting and fighting, I will conquer, he says, because my glory and my praise is the Lord. Do you see how they have known that to give glory is a saving thing? "Offer," for, it says, "to God a sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to the Most High." And, "Call upon me in the day of your trouble, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify me." And draw water with joy from the fountains of salvation. Generous is he who has called, ready to repay is the God who has saved, he does good to those who have known him, with divine and spiritual things he richly gladdens those who glorify him. For behold how they were confessing, saying: Behold my God, my Savior, the Lord, I will trust in him; and he immediately promises them both fountains and saving water. For it was necessary, it was necessary for those who had run from darkness to the light, for those called from Hellenic ignorance to the knowledge of the God who truly is, not to lack instruction and a gladdening word, and able to hold them fast to piety. "For not by bread alone shall man live," he says, "but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Therefore he calls water the life-giving word of God; and fountains the holy apostles and evangelists, and I might add also the prophets themselves; and Salvation, Christ. You therefore, he says, who with confessions unto faith gladden me who am by nature God of all, will receive in return a divine and spiritual joy, drawing the word that is able to hold you fast to this from the fountains of Salvation, that is, of Christ. For he appointed the holy apostles; concerning whom the blessed David also sings in the psalms: "The fountains of the waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered." For the fountains of waters are the divine disciples, gushing forth to those under all heaven words from above and through the Spirit. And they are likewise also foundations of the world. For a chosen stone is Christ, who is also said to have been laid by God the Father in the foundations of Sion, that is, of the Church. For on him we have been set and through faith we are built up a spiritual house into a holy temple, into a dwelling place of God in spirit. And stones after him, that is, foundations of the world, would be and very fittingly so named those who proclaim him to those throughout all the earth. For their writings uphold us for stability and confirmation in faith and in truth. And you will say in that day, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his glorious deeds among the nations; remember that his name is exalted. Sing to the name of the Lord, for he has done lofty things; declare these things in all the earth. Rejoice and be glad, you who dwell in Sion, for the holy one of Israel is exalted in your midst. O wondrous thing! The one recently initiated, then having come upon the fountains of Salvation and having drawn the life-giving stream, is seen to have acquired such progress, I mean, in being faithful and genuine, that he immediately displays an apostolic ministry. And not only did he himself hasten to give glory alone, but already also to all others he commands to do this, saying: Praise the Lord, call upon his name. And to whom he commands to call, he makes clear by adding immediately: Declare among the nations his glorious deeds. For let it not be hidden, he says, the glory of the Savior, let it be manifest to all, the god-befitting His power and authority. He saved without remembering evils; He cast down the invincible tyranny of the devil and of the demons; He redeemed the deceived; He freed those in captivity; He proclaimed recovery of sight to the blind. He has justified through faith, He has sanctified through the Spirit, He has made sons of God those who were once fugitives and living an inglorious and accursed life. He has fully convinced by His deeds that He is by nature and truly God. He raised the dead, He declared clean those with leprosy. He has healed by a nod those in sickness; He has checked the assaults of spirits. He has calmed the sea when it was wild. Therefore declare His glorious deeds among the nations, and hold them in great remembrance, because His name is exalted. For He has done lofty things. For it is truly beyond a human hand, or rather, the accomplishments are beyond every wonder. Exult, therefore, and be glad, you inhabitants of Zion, that is, those who have a firm faith in the Churches; because the Holy One of Israel is exalted in your midst. For even if the Holy One of Israel became man, and in the form of a servant arrived for our sake according to the economy, yet from the results, and the brilliance of His works, He was exalted in a manner befitting God; and we have known who He is by nature.

Discourse 8

The vision which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw against Babylon. The vision against Babylon, and indeed also those that follow it, namely against the Idumeans and Moabites, and moreover the Egyptians, and in addition the others were made for the consolation of Israel; but they have a somewhat more historical rendering of the things signified, except that it is permitted to the more intelligent, as from a dense image even now to skillfully transform the clearest things that happened to the ancients into a spiritual contemplation; which the discourse, as it proceeds, will make the narrative for those who will encounter it, interpreting each of the written things as is possible. But I think it is necessary now also to go back to the beginning of the matter, and to first narrate the causes of the vision. For Israel, having been called through the all-wise Moses to the knowledge and worship of the God who truly is, and having a law that directs toward every single one of the wondrous things, neglected the commandment given to it, and turned to doctrines, the commandments of men, or rather, giving itself over to even worse things, it slipped into the pits of idolatry. At any rate, the God of all accused them through every prophet for choosing to do such things, and made a great outcry against its impiety. For He said: "This people draws near to me, with their lips they honor me; but their heart is far from me." But in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. And again: "What has the beloved done in my house? An abomination." And He calls the idol an abomination. Therefore, having terribly strayed into outrageous wantonness, and turning their neck from slavery under God, and raising up their own arrogant disposition against Him, as it were, He delivered them up at times, sometimes to those inhabiting the neighboring country, I mean the Idumeans, and moreover the Moab- ites, the Egyptians and those from Philistia, and at other times bringing a more grievous blow upon them, He sent against them the most savage of those on earth, I mean, of course, the Babylonians, who, after ravaging the whole land of the Jews without toil, carried off a multitude greater than number as captives to their own land. But that these things would happen when they provoked the God of all, the blessed prophets foretold from time to time. But they, although what had already been announced to them had come to pass, were no less hard and disobedient, practicing an abominable and most lawless life. Therefore, most providentially, the God of all, after the blow and scourges and the things that had happened to them from their enemies from time to time, also makes the prediction of the most pleasant things and those that know how to bring joy; and He promises that even those who had already become captives would return home He will prepare, and will release from the bonds of misery, and will also deliver those who formerly conquered into the hands of enemies. For it was surely very likely, even if they remained unadmonished by those things, that they would at least choose to rejoice in the second things, and being lifted up to the hope of the things they longed for, to honor the worship most dear to God, and to keep their mindset unshaken for Him. Since, therefore, although there were many who from time to time had sacked the country of the Jews, but the Chaldeans especially were harsher and more savage than the others, and those who had ruled Babylon from time to time, the word of prophecy as it were leaps upon them first and says: Raise a standard on a level mountain. But I think it is necessary, having chosen to make the rendering of the interpretation of the foregoing accurate, to first narrate some of the most necessary things. Therefore Cyrus, who was the son of Cambyses and his mother Mandane, having reigned over the Persians and Medes, campaigned against Babylon, and against the whole country of the Chaldeans, which was both wide and very large; and indeed he conquered it. He took it not by his own powers, nor indeed being able to use a stronger hand (for the nation of the Chaldeans was something unconquerable and irresistible, both because of its multitude and because it was very well trained in tactics), but rather with God subjecting to him those who resisted, and shaking the impious powers of the Babylonians; because of the very great amount of sorcery among them; and the swarm of idols was beyond number; and indeed it has been named a land of graven images, either because of the multitude of idols, or because each of the inhabitants there was found to differ in no way from an idol, I mean, in respect to having uncontrollably and intemperately inclined towards error. Then, in addition to this, because after ravaging the holy land that had been allotted to God, that is, Judea, and burning Jerusalem and the divine temple itself, they carried off the sacred vessels to their own land, and using unrestrained wrath they killed Israel, although it was named a holy people, and a portion and inheritance of God. For that God delivered Israel, who had practiced idolatry, into the hands of enemies is not unclear to those knowledgeable in the sacred writings, but those called for this purpose punished immoderately. And indeed the God of all is found somewhere saying through the voice of Zechariah: "I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and with great wrath I am angry with the nations that are attacking, because while I was a little angry, they joined in for evil." And to Babylon he says: "I gave them into your hands, but you showed them no mercy." So then God delivered to Cyrus the arrogant and insolent one, the mother and nurse of all wickedness, I mean Babylon. And this would be made clear by what he says through Isaiah thus: "Thus says the Lord to my anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations might hearken before him, and cities will not be shut; I will go before you and make mountains level. I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut in sunder the bars of iron." And Cyrus, having conquered, released Israel from captivity, and commanded them to go home rejoicing, and indeed also to rebuild the divine temple. And so the prophet Jeremiah, "The word," he says, "that the Lord spoke against Babylon: Announce among the nations, and make it heard, and do not hide it. Say: Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, the undaunted, the delicate one. Merodach was delivered up, because a nation from the north has come up against it, he will lay her land waste, there shall be no one dwelling in it, from man to beast. In those days, and in that time, the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah shall come together, walking and weeping they will go seeking their God; they will ask the way to Zion. For hither they will set their faces, and they will come, and will flee to the Lord. For the everlasting covenant will not be forgotten." And again: "Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I am taking vengeance upon the king of Babylon, and upon his land, as I took vengeance upon the king of Assur; and I will restore Israel to his pasture; and he shall feed on Carmel, and on Mount Ephraim, and in Gilead, and his soul shall be satisfied." Upon a level mountain lift up a standard, raise your voice to them, do not fear, beckon with the hand, open, you rulers. I give the command, and I lead them. They are consecrated, and I lead them. Giants are coming to fulfill my wrath, rejoicing and at the same time insolent. The blessed prophet, having his mind filled with the Holy Spirit, and being in visions of things, as if being written, he all but leaps up, crying out to the Persians and Medes, as to those who have already conquered the land of the Babylonians, to raise high the symbol of victory; for this, I think, is the standard; and to shout against the army of the Chaldeans, as having already fallen and surrendered to them the arrogant and famous city, which the prophet Jeremiah also called the hammer of the earth, saying concerning the Babylonians: How is the hammer of the earth captured and broken? for every city and country was broken, struck in a way as if by some hammer, by their greed. And a level mountain, I think, he calls that which is, as it were, low to the ground, and on the order of a hill. For they do not ascend to the high parts of the mountains to set up the standards, that is, the trophies, or rather the sign, but on hills not very high, so that at the same time it might avoid being placed too high, and might be very well known to the whole army. Lift up, therefore, he says, a standard, as having already conquered with God as your champion. Raise your voice, that is, shout against the phalanx of the enemies, do not fear. For the hand of the Babylonians is admittedly terrible and irresistible to all everywhere, and no one would blame those who fear it. But now, do not fear, he says, since God is bringing forth his own wrath against their arrogance. Beckon with the hand. And what is this? Perhaps it is a custom for the leaders of the troops to encourage with the hand, and to urge on the most warlike with nods, and to rouse them to attacks against certain ones, since the voice is unable to do this, being in a great tumult. Therefore he commands those in charge of affairs to make exhortations by means of hands and nods to the armies under their command, and to incite them to a certain invincible zeal. And again he cries out, "Open, you rulers." For either he commands the Babylonians themselves, as having already been conquered, to open the gates, and to surrender the city that was once arrogant and insolent; or perhaps also to the holy powers who, by God's command, fight alongside the Medes, and make smooth for them the chariot roads, though they are very difficult. And so that he might show the invincible hand of those fighting, he adds and says: I give the command and I lead them. For he all but says something like this: It was not a multitude of the Median army that came to you of its own accord, nor did the people of the Persians come solely of their own will; or perhaps rather I have also sanctified them for this purpose. And he says "I have sanctified" in this context, instead of "I have set apart" and, as it were, "I have chosen out" for the accomplishment of what I have planned against you. Therefore, he says, those whom I lead are coming, like certain giants, to fulfill my wrath, rejoicing and at the same time being insolent; rejoicing, on the one hand, because they are confident that they will conquer; and being insolent, on the other hand, instead of "scorning" them as greatly afflicted with cowardice, and as being worthy of nothing. For such is always the barbarian mindset, prone to the hope of being able to conquer, and always belittling those who resist. For wrath especially commands them to this, and begets the desire for courage, to despise all danger and fears. A voice of many nations on the mountains like that of many nations, a voice of kings and of nations gathered together. The Lord of Sabaoth has commanded a nation of warriors to come from a land from afar from the edge of the foundation of heaven the Lord, and his warriors to destroy the whole inhabited world. As the Medes were already shouting, and raising a voice fitting for wars, like a horse neighing and some pursuing, while others were already turning to flight, and a great and motley echo was being scattered, "A voice," he says, "of many nations upon the mountains, like many nations." Not such a voice, he says, that one might guess the shouters to be few in number, but rather to think that the multitude of those crying out is beyond number. The account shows that along with their subjects, those destined to lead were struck with terror. For he asserts that the voice is of nations and of kings. Therefore, the shouters would be the immense populace of the Babylonians, and with them the most distinguished, seeing their city already captured by the spear, or indeed, the Persians and Medes shouting over the captured. And them, I think, he also calls warriors, and a nation coming from a land far away; from the edge of the foundation of heaven, that is, from the very borders of Media, and from the innermost parts of the northernmost land. But since they were preparing the attack according to the will of God, he calls them the Lord's warriors, and says that they have been brought to destroy the whole inhabited world, and not indeed all of our world. For we shall not find this to have happened by Cyrus and those with him. But he calls the land of the Chaldeans the "inhabited world," because it was very great and immeasurably wide, and as it were, vied with the inhabited world, on account of the multitude of its inhabitants. Wail; for the day of the Lord is near, and destruction will come from God. For this reason every hand will be paralyzed, and every soul of man will be faint-hearted. And the ambassadors will be troubled, and pangs will seize them, as of a woman in labor; and they will cry in sorrow to one another, and they will be astonished, and their face they will change as a flame. As all hope has been taken away, as nothing is any longer left for the Babylonians, except only the need to lament, he says, "wail." And he commands them, as it were, to despair of their salvation, and not to attempt unprofitable things, not preparing for resistance, as divine wrath has been armed against them, and destruction brought upon them by a decree from above. And the matter is completely irresistible; "For who shall turn back the high hand?" as it is written. And again; "If he should shut a man up, who will open?" For what strength, or of whom at all, will war against God? For this reason he says, that every hand will be paralyzed, and every soul of man will be faint-hearted; for when the all-powerful God shakes the souls of men into cowardice, who will instill courage, or, show him to be of good courage, and sufficiently disposed for resistance? And he says the ambassadors will be troubled, and will fall into pangs like a woman in labor, and that one will cry in sorrow to another, and indeed will be astonished, and that their face will change as a flame. And ambassadors, I think, he says, are the priests of the idols, those most distinguished in the magical art among the Babylonians, the ministers of the demons, who, as was likely, when the attack of the Medes was being prepared and the arrival of Cyrus with the Persians was expected, were divining favorable things, and were calling for aid from the demons, offering up prayers and bringing the customary gifts, rites that is and the profane sacrifices, and promising to intercede on behalf of the whole country. These then, he says, the ministers and suppliants of the demons, who perform the sacrifices on behalf of all, when they see their affairs turned contrary to their expectations, will both be troubled and will be in bitter pangs, and they will cry in sorrow to one another, that is, they will cry out to each other things as from unmitigated disaster, "woe," clearly, and similar things. And they will change their face as if by a flame. For somehow the face of the disheartened a face to be blackened, so as to seem to be nothing other than soot and the remains of withered ashes. For behold, the day of the Lord, incurable, comes with fury and wrath, to make the whole world desolate, and to destroy the sinners from it. For the stars of heaven, and Orion and all the host of heaven will not give their light; and it will be darkened at the sun’s rising, and the moon will not give its light. And I will command evils for the whole world, and their sins for the ungodly; and I will destroy the insolence of the lawless, and I will humble the insolence of the proud. In these words he openly tries to teach what the reason is for the rulers to meet each other in misfortune, and for their face to change as if from a flame. For since, as I said, they were divining things according to their own wishes, for themselves and for all the Babylonians, but they have missed their hope; for this reason, he says, they will also be full of dejection. For an incurable day is upon them, which the Lord of all brings upon them; and again he names as "day" the time in which the divine and unadmonished wrath occurred, so that the land of the Chaldeans was made desolate, and the sinners were destroyed from it. And it is not at all as if there were some there who are placed outside the wrath because they are good, that he says the sinners will be destroyed; rather, the name would reasonably fit all those who inhabit the land of the Chaldeans, because all are wicked and idolaters. But since the greatness of calamities at times all but fills the human mind with darkness and mist, so that even when it is day the light of the sun seems to be absent, and to be somehow ineffective, I mean in its ability to shine, and all the host of heaven, and the orb of the moon itself; for this reason he says: For the stars of heaven, and Orion, and all the host of heaven will not give their light; and the Babylonians will be darkened, that is, the mind of the Babylonians; and while the sun is rising, and the moon is shining, although the elements have not withdrawn their light, but as if from great terror and being subjected to the divine wrath, they have night and darkness in their mind. And I will command, he says, evils for the whole world. The phrase, I will command, he says, is instead of, I will threaten, or rather I will command to be brought, so as both to take down the insolence of the lawless, and to humble the proud, that is, the arrogant. For the nation of the Assyrians has always been somehow arrogant and most insolent, and in addition to this, hateful to God. For among them nothing of what is best was honored, but rather everything that is by nature grievous to the God of all. But it must be known that those who interpreted the divine Scripture have made mention of Orion, signifying by it one of the most prominent stars, and they do not say such things by completely following the trifles of the Greeks, but rather they used the name according to custom, just as, of course, it is also written in Job: "Who makes Pleiades and Hesperus and Arcturus and the chambers of the South." And those who are left will be more precious than unrefined gold; and a man will be more precious than the stone from Souphir. In these words "precious" is what is sought. He says, therefore, that the land of the Babylonians, and indeed the whole land of the Assyrians, will be so depopulated, that those living in it will become hard to find, and the scarcity of those who are left will be as great as that of Indian stones and of the most tested gold. For such things seem to some to be precious, because they are exceedingly hard to procure, and indeed because they are few, and scarce. Therefore, just as, he says, the things admired by men are hard to procure, both precious stones and unrefined gold, that is, the most tested, so will the survivors from the war be few and scarce, who have escaped the throng of those who fought. For the heaven will be angered, and the earth will be shaken from its foundations, because of the fury of the wrath of the Lord Sabaoth in the day when his wrath comes upon them. The blessed prophets speak hyperbolically, and receiving in their mind the divine and ineffable power and glory, they raise their voices on high, and invent extraordinary magnitudes for their narratives. But always, when God is angry, the servant creation is also sharpened to anger, since the one who commands all things certainly arouses it to this. And so He was angry with the Egyptians, and creation did not tolerate being inactive. For the water was changed into blood, and the earth brought forth frogs, as it is written, and the heaven sent down hail; and indeed a deep and three-day darkness was scattered over all their land. Therefore, he says, the heaven itself will be angered, and the earth will be shaken as if from its foundations, because of the fury of the Lord's wrath. For creation wars alongside against the foolish, and when the Master is grieved, it itself is, as it were, marshalled for this purpose. For all things concur with the supreme will, and there is nothing among beings that does not yield, even unwillingly, to the divine nods. And they that are left shall be as a fleeing gazelle, and as a wandering sheep, and there will be none to gather them, so that a man may turn to his people, and a man pursue his own country. For whoever is caught will be overcome, and those who are gathered together shall fall by the sword, and their children they shall dash in pieces before their eyes, and they shall plunder their houses and take their wives. He says that those who are left will be very few in number, but even they will be unmanly and most unwarlike, and broken by cowardice to such an extent that they choose to do nothing else but only to flee, like a gazelle, and to be saved without honor, he says, and to renounce completely even just rising up against the calamities from the enemies. And that they will remain without a leader and without a ruler, although they are few in number, he implies by saying, that they will be as a wandering sheep, deprived of the shepherd's gentleness, and going somewhere outside the pasture, so as to be far from their accustomed folds. For there will be none, he says, to gather them, so that a man may turn to his own people, and a man pursue his own country. But "pursue," he says, is instead of "hasten," although their country is dear to all, and nothing is better than their ancestral dwellings. But even the deprivation of things so very dear to them is pleasant, he says, because everyone who is captured is immediately destroyed ... ... but the prophetic word affirms that something else will also happen, of the things most apt to cause pain. For their children, he says, they will dash in pieces before their eyes, and they will plunder their houses, and they will take their wives. What could be more grievous for parents than the slaughter of their children? or how is it not more unbearable than any torment, to see one's houses plundered, and the modesty of one's wives violated, and subjected to the licentiousness of the conquerors? The blessed psalmist also mentions something of this kind somewhere. For when speaking about the Babylonians, "Blessed," he says, "is he who shall take and dash your infants against the rock." But these things indeed happened historically to the land of the Assyrians, and to the cities and regions in it, because they were all idolaters and unbearably arrogant, and terrible fighters against God, and skilled in the art of magic. They also sacked the holy city, and having ravaged the inheritance of God, that is, Israel, and placing them in the lot of the spear-won, they placed on them the unaccustomed yoke of slavery. And the discourse concerning these things will stand, not only in the things according to history alone and in what has clearly happened; but it is rather possible for those who wish to understand it also spiritually, if they would skillfully transfer the force of what has happened to the very inventor of all wickedness, the God-hated and most cruel one, I mean, Satan, especially since the word of the prophecy, having brought forward the mystery of Christ and having made the address concerning him very well, has introduced as a neighbor the vision against Babylon, as it were, of the sharpening the mind of the listeners to what is needful to understand, and spiritually the things that happened historically, concerning both Babylon itself, and indeed also concerning the whole land of the Assyrians. The apostate dragon, therefore, has never yet ceased plotting in many ways against those who serve God, but he presses on very vigorously, always overthrowing for what seems good to him, and he very often carries them off, as if taking them captive, and casts them into the pits of passions, and imposing on them as it were a terrible and inescapable yoke of slavery, he exults over those he has taken, and boasts, just as, of course, the successive kings of the Assyrians rejoiced over those from Israel, because having been outside their own land and the holy city, they were enslaved to foreigners. But the tyranny of the devil did not prevail forever over those who had been seized. For the sign of the Savior has been raised, that is, we have dedicated songs of victory to the one who conquered for us and on our behalf; and we have made the confession of the right faith. For this, I think, is, *Lift up your voice*. And the Lord is commanded to come to a warring nation, clearly that of the saints, for whom the battle and the war is not against flesh and blood, but rather against principalities and powers, and the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Who both fought back and have conquered, and they prevail even now, and they besiege the host of the opposing powers, and they have sacked idolatry like a city, which was formerly terrible and invincible. And they have triumphed over their adversaries as if Christ were their general, and the holy angels were fighting alongside them, so that those who still revere their dominions are completely few in number, and they are pitiful and unmanly and terrified, and have completely given up resistance, I mean, against those who serve Christ. And running through the vision and what follows of the things set forth, let everyone who is intelligent, and able to understand a parable and a dark saying, and the sayings of the wise and their riddles, gather knowledge of some such spiritual contemplation. Behold, I am stirring up against you the Medes, who do not reckon silver, nor have they need of gold. They will shatter the bows of the young men, and they will not have mercy on your children, nor will their eyes spare your children. And Babylon, which is called Glorious by the kings of the Chaldeans, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will not be inhabited for all time; nor will they enter it for many generations, nor will Arabs pass through it, nor will shepherds rest in it. In these things, then, he makes the prediction of the war most clear, and having removed the obscurity which had been cast like a shadow over the words, he sets the impending disaster naked and openly and as if in sight. For the Medes will come, he says, they will come, not overcome by money nor having thought of bribery from you, but rather being superior in due season, and to the things most earnestly set before them, so that they will shatter the bows of the young men. For if one were to consider the raids of the Barbarians, which might happen against regions or cities, he will find them done for no other reason than for the sake of plundering, and of making a collection of incidental wealth. But the Medes, he says, will be superior to gains, and they will be unsparing of profits, in order to bring down the pride of the Babylonians. For they always had great pride in their archery, and they held their success in these things in high regard. But they will be inferior to their enemies. And the conquerors will be so harsh and pitiless, as to show no mercy for a tender age, nor indeed, for infants perishing piteously, to shed a tear from gentleness. And Babylon, which is called Glorious by the king of the Chaldeans, will for this reason, he says, depart into desolation, so as in no way to be to endure the lot of the burned Sodom and Gomorrah; and it will also be uninhabited; and so to be fled from also by its neighbors, as a nation from afar roams around it, so that not even shepherds from Arabia pasture any of their own flocks in it; because of its being utterly desolated. But it must be known that he calls the nations of the Saracens, who extend as far as the Assyrians and inhabit the innermost desert, "Arabs." For they have the land of the Arabs as a neighbor. And it is likely indeed that the Saracens from Arabia themselves also wander mixed through the deserts of the Assyrians. And wild beasts shall rest there, and the houses shall be filled with sound. And sirens shall rest there, and demons shall dance there. And onocentaurs shall dwell there, and hedgehogs shall make their nests in their houses. It comes quickly, and it will not delay. It is somehow always the custom for the untamed of animals to make their dwelling in deserted places, and a ruined city provides them with very many, and indeed broad, lairs, both naturally roofed and hastily made, and, as it were, found automatically from what has happened; and in deserts and in the silent places, a certain faint echo, as if from the excessive silence, I know not how, arises and enters the ears of those who are at rest. Therefore, wild beasts will rest, he says, and the houses will be filled with sound; that is, having no inhabitant at all, they will possess the echo that is fitting for desolate places. And demons will dance there, he says. For they say that these also somehow have a particular love for quiet places, and make them a leisurely encampment, as it were. And by "sirens," I think, he means the birds that know how to sing well, or, according to the Hebrew version, the owl. And he has named the wild asses "onocentaurs"; and indeed hedgehogs, which are the mice that bristle as it were with sharp spines. And all these things would be fittingly in cities or houses that are utterly desolate. And to these things he adds that "it comes quickly, and will not delay." Either injecting a more bitter care into the Assyrians, that is, making the matter no small consolation for those of the blood of Israel. For since they were in captivity, and indeed were expecting to be released when Cyrus campaigned against the Babylonians together with the Persians and Medes, he promises them a swift release from their sorrows, and that the things in their prayers would not be for a long postponement, but would, as it were, run at the heels of his word. And the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and they shall rest upon their land, and the proselyte shall be added to them. And he shall be added to the house of Jacob; and nations shall take them, and bring them into their place. And they shall inherit them, and be multiplied upon the land of God, for male slaves and for female slaves; and they that took them captive shall be captives, and they that had rule over them shall be ruled over; and it shall be in that day, that God will give you rest from your pain and your anger, and from the harsh slavery in which you served them. He brings back to a good hope those of the blood of Israel who have suffered, and with good promises he restores them to good cheer, who were unbearably burdened by the greed of their captors. For that they will come up from captivity, and will cast off the yoke of unaccustomed slavery, once Babylon has been sacked, and indeed the entire land of the Assyrians, he has clearly foretold. For Israel shall not be utterly cast off, he says; nor will he undergo endless punishments for his trespasses; but the chosen one will be shown mercy and will catch his breath in due season; and since, you see, he has been set as the firstborn among children, he will obtain visitation and good will from God. And that they will return to the land that bore them, he says, and that the proselyte will also go up with them. And by "proselyte" he means the native and aboriginal, that is, the Babylonian; for very many of the Babylonians followed those from Israel, some having kinship with them, and others having inclined to the worship according to the law. For since for a long time they have completed their time in captivity, it is likely of course that no small multitude of the natives has been added to them. The proselyte, it says, will be added to them, that is, the native also will follow and accompany them. And nations shall take them, and bring them into their own place. For when Cyrus released Israel, he commanded the rulers of the regions to escort them unharmed and unmolested. And he who succeeded him to the scepter of the Assyrians also did this; this was Xerxes. It is possible for those who wish to investigate such things to come upon the books of Ezra, and to obtain the most unerring knowledge on all that has been said. For they went up from the land of the Assyrians to Judea, while Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, who was of the tribe of Judah, was administering the kingdom, and Jesus the son of Jozadak the great priest was leading the sacred order. Nations, then, will escort them, he says, and bring them into their own land, and they will possess the inheritance allotted to them from above. And what is even more paradoxical, those who were once worshippers of idols, who invoke many and countless gods, will be multiplied on the land of God, as male and female slaves, and they shall be captives, who had taken them captive. For those who took Israel captive, being brought back together with him, and having arrived, he says, in Judea, will place their neck under the yokes of the law, and as if having endured a noble and saving captivity, they will acknowledge as Lord and God the Creator of all. For either this, he says, or it wishes perhaps to make that clear, that those who formerly conquered and carried Israel away from Judea, and placed them under their own yokes, will be ruled over and taken captive, by Cyrus, of course, since the Persians and Medes have taken them. For in that day, that is, at that time, you will be relieved from your pain and your anger; that is, from the wrath hanging over you, the divine wrath, of course; for you will escape the bitter slavery, and you will be relieved from your labors. But come now again, transforming as far as possible the thickness of the history, let us observe such an event in spiritual contemplation. For they were captives, devoted to the worship of idols, and revering the powers of the one who had taken advantage of them. But the Creator of all had mercy on them as ones who had been wronged, and sent to us from heaven a redeemer, his own Son, in the name of the Lord, that is, not as one of the holy prophets, but in the glory of lordship; who also sacked, as it were, a boastful and insolent city, with his armed champions fighting alongside him, that is, the holy apostles; who, having laid waste to the whole region of the devil, as it were, brought back with them, as to a holy city, the spiritual Jerusalem, I mean the Church, those who had been deceived and held in the yoke of slavery, who also were multiplied in the land of God, and became male and female slaves. But those who before held them under their hand and as captives, that is, the worshipers of demons, and those teaching their customs, and snaring them for destruction, have become captives, that is, they have been conquered by the preaching of the holy apostles, and have been made subject to Christ; for he gained dominion over them when they, of course, accepted the faith. For they also rested from the harsh slavery, in which they had previously served, before coming under the Lord, and his armed champions. And you will take up this lament over the king of Babylon, and you will say in that day: How the exactor has ceased, and the oppressor has ceased! God has broken the yoke of the sinners, the yoke of the rulers; striking a nation in anger, with an incurable blow, striking a nation with a blow of wrath, and he did not spare, he rested, confident. To such a point of harshness, he says, did the misfortunes of the war drive the Babylonians, and Nebuchadnezzar himself, that he was pitied by his enemies, and those who, having suffered unbearable things, would have been likely almost to dance upon him as he lay prostrate, these out of of a reversal of fortune, and finally to feel pain, and to come to pity at the multitude of things that have happened to them, that is, also to lament in another way those who have fallen, and not at all pitying them, but rather rejoicing, and mocking those seized beyond expectation. And He weaves for them a lamentation and gives them a song befitting what has happened. For you will say, he says, How has the exacter ceased? He says "he has ceased" euphemistically, instead of, "he has perished and has an end." And he calls the Babylonian an exacter and an oppressor, who from excessive arrogance, did not impose the yoke of his own greed only on his neighbors, but indeed in the very distant cities and lands, sending out tax-collectors, he demanded tributes and taxes. Therefore they marvel how such a one has ceased, and the hand that grasped everything has stopped. And that they have not been ignorant of the reasons for his fall, they show by saying: God has broken the yoke of the sinners, the yoke of the rulers. Do you hear how he calls them rulers, attributing to them an arrogant mindset? For they were attacking, as I said, all, so to speak, those throughout the whole earth, bringing them under their own yokes. And to rule was sometimes at the same time also their aim. But God, he says, struck the arrogant race, that is, having struck the nation with an incurable plague. But he who trusted in himself greatly and was proud, and did not cease willingly, that is, has gone to the end most fitting for him, having endured an incurable plague of wrath, with all mercy removed. But it would be fitting for us ourselves to say these things, and as it were to shout in triumph over Satan, who exacts and oppresses, and very bitterly. For he assails the mind of each, turning it away from the best and good pursuits, those in piety and righteousness I mean, and as if with force carrying it off to what seems good to him; and like a bitter tribute collector, seeking from each a diligence for sin. But the Savior broke the yoke of sinners, having cast that one off, and rather bringing us under His own yokes, and having struck a nation with an incurable plague. And what nation? Or surely that of the demons, whom he also commanded to go into the abyss? And indeed he also inflicted very grievous torments; and so they cried out, saying: "Ah, what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come here before the time to destroy us." The whole earth cries out with gladness, and the trees of Lebanon rejoiced over you, and the cedar of Lebanon: Since you were laid to rest, no one has come up to cut us down. This is also part of the lament. And as far as the historical account is concerned, there was gladness in all the earth, since the land of the Assyrians was sacked, and the oppressor had ceased, who demanded from all that they must be subject to him, whom the prophetic word also calls trees of Lebanon: those who were surely in authority and in power among the nations, likening them to cedars. However, like a woodcutter, Nebuchadnezzar, shaking them down, subjected them to his own yokes. The cedars therefore, he says, rejoicing over you, say: Since you were laid to rest, no one has come up to cut us down. But if someone should wish to apply such a saying only to those of Israel, he will understand it thus. Lebanon is a very great mountain in the land of the Phoenicians, full of cedars and frankincense trees, both thick and well-wooded; therefore the divinely inspired Scripture very often compares it to the land of the Jews, because of the many most distinguished men in it in both power and glory, and indeed there are others who are raised on high by the boasts of the priesthood and are, as it were, most fragrant. And so the prophet Zechariah, comparing Judaea to Lebanon; and those in it to cedars, oaks, and pines. and the Roman army to an all-consuming fire, which after the cross of the Savior burned up their whole country. Thus he says: "Open your doors, O Lebanon, And let fire devour your cedars. Wail, pine, because the cedar has fallen. Wail, oaks of Bashan, because the native forest was torn down." Therefore let the word be of the Jews as from the trees of Lebanon rejoicing and saying to the Babylonian and those around him: Since you have fallen asleep, the one who cuts us down has not come up. And he has very wittily remained in the trope of the speech. For since the voice came as if from the trees of Lebanon, for this reason they say, "The one who cuts us down has not come up." For after the return from Babylon of those of Israel, the war from the Assyrians was no longer waged against them. And we too shall rightly say to Satan, we who were once ravaged by him, but have now obtained a steadfast mind in Christ, and a mind secure and rooted in piety, and a most flourishing heart: Since you have fallen asleep, the one who cuts us down has not come up. Hades below was embittered on meeting you; all the giants who ruled the earth were roused against you, those who raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All will answer and say to you: You too have been captured just as we were; you have been counted among us; your glory has descended into Hades, your great gladness. Beneath you they will spread decay, and your covering will be the worm. It is a custom for the divinely inspired Scripture at times to personify, and, as it were, to apply voices to the things themselves, as is the case with, "Be ashamed, Sidon, the sea has said; and the strength of the sea has said: I have not travailed, nor given birth, nor nourished young men, nor raised up virgins." For he applies this speech to the city of the Tyrians, which was at times ravaged by the Babylonians; and we say that the speech is fitting to the nature of the things. Thus also the prophet Micah somewhere introduced Jerusalem saying to Babylon: "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, for I have fallen and I shall rise again. Because if I sit in darkness, the Lord will give me light; I will bear the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause; and he will execute my judgment, and will bring me out to the light. I shall see his righteousness, and my enemy shall see it, and shame will cover her who says to me: Where is the Lord your God? My eyes shall look upon her; now she shall be for trampling like mud in the streets on a day of plastering brick; your destruction is that day." On which, clearly, Cyrus and the Medes mixed with Persians captured the city of the Babylonians. Therefore, the blessed prophet no less personifies now; and he says that Hades was provoked, that is, embittered, meeting him as he descended. And observe for me the economy of the speech. For through this he shows that he was murderous and full of blood, so that almost all of Hades, that is, those who are in Hades, became the work of his inherent cruelty. For the boaster did not cease utterly mowing down nations and kings, and filling Hades with wretched souls. All the giants, therefore, he says, that is, those who became distinguished in strength, and ruled many nations, but were slain by you, will answer and say, "You too have been captured just as we were." For you were a man, they say, but you did not deign to know and consider this; nor would you have thought that there would be someone stronger than your arrogance and your irresistible hand, and you have perhaps not placed it outside of hope that some are even stronger than death, but the Median sword has with difficulty and unwillingly persuaded you to learn by its experience that you too were like us. And so you have been captured, just as we were. Your glory has descended into Hades, instead of, it was extinguished by death; and the unsmiling power of corruption has been brought upon you. He will see your gladness, having with difficulty put it out of the way. Decay will be spread beneath you, and the worm will become your garment. And this is a common thing. For once human bodies have suffered death, decay and the worm will certainly follow. Yet it is well said of him, as in the order of bitter reproaches. For those who have fallen into forgetfulness of their own weakness, and from excessive arrogance, not even expecting that they will suffer human things, would be reproached Reasonably; as having barely learned by suffering them the things which, had they known, they should have chosen to think more moderately. Therefore, he says, the one who has reveled in fading and royal luxuries, will lie together with the others without a shroud, and deemed worthy of none of the customary rites for the dead. How has the Morning Star, that rises early, fallen from heaven? He that sends to all the nations has been crushed to the earth? The Morning Star is one of the most illustrious of stars; it rises a little before dawn, and is, as it were, a forerunner of the sun's gleam. That it shines with a rich light, this very fact of its appearing shortly before dawn would show. For as long as the ethereal body is still dark, with the night all but shivering, and the darkness being at its height, the stars in the heaven have a more conspicuous radiance; but when day is near, and the solar disk is, as it were, on the first extremities of the horizon, the light of each somehow contracts, yielding to the superior one, and is overcome by the greater brightness. So abundant is the light of the Morning Star, that it appears even at dawn, and makes its appearance somehow neighboring the rays of the sun. He therefore compares the Babylonian to the Morning Star, because of his prominence over others, and because no one among those in power and in kingdoms was seen to be like him; and because he was so illustrious and conspicuous, as the Morning Star might be thought of among all the other stars. But he who was suffused with such glory, he says, and lifted on high, and made brilliant with unconquerable renown, how did he fall as from heaven? and was he crushed to the earth as one who sends to all the nations? But the phrase "sending," instead of "commanding," he says, or in another manner. For it always seemed somehow to the tyrants of the Babylonians to bring every nation of men under their own hand, and for all lands to come under the yoke of slavery. Sending therefore to all the nations, they would demand a clod of earth, and water in a vessel, as though seeking the whole from a part, I mean both land and sea, as if they were lords of all. But you said in your mind: I will ascend into heaven, I will set my throne above the stars of heaven, I will sit on a high mountain, upon the high mountains toward the north, I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High. Now you shall go down to Hades, and to the foundations of the earth. Those who see you will marvel at you, and will say: Is this the man that provokes the whole earth, that shakes kings, that made the whole world a wilderness, and destroyed its cities? He did not release those who were in captivity. He says that he was caught in unexpected calamities, and had associated with things paradoxical beyond hope, and through these events themselves he barely learned that he was a man, and similar to those who died before him. For as far as it came to words of arrogance, and to a God-hated mindset, and full of extreme presumption; It seemed to you, he says, to concede little to the heights of divine pre-eminence, you somehow expected, perhaps, that heaven itself would be accessible to you, and that your seat would rival the highest thrones; you thought ignorantly, that you were some equal to God and above creation; you seemed to be above the clouds, and to sit upon the very stars. But you were caught having thought such things in vain. The outcome of events exposed your foolish counsel; for you will go down into Hades, and into the foundations of the earth. And he says these things, so that he might perhaps indicate the lowest place, that is, the outer darkness. And you will be a marvel to those who see, he says, and quite reasonably. For sudden reversals, especially those beyond hope, astound those who behold them. And what is the marvel, and how would the speech about him come to be; For they will say, Is this the man? Having suffered, they barely call him a man; perhaps formerly having been afraid to say this; But is this the man, who provokes the whole earth, shakes kings, who made the whole world a wilderness, and destroyed its cities? they have marveled reasonably, if one man stirred up the whole world under heaven, shook kings, rendered the inhabited world desolate of its inhabitants, and also overthrew the cities. And what else besides these, He did not release those under affliction? But since some of the copies have: Those led away, if someone should wish to understand it thus, we shall say that the name of "leading away" would signify the captivity and the removal of those from Israel. For they were carried away from Judea to the land of the Assyrians. But if indeed the holy scripture says those under affliction, you will understand no less, that it means those who are under the infliction of the Lord's wrath. For wrath was brought upon them because of great sin. Nebuchadnezzar did not release, that is, he did not remit their misery. For it was necessary, it was necessary for the sinner to be seen not only as a braggart, but also as a fighter against God, and as one who has sacked the land, and as harsh, and unmerciful, and in no way knowing how to pity those who are in extreme calamities and have fared wretchedly. And one might also very fittingly apply to the head of the one who shattered all things, I mean of the arch-evil dragon, the things that were spoken historically. For he was an exactor and a zealous pursuer, in the ways we have already mentioned; but he has ceased, and has been removed from the midst, as God struck him down with a plague of incurable wrath, and he stopped cutting, like some strong woodcutter, the spiritual cedars, of which the blessed David also makes mention, saying to the God of all: "The cedars of Lebanon which you have planted." And since the wretch has gone down to Hades, surely condemned, there being consumed by the all-devouring flame, the evil powers under him have marveled, as is likely, that he suffered this, and perhaps have also lamented, saying: You too have been captured just as we, and you have been counted among us, and the things that follow this. For indeed, as far as glory is concerned, he was distinguished among angels, and conspicuous among the powers above, just as Lucifer is among the stars. But he fell and was shattered, having thought arrogant things, and having dared to seize the honor and glory that befit only the supreme nature, as far as the power of his undertakings and the mind within him were concerned. But as the prophet says: He has gone down to Hades, and to the foundations of the earth, he who once shook all the earth, who made the world like a desert; for he rendered the world under heaven desolate of the true knowledge of God, and having absolutely no worker of virtue. And he did not release those under affliction. But the Lord has granted this to those who trust in him, having said "to those in bonds: Go forth, and to those in darkness: Be revealed." And indeed also to those who have come under divine wrath for having transgressed the divine laws, forgetting their offenses he has forgiven their charges, and has released from punishment those who through human weakness have been subject to many stumblings. All the kings of the nations have slept in honor, each man in his own house, but you will be cast out on the mountains like a loathsome corpse with many dead who have been pierced with swords, going down to Hades. From what has happened, he says, he at times shows his calamity to be more grievous; and what I said is true; unless indeed it happened that the others met with the same fate, one so conspicuous and proud and raised up by incomparable excellences as to seem to be placed on high. For they have fallen asleep, he says, not without honor, nor indeed somewhere outside of the dwellings most dear to them. But you, completely deprived of these things, will lie on the mountains, loathsome and cast out, that is, stinking and unpleasant to see. For what could be more loathsome than a dead body that has no shroud? Therefore you will lie together with the others who have become the work of the Median sword, with no one having lamented over you, nor shed the tear that follows the dead, nor honored you with burial rites; but so pitiful and cast out as to differ in no way from the others, who came under your hand and were utterly insignificant. And it is necessary to know that the lament will stop at this point. In the same way that a garment stained with blood is no longer clean, so you also will not be clean; because my land you have destroyed, and you have killed my people, you shall not remain for all time. The most grievous of impieties are both hard to wash away, and one might behold them ingrained like some dye in those who have committed them. Indeed, it shows that they have done things worthy of the indignation that has reached its end, and worthy of a punishment commensurate with their offenses. Therefore you will not be freed, he says, from your trespasses, nor will you become clean, and worthy of pity. But you will be so defiled, and have the indelible crime of blood-guilt, just as, indeed, a garment stained with blood. For you have destroyed the holy land, and you have killed the people apportioned to me; "For when the Most High divided," he says, "the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations, according to the number of the angels of God; and Jacob his people became the Lord's portion, Israel the measure of his inheritance." It is a terrible thing, then, to rise up against the land of the Lord, that is, the Church, and to carry out the audacities of blood-guilt, against the people apportioned to Christ. For he will in no way be clean, who is caught in such outrageous crimes. But one might say, I think, having considered the disasters upon Judea, and upon Jerusalem itself; Did the tyrant of the Babylonians come of his own accord, and campaign against the land of the Jews, and capture the holy city, without God allowing him to do this, or rather, without God having given it to him? And yet, does not the prophet Isaiah himself say to us? that "The Lord will whistle for the flies, that rule a part of the river of Egypt, and for the bee, which is in the land of the Assyrians, and they will all come, and will rest in the valleys of the land, and in the clefts of the rocks, and in the caves, and in every ravine, and on every tree." How then did the Babylonian, having served the divine commands, have an indelible crime, and has been so terribly punished, that nothing is seen beyond the wrath brought upon him? Yes, and very reasonably so. For the God of all willed to convict Israel for having inclined to apostasy, and with measured tortures to persuade them to return to their accustomed worship, I mean that of the Law. But he, although brought for this purpose, was relentless like a wild beast, and gave his passions unbridled rein, and indeed is accused by God who says clearly: "I was jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and with great anger I am angry against the nations that joined in the attack; because I was angry a little, but they joined in for evil." And just as He raised up Pharaoh, being a vessel of wrath and anger and already subject to punishment for his own failings, as He Himself says, that He might show in him both His own power and the precision of His just judgment; so you will understand it also in the case of the Babylonians. For being vessels of wrath, and rightly deserving to be punished, they were brought against Jerusalem; so that, having chastised Israel, they themselves afterwards might be required to pay the penalty most fitting and suitable for them. Evil seed, prepare your children to be slaughtered for the sins of your father, that they may not rise up and fill the earth with wars. And I will rise up against them, says the Lord of Sabaoth, and I will destroy their name, and remnant, and seed. Nebuchadnezzar indeed committed terrible deeds against every nation, and those after him and descended from him, up to Belshazzar, following the perversities of their father, surpassed his deeds, and they became cruel and harsh against every nation, and they lorded it over Israel, even though they were held in captivity and under the yoke of slavery. And they had such great pride, even against the very glory of God, that the wicked Belshazzar, while making a feast for his nobles, brought forth the holy vessels, and drank from them with his concubines and his wives, at which time a knuckle of a hand came forth, as Daniel says, and made a writing on the wall: Mene, Tekel, Peres; which indeed also was interpreted- the divine Daniel, indicating, said that his kingdom had been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. They say, therefore, that the race of Nebuchadnezzar, and indeed that of Belshazzar, was destroyed root and branch at that time, so that absolutely no one of their blood might ascend after them to the thrones of the kingdom among them. This, I think, the prophetic word shows through the things set before us. For see how the divine wrath has proceeded against all the evil seed. For "Prepare," he says, "your children to be slaughtered for the sins of your father." For since the fathers have become impious, the whole race that was to be from them has ceased. For what reason? "That they may not rise up," he says, "and inherit the earth, and fill the earth with wars;" that is, so that they might not, following the arrogance of their fathers, and becoming zealous for ancestral impiety, fill the earth with war, just as they indeed did, and become its lords. "And I will rise up against them," says the Lord of Sabaoth, "and I will destroy their name and remnant, and seed." For just as to those of the kings of Israel who pleased him; God promised that sons to the fourth generation would sit on their thrones, extending the blessing also to the race that would be from them; so also of those who have become excessively impious he cuts off the increase of their race. For the impious, he says, will be destroyed root and branch from the earth. Let him hear, then, even the enemy of all, the inventor of sin, and the one who has become for us the cause of all evils; "Just as a garment stained in blood will not be clean, so also you will not be clean, because you have destroyed my land, and you have slain my people." For he was not content with having moved the origin of our race to transgression, but indeed also to lead astray from God all that is under heaven, and having removed man on earth from love for him, he declared him his own worshipper, and cast him into the pits of destruction. Therefore he will not be clean, nor has he remained for all time; for he has not held power over the wronged forever, with God restraining his greed, and checking the impulses of his wickedness against us. For he has perished together with his own children, that is, with the unclean demons; for they were an evil seed. They have perished, cast down to Tartarus in chains of darkness, as the disciple of the Savior says, so that they might not rise up and inherit the earth, and fill the earth with wars. For they have been cast out from their tyranny over us, and Christ has become our peace. For as the blessed Paul writes: "The peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our thoughts." In what way it happened that they suffered this, the God of all himself will make clear to us, saying: "And I will rise up against them," says the Lord of Sabaoth, "and I will destroy their name, and remnant, and seed." Thus says the Lord: "And I will make Babylonia a desert, so that hedgehogs may dwell there, and it will be for nothing; and I will make it a pit of mire for destruction." This saying set before us seems to be a very brief summary of the things spoken at length. For it shows nothing else, except surely this, that the land of the Babylonians will be utterly desolate of men, but full of animals, for whom the wilderness is a beloved dwelling-place. And since it has, as is likely, a great rush of waters, and they say a river also cuts it in two, it has happened that with no one diverting the flow of the streams to the places where it was fitting for them to go, the water is scattered over the whole area, and forms a multitude of marshes, so that what was once brilliant and renowned, both queen of the others, and named most glorious, has become a pit of mire and, for those who fall in, for destruction. Thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: "In the way that I have spoken, so it shall be; and in the way that I have planned, so it shall remain, to destroy the Assyrians upon my land, and upon my mountains; and they shall be for trampling, and there shall be taken away from them the their yoke; and their glory will be taken away from their shoulders. The blessed Isaiah indeed prophesies in the reign of Uzziah, and Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah; and he seems to make these speeches, which are against Babylon, I say, or even the whole land of the Assyrians; while Uzziah, who is also Azariah, was still alive and holding the royal honor in his hands. But since Sennacherib the Assyrian marched against Judea during the reign of Hezekiah, and although he took many cities of Samaria, he was convicted by the hand of God, even as he assailed Jerusalem itself; for in one night one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the foreigners died, consumed by the hand of an angel; for this reason, so that none of the things spoken by God for the consolation of Israel might seem to fail, he proclaims this also beforehand and says, that In the way I have spoken, so shall it be; for, he says, that of the Babylonians will go down into a pit of mire; and it shall be desolate, and that will remain; and in every way and altogether, he says, it will come to a favorable end, what I have planned and have ratified by my own decrees, to destroy the Assyrians upon my land, and upon my mountains; and they shall be for a trampling; and their yoke shall be taken away, and their glory from their shoulders. For the Rabshakeh was sent by Sennacherib from Lachish to Jerusalem. Then, having surrounded the whole city with the armies of the Babylonians, he talked nonsense not moderately against the glory of God; and he uttered a voice befitting a barbarian mindset: "For let not Hezekiah deceive you, he says, saying, The Lord will deliver you from the hand of the Assyrians;" but seeking to cast a yoke of slavery upon those free from above, attributing great renown, that is, glory, to himself and to his own master, he was brought down to an unexpected calamity. "For rising up, he says, in the morning, they found all the bodies dead." And he knew by experience that the one who presides over the saints is all-powerful, and that nothing can withstand his divine commands. This is the counsel that the Lord has counseled upon the whole world; and this is the high hand upon all the nations of the whole world. For what the holy God has counseled, who will scatter? And the high hand, who will turn it back? It must be known again, that the power of the prophecy in these things does not come against the whole world, that is, the one under heaven, but rather the word of foretelling was against the whole land of the Assyrians, which he also calls the world, because it was great and broad, and richly filled with myriad nations and more than can be numbered. Therefore, the things spoken, he says, will come against the whole land of the Assyrians, and that in every way and altogether the things foretold will come to an end, with no one annulling the infliction, that is, having the strength to defend those under divine wrath, he further declares, saying: For what the holy God has counseled, who will scatter? And the high hand, who will turn it back? For he utterly cuts off the hope of the Babylonians; and he usefully strengthens those of Israel, so that they may be firmly disposed and understand, that in every way and altogether the divine and supreme hand, being all-powerful and prevailing over all things, will accomplish the things promised. For since they thought the strength of the Assyrians was terrible and hard to encounter, yielding to no one, and refusing to be defeated, it was likely for this reason that they would disbelieve the words of the prophecy; for this reason and very fittingly he does not allow them to suffer this; and he not only entreats them, but also cuts off beforehand the disease of disbelief, saying: The high hand, who will turn it back? In the year that Ahaz died, this word came: Do not rejoice, all you foreigners; for the yoke of him who smote you is broken. For from the seed of serpents will come forth the offspring of asps, and their offspring will come forth as flying serpents. Various revelations at different times came to the holy prophets, and corresponding to the nature of events for the benefit of those at that time. And yet The God of all things wished to remold the hardened Israel, who had been neglectful of the divine laws, into the necessity of thinking better things, showing kindness in many ways, and rousing his wrath against those who had resisted him, but bringing back those inhabiting the holy city, I mean Jerusalem, to good hopes, so that they might know that the Lord of all things is one and only, and there is no other besides him. But they, attributing reverence to the creature rather than the Creator, and offering devotion to falsely named gods, have offended not moderately. The force of the prophetic readings before us suggests such a certain dispensation now also. But it is necessary, I think, to first narrate the historical events, and to explain each thing clearly; for thus what is being shown will be as clear as possible for the readers. Now Uzziah, who is also Azariah, reigned over Israel in Jerusalem. This man became a caretaker of piety. For he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as it is written about him. And he was most powerful and entirely irresistible to his opponents, that is, to the foreigners, bringing forth his strength in wars. Indeed, having besieged them, he both took and sacked many cities of the Philistines, that is, of the foreigners, that is, of the Palestinians, and from those of what is called Coele-Syria. And it is written thus about him, in the second book of Chronicles; "And he went forth and warred against the foreigners and broke down the walls of Gath, and the walls of Azotus, and he built cities in Azotus, and among the foreigners. And the Lord strengthened him, against the foreigners and the Arabs, who dwell upon the Rock, and against the Minaei. And the Minaei gave gifts to Uzziah, and his name was known as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong. And when he died, Jotham, who was born from him, succeeded to his kingdom. Then after him, Ahaz, a wicked and apostate man, and one who had stepped into the swamps of deceit. For he served wood and stones, and all the host of heaven; and he also made his son pass through fire, for he sacrificed him to demons." And it is written thus also about him in the fourth book of Kings; "And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, faithfully as David his father did; but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel. And he burned incense in the high places, and upon the hills, and under every shady tree. Then Rezin king of Syria went up; and Pekah son of Remaliah and king of Israel, against Jerusalem to war; and they besieged Ahaz, but were not able to make war;" and after other things; "And Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of the Assyrians, saying: I am your servant, and your son. Come up, save me from the hand of the king of Syria, and from the hand of the king of Israel who are rising up against me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the house of the king, and sent gifts to the king. And the king of the Assyrians hearkened to him, and came to Damascus, and took it and carried it away captive, and put Rezin to death. Therefore, first Uzziah, who is also Azariah, sacked the foreigners, and having laid waste all their land, collected tribute and taxes. And second after him, Ahaz hired the Assyrian, and set him upon them; who also, having made the whole country of the Palestinians rise up (for he says they are the foreigners), carried away as captives into his own land those who had been left from the war. But when Ahaz had died, at this the cities of the foreigners leaped for joy, as if he who was striking them down and placing upon them, as it were, an unbearable yoke of oppression, was out of the way. For having been weakened once, and sacked by the hand of the Assyrians, they were indeed embittered against Ahaz, but they were not able to take revenge. sufficient." Therefore, O foreigners, he says, since just as you say and think, when Ahaz died, the yoke of him that struck you was broken, that is, of him that crushed you, do not rejoice over this. And yet one might say that Ahaz was an idolater, profane and hateful to God; then how does God stop the laughter against him from the adversaries? Therefore the laughter was not entirely against him; but if something of those things that were accustomed to grieve Judea happened, the adversaries attempted to mock not so much the sufferers, but the hand of God, which protected Israel. For they thought that the all-powerful right hand had grown weak, and that the gods they had were better than the one guarding Israel. Therefore, even if Ahaz was profane, yet since the foreigners were mocking, as I just said, those of Israel, He restrains their joy, and as it were checks their praise, saying that they have not been delivered from the afflicting yoke, but rather they will suffer things over which it was likely they would, even unwillingly, be not moderately distressed. For what does he say? Do not rejoice, saying that the yoke of him that struck you has been broken. But know rather, that from the seed of a serpent will come forth the offspring of asps. You will understand this in two ways; for Uzziah, also called Azariah, was, as I said, harsh and very warlike; and he so subdued them, that he also taxed their cities and villages in an unaccustomed manner. Then after him Ahaz, though perhaps not with his own hand and with local forces, yet through the Assyrians did the same things to them. For Tiglath-pileser took Damascus, and the cities of the foreigners; and he also killed Rezin himself. And when Ahaz died, the righteous and pious Hezekiah succeeded to the kingdom. And it is also written about him in the fourth book of Kings: "And he rebelled against the king of the Assyrians, and did not serve him. He smote the foreigners as far as Gaza, and as far as its border, from the tower of the watchmen, to the fortified city." Therefore, as from the seed of a serpent, Uzziah, has come forth the offspring of an asp, Ahaz; then after him a flying serpent, that is, the swift Hezekiah. For in a way they devoured the foreigners, and have consumed their cities. And if Uzziah and Hezekiah were called serpents, although they were pious, yet it is necessary to consider this very wisely, that the scope of the discourse is turned and looks especially toward impressing the Philistines, that is, the foreigners. Therefore, it was necessary to say not that they would be tame and gentle, but terrible and swift, as accustomed to leap upon their adversaries in the manner of serpents. Therefore you will either understand "From the seed of a serpent will come forth the offspring of asps" in this way, or also in another way, if you wish. For Ahaz hired Tiglath-pileser the Assyrian, and sent him against the land of the foreigners, who, having laid it all waste, also killed, as I said, King Rezin himself. But in the time of King Hezekiah, Shalmaneser, who was also king of the Assyrians, marched against Samaria. And coming first to the land of the Palestinians, that is, of the foreigners, he committed acts of barbaric cruelty against all. Therefore, as from the seed of a serpent, Tiglath-pileser, came forth the offspring of an asp, Shalmaneser, like a serpent himself, not slow to attack, not sluggish in movement for the need to besiege, but rather swift, and standing over cities in the manner of a winged creature. And the poor shall be fed through him; and poor men shall rest in peace; and he will destroy your seed with famine, and he will destroy your remnant. I said before, that when Ahaz died, the foreigners were filled with joy; yet they were not smiling so much at him, but at the all-powerful right hand of the one who saves Israel, I mean, of God. But that those who fight will not cease even after Uzziah, he has declared very clearly, from the seed of the serpent, saying that the offspring of asps will come forth. But since they danced upon the divine glory, the prophet necessarily shows us in these things that He who defends Israel will both save him, and that He will bring destruction upon his adversaries in every way and altogether. For Shalmaneser besieged Jerusalem after taking all of Samaria. And he besieged it by sending Rabshakeh from Lachish, as it is written, but the God of all unexpectedly saved those of Israel. For the Assyrians fell, an angel of the Lord consuming them; but the seed of the foreigners, and every remnant from the first siege that happened in the time of Tiglath-pileser, was completely destroyed and utterly perished, perhaps being afflicted by famine. For other harms always somehow follow the besieging of cities. Therefore the poor, and men of modest mind, will be fed by God, that is, they will pasture their own lands, and will rest in peace. But your seed, and the remnant, he will destroy by famine. It is a fearful thing, therefore, to mock those under the hand of God, and to be lifted up against those who have become the object of his care. For he will in no way overlook it, but will certainly defend his own acquaintances, so that their adversaries may not laugh broadly and reproach God, as not having sufficient power to be able to save those who have trusted in him. Wail, you gates of cities; let the troubled cities cry aloud, all you foreigners, because smoke comes from the north, and there is no one who will survive. The phrase, "From the seed of the serpent will come forth the offspring of asps," might be properly understood in this way, as we said when interpreting, that Tiglath-pileser sacked the cities of the foreigners, and also took Damascus, then after him, Shalmaneser brought still more grievous calamities upon them in the time of the reign of Hezekiah, having conquered the cities of the Samaritans. Therefore, as the attack was already organized, and the army of the Assyrians was present, as the siege engines were already brought to the gates in each city, and the walls were about to be thrown down by their unbearable assaults; he commands the gates to wail, and the cities to cry out, no longer exulting over those of the blood of Israel, not mocking the glory of the all-powerful God, not dancing upon the dead Ahaz, but rather practicing lamentation and dirges, and being not moderately downcast at the calamities that were just about to arrive. For why have I commanded the cities to lament, he says? Because smoke comes from the north, and there is no one who will survive. In these words, he names as smoke from the north that which comes from the land of the Assyrians, either Shalmaneser himself, or the army with him. For the country of the Jews is most southern, but that of the Assyrians is somewhat more northern. And he compares the warlike army to smoke, as being productive of tears for the captured. For smoke always somehow draws forth the tear from the eyes. But it is not unlikely that wars are compared to smoke in another way as well. For just as smoke, falling upon the eyes of the body, certainly takes away from them the accuracy of their sight, so too the fear of death all but intoxicates the mind, and troubles the heart, all but blackening it with terrible and unbearable terrors. Therefore, smoke will come from the north. Then what is the end of the attack? "there is no one who will survive," he says, that is, utter destruction will destroy both cities and houses, and those in them. And what shall the kings of the nations answer? That the Lord has founded Zion, and in him the humble of the people will be saved. When the attack of the Assyrians occurred, the cities of the foreigners were captured. And those of the Samaritans were no less sacked; but Jerusalem alone, contrary to expectation, was saved out of all of them, as He who has the power to accomplish all things easily brought His hand against the armies of the Assyrians. For in one night one hundred and eighty of the foreigners died five thousand. When, therefore, those from the north burn the cities of the foreigners, and lay waste the neighbor of Judea, that of the Samaritans, then having surrounded even Jerusalem itself, with no one to oppose them, they fall in one night; then indeed, then even unwillingly, he says, the kings of the nations will confess that the Lord has founded Zion; and that through him the humble of the people will be saved. He calls the humble of the people those who have placed their hope of salvation in him alone, just as was king Hezekiah himself, and those around him who fell before God, saying: "Hear, O Lord, look, O Lord, and see the words of Rabshakeh, which the king of the Assyrians sent to reproach the living God." But he also heard God saying clearly: "Thus says the Lord: I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake." "It is a good thing, therefore, to trust in God." And knowing this, the blessed prophets say, Jeremiah indeed, that, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his hope." And the most wise David: "O Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in you." For no one will destroy the one who is assisted by his divine commands, and very well fortified by the benevolences from above. For he deems worthy of care those who love him, and to those who have been most zealous to think and do what is pleasing to him, he readily grants that their blessings rest in security.

Discourse 9

Having thoroughly finished the discourse concerning the Babylonians and the foreigners, he again shifts the prophecy to Moabitis; that is, against the metropolis of the Moabites, and all their country and their kingdom itself. They are also a barbarian nation, hateful to God, because they were wholly devoted to the worship of idols, and especially confident in the art of magic, and exalted themselves against the glory of God, and were among the most hostile to those of Israel. And indeed, when, freed from the oppression of the Egyptians, they were going to the land of promise, they almost all perished, as far as the attempt of Balak was concerned, who was then king of the Moabites. For it is written thus in Numbers: "And all the children of Israel encamped on the west of Moab, by the Jordan, opposite Jericho. And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorite; and Moab was very afraid of the people, because they were many. And Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel." Then what was his evil deed? He hired Balaam from Mesopotamia; and this man was a false prophet and an augur; then he exhorts him, saying: Curse Israel for me. For I know, he says, that whom you bless is blessed, and whom you curse is cursed. And the methods of sorcery were practiced by him, with altars having been raised, and sacrifices having been offered. But Balak was disappointed of his hope, and missed his mark, as the one who was hired to curse unexpectedly blessed Israel. But since his attempt turned out contrary to his expectations, he again pursues his malice against them in another way. For he ensnared those of Israel, who were captivated by the beauty of the women, to turn away from their love for God, and to choose to worship Baal-peor; and this was an idol of the Moabites. For it is written thus again in Numbers: "And Israel stayed in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab, and they called them to the sacrifices of their idols, and the people ate of their sacrifices, and bowed down to their idols; and Israel was initiated to Baal-phegor, and the Lord was angry in wrath with Israel.” For since Israel was terrible and hard to meet when God was defending, for this reason indeed, very bitterly and maliciously, by turning His assistance away from him, they persuaded him to offend the God over all. And they have continued always holding such an opinion, and even if it happened that Israel, having offended God, shared in calamities, they would boast and mock, accusing God of being able to do nothing at all, He who promised to save those who worship Him. And a witness to this is the blessed Jeremiah, saying in his vision against them: “The horn of Moab is broken, and his arm is shattered. Make him drunk because he has magnified himself against the Lord.” And again: “For thus said the Lord, Arioth is taken; and the strongholds are captured. And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against the Lord.” For at times the tyrant of the Assyrians and Babylonians came to ravage Judaea. He captured the cities of Samaria. But the Moabites, in turn, smiling at the lost, mocked immoderately, and continually reproached the glory of God. For this reason they too were given over to desolation, and were utterly destroyed together with their cities and people and every house, so as now to seem not even to have existed. Therefore, the present vision recounts what happened to them, clearly from the wrath from above, and says: By night the Moabite shall perish; for by night the wall of the Moabite land shall perish. Some of those who have studied these things have handed down that when the Babylonians were about to make war on them, an earthquake occurred and the metropolis of the Moabites was so shaken that its entire wall collapsed automatically in the night and darkness; and when this indeed happened, before the attack of the enemies, the hope of their salvation was all but lost. For this reason he says the Moabite land perishes by night. But be grieved, he says, for yourselves. It is as if he were to say, Many times raising a high brow you have reveled in the calamities of others; but now the war runs against you yourselves, and the harms from it hang over your unholy heads. Be grieved, therefore, not for certain others, but for yourselves. For Lebedon shall perish, where your altar is. I said that the Moabites have become terrible and arrogant, and emboldened by the deceits of demons, and thinking through the art of a magus to prevail over the hand of all, and even of Israel itself though God should defend it; therefore in the place called Lebedon, they had an altar and a sanctuary that was not unimpressive, as far as its construction went. There they performed their divinations, and were high-minded, and they made the place especially revered above others. But it shall perish, he says, even the workshop of your divination. There you will go up to weep over Nebo of the Moabite land. This is a city of the strongest. Wail, he says; for on every head is baldness. That is, one dishonor will run upon all. For baldness is a symbol of dishonor. And all arms will be cut. From beating oneself and lamenting. Or because it is a custom for idolaters to inflict the so-called incisions on both their cheeks and their arms. In vain therefore will you do this, he says, for the matter is completely unprofitable. Therefore in her streets gird yourselves with sackcloth, and beat yourselves upon her roofs, and in her squares, and in her alleys, all of you wail with weeping, because Heshbon has cried out, and has spoken until her voice was heard. The power of the prophecy describes for us the image of cities entangled in no moderate terrors. For with war surrounding, and the ultimate calamity inflicted on cities and houses, some run through the squares and narrow streets wailing. But whatever is weak and unable to fight, such as the female sex, and that of infants, has leaped up onto the roofs themselves, makes a lamentation and a wail, to the seeing the phalanxes of the enemy, and perceiving the slaughter that was just about to happen. Wail therefore; for Heshbon has cried out, and has spoken until her voice was heard. And he says these are the most warlike cities of Moab. But even if they were so, he says, they will make such a wailing, as not to weep secretly, nor in a corner, but rather for their voice to be heard, and to lament openly, those among them having neglected their customary courage, being so crushed as to be utterly bereft of strength and boldness, and of thoughts and attempts at valor. The loin of Moab cries out; her soul shall know it, and the heart of Moab cries out within her, unto Zoar; for she is a three-year-old heifer. And on the ascent toward you, they shall go up weeping on the way of Aroniim; destruction and earthquake cries out. Sharp griefs of incurable calamities always assail, and very grievous despondencies, and an assault of terrors, not incapable of crushing even a very courageous heart. Hence, I think, for some, faces become sullen, and groans, as it were, spring up from the depths, interpreting the burning of the inner flame. Therefore, the loin of Moab cries out; that is, she is in birth pangs, and has hidden pains, clearly being terrified beforehand by the rumors, and considering the war not yet at hand. For her soul knew this. And for this reason, she laments and cries out within herself unto Zoar, that is, the entire land of Moab, even to its very borders. For they say Zoar is situated on the very borders of the Moabites. For what reason, then, will these things happen to her? She is a three-year-old heifer. The third year is sufficient for irrational animals to reach their prime, and for vigorous power to become active in them. Therefore, that is also the time for them to be tamed. As long, therefore, as the heifer is unyoked, vigorous and young, and bearing a newly grown horn, she often frisks about and dances around the courts and stalls; such has the land of Moab become, leaping upon her neighbors, and frisking about over the weaker. They say it is high, and a certain highway called Aroniim leads up to it those coming from other cities or countries. Upon this ascent of Aroniim, therefore, he says, they shall go up weeping. And the voice for those weeping is destruction and shaking. For they have cried out beforehand the sufferings that will come from the war, as it were shaking all things, both cities and houses, and crushing those in them. The water of Nimrim will be desolate, and its grass will fail; for there will be no green grass, will she still be saved even so? They say Nimrim is a city situated in the extremities of the country, bordering on the Red Sea, so well-watered and with such good pasture, that those in it can possess many horses; for this reason they are also most warlike, and have cavalry experienced in war. Therefore, he says, from divine wrath, from the attack of the enemies, it will be desolate of both waters and green grass. When this has happened, the expertise of the tacticians will surely be weakened, their horses having been destroyed beforehand, and having perished from famine. But if this should happen, he says, will she not then think great things of herself even so? when this has happened, is she going to be saved, and to escape the hands of the enemies? For with their strength destroyed beforehand, what hope of salvation will remain? For I will bring Arabs upon the valley, and they will take it. The cry has joined the border of Moab of Agalleim, and her wailing unto the well of Elim. And the water of Remmon shall be filled with blood; for I will bring Arabs upon Remmon. And I will take away the seed of Moab, and Ariel, and the remnant of Adama I will send forth like creeping things upon the earth. They say the southernmost parts of the Damascenes are inhabited by the innumerable tribes of those called Saracens, extending even to Per- of you. They armed themselves with the Babylonians, and were devastating the land of the Moabites; for they also followed, although perhaps they were of the same race, and neighbors to the land of the Moabites. For they also were called Arabs. Therefore he says that Nebreim will be taken; "For I will bring upon the ravine." "Arabs, and they will take it." He likely calls Nebreim a ravine, because of its being situated in a hollow place. Although the other cities were raised up high, and were in the mountains. But since it was not a part of the land of the Moabites that was crushed by the war, but the whole of it through and through was both shaken and tossed about like a drunkard; for this reason he says that the cry will join from one end to the other, of those wailing, that is, and of those accustomed to practice the dirge for those about to perish. For the cry, he says, has joined the border of the land of the Moabites, of Agalleim, and its wailing to the well of Eleim. He names the outer cities, and those situated at the very borders, I mean both Agalleim, and the well of Eleim. Confirming that the dirge has been set throughout all their land, as I said, he then says, that "The water of Remmon will be filled with blood." For Remmon is said to be very watery. But it will be filled with blood, he says, saying this somewhere, that the blood of the fallen during the time of war will compete with the abundance of the waters; and the rivers will be seen reddened, and the water of the land will be poured out, no longer pure, nor indeed having the appearance of water, but of another color and like blood. He says that it too will be taken by the Arabs, so that all the seed of Moab, and Ariel, will be taken away, that is, to be destroyed and consumed. "But the remnant," he says, "I will send away like reptiles upon the earth." For being bitter they will always go into captivity, like some snakes charmed by certain incantations, and as if nodding off, to an unaccustomed tameness. For to say "I will send away" means to send forth. For it is the custom for those who have taken a country or a city, not always to destroy everyone completely, but when the most warlike multitude has been consumed, to place the survivors in the rank of captives. But if one must also apply a necessary word to the histories, it must be known, that a soul fortified by the fear of God is both strong and hard to capture, and overcoming the hand of those who fight against it. For it conquers principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world, the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. But if it should turn aside to what is not fitting, and be carried outside the straight path, and running past what is pleasing to God, should be carried down to the passions in this world, and should shake off the yoke of obedience, He strips it of all assistance, and makes it as it were unwalled, and makes it unsafe for those who war against it, and He smooths the assaults of passions against it, so that it is in no way able to escape. Thus they are given over to a debased mind, and have become easy prey to monstrous desires, and nothing saves them, but they are under the feet of enemies, scattered in a cowardly way. For if the God of all, he says, shuts men up, who will open, and who will overcome the all-powerful right hand of Him who has delivered them up? Let us therefore remain in the fear of God. For thus we will gain the grace of favor from above; and we will grow strong spiritually, and caring very little for sins, and passions, and the greed of the devil, we will arrive at the prize of the upward call, achieving a glorious and most approved life. Is mount Sion a desolate rock? For you shall be as a bird flying away, a fledgling taken away, O daughter of Moab. Shalmaneser the Assyrian campaigned against Samaria from time to time, and took the cities in it; and in addition he wronged many of those of Judea, and carried away a captive multitude to his own land. And for this reason, the nations of the Moabites mocked Sion, that is, Jerusalem, and called it a desolate rock, not perhaps mocking her, the wretches, but rather God who is over all; and indeed they were saying that the hand that saves them has grown weak, and for this reason they have come under the feet of their enemies. O therefore daughter of Moab, it says, and the word was in every way simple, is Mount Zion a desolate rock? Has Zion alone grown weary, it says? Has she alone fallen under the feet of her enemies? and suffered the desolation of her inhabitants? or have you fallen into things even worse than hers? For you will be taken by enemies, and like a chick taken from the nest, you will go to another land, and you will serve enemies, and you will be among them a pitiful captive, and cast down, and under the yoke of slavery. Useful, therefore, and necessary is the command: "If your enemy falls, do not rejoice over him, because the Lord will see, and it will not please him; and he will turn his anger away from him." For it is not fitting to rejoice over the misfortunes of others, nor to make what has happened to one's neighbor a pretext for gladness, even if he happens to be one of those accustomed to causing grief, but rather to be sad for him, and casting an eye on our own stumblings, to fear greatly, lest somehow the wrath of the one who strikes should also come upon us. Then, Arnon, take more counsel, and make a shelter of mourning for her always; in the midday darkness they flee, they were driven out. Let not the fugitives of Moab sojourn from the beginning; they shall be a shelter for you from the face of the pursuer, because your alliance is taken away, and the ruler who tramples upon the earth has perished. The meaning of the preceding is very difficult to interpret, because of the transitions from person to person, and the roughness of the composition, which is not stable for any mind. However, as I am able, I will try to explain. So then, when all of the land of the Moabites had been sacked, and cities were being demolished, and houses burned, and the Babylonians were raging savagely in every way, those who were able to escape migrated to Arnon. This is one of the strongest cities, perhaps bordering on the land of the Moabites. The word, therefore, is to her. But you, it says, after this, O Arnon, take more counsel. Consider, it says, in what way you will be able to save those who have been left behind and were able to escape the savagery of the plunderers. And make a shelter of mourning for her always. Yes, it says, you have considered something philanthropic; become a shelter for those overcome by unbearable mourning. For they flee in midday darkness, that is, when it is day, and the sun is at its noon, they have darkness in their mind. For the fear of death is exceedingly able to trouble the soul, and to pour down a kind of night on the mind through the assault of extreme despair. For this reason, it says that And they were driven out. For they have almost become beside themselves, being terrified by the dreads of the war. But even if you should receive, it says, those from the land of the Moabites, yet know very clearly, that you have not saved all, but a small and easily-counted remnant of the lost. This, I think, it wishes to make clear, saying: 'Let not the fugitives of Moab sojourn from the beginning.' Was it not at the beginning of the war, it says, that you received the fugitives? Are not those who were able to escape very few in number and altogether small? Therefore what was spoken by God against the Moabites has been brought to fulfillment. For it has perished, although a small remnant was saved with difficulty. But, O, it says, Arnon, you received those from the land of the Moabites, expecting perhaps that they themselves in time would be a shelter for you from the face of the pursuer. But this will not be. Why? For your alliance is taken away; and the ruler who tramples upon the earth has perished. For the one who always shielded you, it says, the leader of the Moabites, the terrible and arrogant one, who was accustomed to trample on his opponents as if they were dust, is gone and has perished. For he has been taken away, and is gone from the midst. And through these things it teaches that the hope of being able to prevail again has also been destroyed for the Moabites. For the impious, it says, will be utterly destroyed from the earth; and when divine wrath altogether leaps upon them, what will be a remnant of those who have suffered? Or who is able to raise up, when God is casting down? And a throne shall be set up with mercy, and one shall sit upon it with truth in the tent of David, judging and seeking judgment, and hastening righteousness. In these words he clearly promises that Israel will in due time be delivered from unbearable hardship and the evils of captivity. For when Cyrus took Babylon, Israel was released, and was brought back by God's mercy to the holy city, under the leadership of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, who was from the tribe of Judah and David, and also of Joshua son of Jozadak the high priest. The throne, then, he says, that is, the kingdom among the Jews, will be set up with mercy, that is, it will return to its proper order, through God's mercy. And one will sit upon it again with truth in the tent of David, judging and seeking judgment. And "tent," it seems, he calls the royal palace, in which they passed their time and judged, lawfully administering the very thrones of the kingdom. And insofar as it was pleasing to God, they became overseers of righteousness, even if some have failed in virtue, turning aside to what is worse. But it should be known that after the return from Babylon, those of Israel no longer dwelt separately, such that the ten tribes and the half-tribe of Ephraim were in Samaria, with someone ruling over them, and in Jerusalem the tribe of Judah and the half-tribe of Manasseh, with another ruling specifically over them, but having been brought together into one mind, they dwelt together in Jerusalem, anointing one king from then on. And this, then, was what was said about them through the voice of the prophet: And they shall come up from the land, and they shall cease for a little while from anointing a king and a ruler. Nevertheless, God promises the restoration of the throne among the Jews, all but reproaching Moab. She has babbled, indeed, saying that Mount Zion is a desolate rock. But to you, he says, this and that will happen, as you laugh scornfully at those of Israel. But God will have mercy on them in every way and altogether, and will release them from what has happened; and he will restore their kingdom to its original state, setting it right. We have heard of the insolence of Moab, he is exceedingly insolent. Having proclaimed very well the return of those of Israel from captivity, and that there will be a return to the former state of their rule, that is, their kingdom, he returns again to Moab, and directs his word to them. And the words, "We have heard the insolence of Moab, he is exceedingly insolent," are spoken as if from the person of the holy prophets. For through these words they consent to God as punishing in justice, having brought upon them the punishment that was due and fitting for them. And they say they have heard the insolence of Moab, first of all not being ignorant of that most ancient history which the divine Moses relates. For as we said before, Balak hired Balaam, saying, "Come, curse Israel for me." And very many things have been done for this purpose at various times by the arrogance of the Moabites, fighting against the glory of God. I have removed the pride. Since the holy prophets have most clearly acknowledged that they have heard the insolence of Moab, and know that he is exceedingly insolent, God answers and says: "I have removed the pride"; that is, I have caused Moab, not as being simply arrogant, but as having become arrogance itself, to be removed from the midst. For I war against the proud, and I fight against those who have chosen not to think soberly, but rather are puffed up for no reason, and raise their brow high, and are ignorant of the weakness of their own nature. For it is written that "The Lord opposes the proud." And teaching that he punishes justly, and does not simply bring on penalties in vain, he accuses Moab of being unbearably sick with arrogance. Not so is your divination, not so. It was not I who removed your pride, he says—that is, I cut off Moab—but your sins* did not foretell these things to you. For the soothsayers, speaking falsely, promised that you would be stronger than the attack of war, and that you would easily conquer your opponents, and that you would be indestructible to your enemies, and that you would mock the vanquished. But it is not so, far from it. For rather the outcome of events turned out to the contrary, and not according to your hope. Therefore it is truly very difficult and harmful to heed the words of those who mock, and to be carried away by the voices of sorcerers into hopes that will not come to pass. Moab shall wail. For in the land of Moab all shall wail; for the inhabitants of Deseth you will practice mourning. That the divination did not turn out as they expected, but in a different way, and to the complete contrary, he shows clearly, saying: Moab will wail, although the divination, that is, of those who had practiced using the art of the Magi, had foretold not that she would wail, but that she would shout in triumph over her ruined enemies and dance over the fallen. Therefore all, he says, who are in the land of Moab will wail aloud; and there will be a practice of mourning for the inhabitants of Deseth. And this is also a city of Moab, whose inhabitants are perhaps indicated by this, having practiced a rhythmic and melodious beating of the breast and lament against themselves. And they will not have respect for the fields of Heshbon; the vine of Sibmah will mourn. Devouring the nations, trample her vines as far as Jazer. The word is perhaps addressed to those who had captured Moab, I mean both the Assyrians and the Babylonians, whom he commands no longer to spare the fields of Heshbon and to burn Heshbon itself; and to treat Sibmah in such a way that even the vines in it would mourn. And indeed he says to them: Devouring the nations. For I command you, he says, O destroyers of nations, and my innumerable and most savage beasts, devouring nations, trample her vines as far as Jazer. And this too is a city of the Moabites. And again in these words, by vines he names the inhabitants of the Moabites. For it is the custom of the divinely-inspired Scripture to compare the people in each city and country to forests and trees and indeed also to vines. And so concerning Israel he says: For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the man of Judah, a beloved new plant. And in saying, Trample her vines, he shows again that it was not the work of the hand of the Assyrians to conquer Moab, but it was the all-powerful God subjecting his opponents under his feet, and granting to their hand the ability to prevail. You shall not join, wander the desert, O you who were sent; they were abandoned, they crossed the desert. They say that when the Assyrians had invaded, most of the Moabites, fleeing to the bordering and neighboring desert, were eager to escape notice, and they were eager with difficulty, being very few in number. And it was perhaps not difficult for the Babylonians to find them too, with God letting loose and extending his wrath even to them. But since, being benevolent, he punishes with measure, he all but commands those who have sacked Moab not to join the fugitives to the lost, but to allow them to wander, as it were, in the desert, that is, to consign to oblivion and to dismiss the search for those who have run together in it. For this reason, he says, and to wander the desert. You who were sent, he says, who were sent by my wrath to take Moab by force, wander through the desert, give it to oblivion, and pass by the desert, for they have crossed it. Then the phrase, They were abandoned, is thrown in between, teaching this again, that the Moabites would not have come into this state, if they had not offended in no small measure the all-powerful God. Therefore I will weep as with the weeping of Jazer, O vine of Sibmah. Your trees Heshbon has cast down, and it spoke, upon your harvest and upon your vintage I will trample, and all things will fall, and gladness and exultation will be taken away from your vineyards; and in your vineyards they will not rejoice; and they will not tread wine into the wine-presses, for it has ceased. The prophetic word creates for us a persona, weeping over the misfortunes of the Moabites, and perhaps with Jazer having been plundered more than the others; thus it says that the others are to be lamented, just as it would be fitting for Jazer too. And it names the inhabitants of the cities "vines" and "trees". And it also enumerates the plundered cities of Sibmah and Heshbon. But the host of the enemies spoke. Upon your harvest and upon your vintage, it says; but what did it speak? "I will tread down," clearly, and all things will fall. And in addition to this, further: Gladness and joy will be taken away from your vineyards; for the festival-loving Moabite, who dedicates very many rites to demons, who spends the night at altars, and always has sacrificing as a pretext for gladness. He will wail and weep, and will be far from all cheer. For they will certainly not be glad; nor will they tread wine into the wine-presses, for it has ceased. There will be, it says, no fruit in the vineyards; for that which is born from them will perish with them. And regarding the vines, if they were cut down completely, this word is true. But if it should be taken by us, as the word again teaches concerning human affairs in the power of examples, that together with the parents their offspring will perish, so that not even to the pregnant women themselves is any mercy given by the enemies. And we say that Jerusalem suffered this in the war against the Romans. And indeed the Savior said, announcing beforehand the things that would happen to her, that she would be surrounded by armies; and that woe would come especially to those giving birth and those with child in the womb in those days. Therefore my belly will sound like a harp for Moab, and my inward parts like a wall that you renewed. Joy and gladness having been taken away, it says, from your vineyards, and with no one in them being gladdened, and with this and that having happened, my inward parts will become a harp and a song and a melody for you. For I proclaim your sufferings, and I make known the misfortune brought upon you. And like some melodious lyre I will cry out, and I will make such a sound, and I will make the song heard aloud, like the wall that you renewed. For at the beginning of the vision the blessed prophet said: At night Moab will perish; for at night the wall of Moab will perish. And we, interpreting the meaning of what was said, say that when an earthquake occurred, the wall of Moab was broken down, and before the attack of the enemies, as if uprooted from its very foundations, it crashed down upon the Moabites, the very one they had renewed, having spent the labor on it completely in vain. For both the Assyrians and the Babylonians captured the entire land without a struggle. Therefore my inward parts will sound, it says, like a harp over your misfortunes, and thus I will make your suffering renowned; just as indeed your wall was brought down, which you renewed, but for no useful purpose. For with the wall having fallen of itself, what had happened escaped the notice of none of those throughout all Moab, that is, those who were in other cities and lands. And it shall be that you will be put to shame, because Moab has wearied himself at the altars, and he will enter into his man-made temples to pray, and will not be able to deliver him. And what, it says, will happen again in addition to this, which will bring you shame and disgrace; for you will endure vain labors, filling your altars with blood, and making unceasing sacrifices, and offering prayers to man-made things. And you will obtain none of those things for benefit and salvation. For they will not be able to deliver you from the impending evils. For what strength is in lifeless idols, which are also inventions of human art, and have as their creators those who worship them? Therefore, as the blessed David says: May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them. But it must be known that the Moabites have become exceedingly superstitious, both observers of omens and false prophets, and wonder-mongers, and those who have grown far too bold in the evils of sorcery. For they perhaps thought they could get the better of the enemy's hand, not so much, as I think at least, by their experience in tactics, as by the aid of the gods among them. But they have missed their hope, calling upon lifeless matter for aid through both sacrifices and prayer. This is the word that the Lord spoke against Moab when He spoke. This, he says, is the vision spoken by God against the Moabites; when He also spoke, that is, even before the words came to be through me, He had spoken very many things concerning it, and accused it of countless evils. For as I have already said, the divine Moses also makes mention of the nation's perversity, and commanded that it be considered among the most hated. For he said: An Ammonite and a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord, even to the tenth generation. It once carried Israel also away from the love for God, and persuaded them to worship Baal-peor, sharpened for shameful pleasures, and ensnared by the beauty of women unto destruction. Therefore, indeed, the God of all has spoken concerning it. And now also through me this word has come to be against it, he says. And now I say, in three years, as the years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be dishonored, with all its great wealth, and what is left will be few in number and not honored. The prophetic word now brings us to the remembrance of a history. For having departed from Jerusalem, ten tribes of Israel, and the half-tribe of Ephraim, have settled in Samaria; and they have worshipped the golden ones; with Jeroboam the son of Nabat leading them to this, and impiously thrusting them down. Then they also devised other false worships there, each one setting up what seemed good to them as God. Therefore, being indignant at these things, the Lord of all, since His glory was indeed insulted and the ancestral laws were trampled upon, as it were, hired the Assyrian Shalmaneser and sent him against them, who also subjugated all the land of the Samaritans, having besieged it for three whole years; at this same time the land of the Moabites was captured by force. Therefore, even if God has spoken long ago, he says, yet now I also say, that in the three years of the years of the hireling, that is, of the king of the Assyrians, the glory of Moab will be dishonored. And by these things, he means either the kingdom among them, or also according to the sizes of the cities, and the multitude of the inhabitants, or perhaps, the age experienced in war. And it will be left, he says, few in number and not honored, that is, everything that is honored among them will be consumed by the war; but those who are left behind will be very few indeed, and most dishonored and unmanly, and worthy of no account. A fearful thing it is, then, to fall into the hands of the living God; and to dare to offend the one who is all-powerful, how will it not be the cause of every disaster? But it is salutary also to love to be subject to Him, and to know Him alone, and to depart from the snares of error, and to say to Him with a good disposition: Lord, besides you we know no other, we name your name.

Discourse 10

The city of the Damascenes has become a most mighty and most notable city; but impious and fighting against God, and among those most hated by the all-holy God at least; and it was idolatrous, and in both the abominations and arrogances of the Assyrians it yielded in no way. And it has also offended the all-powerful God in another way. For those of the blood of Israel, that is, the ten tribes, and the half-tribe of Ephraim, having departed from Jerusalem and having settled in Samaria, have indeed worshipped the golden calves, with Jeroboam the son of Nabat having brought them down to this, and having unholily thrust them down; but having completely leaped away, and having wholly leaped away from the love for God; and having been brought to a forgetting of the law given to them through the all-wise Moses. Sometimes, when the occasion called, and war was about to come upon them, they did not rather place their hope in the saving God, but rather called upon those who at the time were kings of Damascus and of all the land of the Syrians to come to their aid and deliver them from the hand of their enemies. Therefore, and especially for this reason, the God of all was indignant and grew bitter against them. For, having completely forgotten that they were redeemed from Egypt and had shaken off the unbearable yoke of slavery, and were brought through the midst of the sea, then having eaten the manna, and been given water from the rock to drink, and having prevailed over every enemy, they became heirs of the good things promised to their fathers, the wretched ones called for help from men, all but condemning God as being unable to save them. For this reason, indeed, they were delivered over to the king of the Assyrians, who, having taken all Samaria, also sacked Damascus itself, and laid waste the entire land of the Syrians. That our words concerning these things are true, the prophet Isaiah himself will confirm, saying: And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but they could not besiege it. And it was told to the house of David, saying: Aram has conspired with Ephraim, that is, the Syrian with those in Samaria. For Aram is interpreted as Syrian; and Ephraim, as from the tribe of Ephraim, signifies all of Israel dwelling in Samaria. For since Jeroboam, their first king, was from the tribe of Ephraim, and after him those who followed in succession, as from the ruling tribe, I mean that of Ephraim, the whole of Israel in Samaria is signified. And we shall find in the fourth book of Kings that when Pekah was reigning in Samaria, the Syrians and Rezin, who was king of Damascus, rose up against those of Israel. Then Ahaz persuades the tyrant of the Assyrians with money, and called on him to come quickly and to aid him, but to lay waste Damascus; which indeed came to pass. In what manner, then, the most warlike and all-powerful and insolent city perished, the prophet proclaims again to us in these words, and says: Behold, Damascus shall be taken away from among the cities, and it shall be a ruin, left for ever, for a bed of flocks and a resting-place, and there shall be none to chase them away. He does not say that it will simply come to an experience of wars and the evils from them; but rather to be taken away, that is, to be utterly destroyed, and to fall completely from being a city. For it shall be, he says, left as a ruin forever; but left by whom, if not entirely by those who inhabit it, not as having been relocated, but as having been destroyed by the swords of the enemy. And by saying that it will be a bed for flocks, he shows its complete desolation; for shepherds would not have rested, and flocks of cattle would not have lodged in it, if there were any people in its houses. To this, and very fittingly, he adds, saying: And there will be none to chase them away. For no one will rebuke the shepherds, he says, for having made a lodging of so brilliant and famous a city. And Ephraim shall cease to be a fortress of refuge, and there shall no longer be a kingdom in Damascus and the remnant of the Syrians. For you are no better than the sons of Israel and their glory. For the precise clarity of the foregoing, I think it necessary to recall again a history found in the books of Kings. For when Ahaz was reigning over Judah in Jerusalem, Pekah son of Remaliah, reigning in Samaria over the ten tribes, marched against Jerusalem. But since he feared lest he might somehow grow weak to capture it, he made an ally of Rezin the king of the Syrians and of Damascus. For thus said the blessed pro-phet Isaiah himself: And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Aram went up, (which is interpreted as of the Sy-rians, or of Syria;) and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel against Jerusalem to war against it. And it was reported to the house of David, saying: Aram has conspired with Ephraim, that is, the Syrian with the one from the tribe of Ephraim who rules those in Sama- ria. And his soul, and the soul of his people, was moved, as when a tree in a wood is shaken by the wind. Therefore Ephraim, having forsaken the God and Savior of all, and deeming his hand and assistance of little account, made the ruler of Damascus and of the Syrians his protector. And for this reason he very justly offended God. Damascus, therefore, he says, being ravaged and laid desolate, and having endured the calam- ities of war, will no longer be a stronghold for Ephraim to flee to. Nor will there be a kingdom in it; and yet one might say, And after the destruction were found some ruling Damascus. For Paul also mentions it, saying, that "In Damascus the ethnarch of Aretas the king sought to arrest him." Therefore, the prophetic word has much emphasis. For he says that there will no longer be a strong and notable kingdom in Damascus, even if after this there came to be certain toparchs and phylarchs rather, and not those clothed with the splendor of true kingship. There will not, therefore, be a kingdom in Damascus, he says; and with it the remnant of the Sy- rians will be weakened, that is, the entire nation under it. For Damascus is the metro- polis of Syria. Then he says to her: For you are not better than the sons of Israel, and their glory. For if I did not spare my allotted portion, he says, that is, those of Israel who sinned against me, how will you not in every way and altogether endure the damages of war, being in no way better than Israel? Thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: In that day there will be an eclipse of the glory of Jacob, and the fat parts of his glory will be shaken. By Jacob in these words he names those who came from Jacob, that is, the ten tribes in Samaria, and the half-tribe of Ephraim, who so leaped away from the love of God, and from placing their hope of being saved rather in him, that they trusted in themselves, and raised a high brow on account of their multitude and glory alone. This was their way. And a prophet again says this most clearly to us. For he said concerning them: Their glories are from births and pangs and conceptions. Then he adds to these things: Give them, O Lord. What will you give them? Give them a childless womb, and dry breasts. There will be, therefore, he says, at that time, an eclipse of the glory of Jacob, that is, the great and innumerable multitude of the sons of Jacob, in which he was glorified and attempted to think great things, will be consumed by the swords of the enemy. But also the fat parts of his glory will be shaken; that is, the kingdom among them will also be brought down. For it is written in the fourth book of Kings, that when Hoshea the son of Elah was reigning in Samaria, Shalmaneser came and besieged Samaria for three whole years, and he captured it and carried Hoshea away to Baby- lon. Therefore, the fat parts of the glory of Jacob might be understood as the one who reigned in Samaria at that time, or perhaps the illustrious and more notable men throughout the whole country, exceeding the measure of others in wealth and power, and indulging in luxuries and in honors from all. And it shall be as when one gathers the standing harvest, and reaps the seed of the ears of corn; and it shall be as when one gathers an ear of corn in a strong valley. And there shall be left in it stub- ble, or as two or three berries of an olive tree, on the highest bough, or four or five, left on its branches. That they will easily and without sweat overcome those in Samaria the Assyrians making war, and in addition to this again, that it will not utterly and completely go to destruction, but that there will be a small remnant, the prophetic word has clearly revealed to us in these things. For those who have experience in harvesting the ears of corn, skillfully shearing them, gather the grain; but always leaving the stalk behind as useless they run over the whole breadth of the cornfields. But those accustomed to gathering the fruit of the olive trees, on the one hand strike them with a rod, and on the other, touching with their hands and snatching the young shoots, they gather them; but it is likely that three or four, or perhaps five, remain on them at the very tip of the branches, and escape the eyes of the gatherers. He says that such a thing will happen to those in Samaria; for he insists that they will suffer just as the ear of corn when it falls into the hands of the reapers; but there will be left, as it were, a stalk on it, that is, a few of the more insignificant, or even like two or three olive berries that have escaped the eye of the gatherers, because they are hidden in the topmost branches. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: In that day a man will trust in him who made him, and his eyes will look upon the Holy One of Israel; and they will not trust in the altars, nor in the works of their hands, which their fingers have made, but they will trust in the Holy One of Israel. And they will not see their groves, nor their abominations. The most wise Paul, knowing that the matter of being disciplined among those called by him to the knowledge of the truth is not unprofitable, nor in vain, writes and says: "If you endure discipline, God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?" And he also quotes from the divinely inspired Scripture; for he adds immediately: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens every son he accepts." For since the creator of all is good, "he desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth." For this reason he has very often admonished through the holy prophets those of the blood of Israel, and especially those who had migrated from Jerusalem to Samaria. But they were unrestrainedly inclined to what seemed good to them, and having abandoned the God who is by nature and in truth, they became worshippers of demons, and offered their services to lifeless idols. And since they were very ignorant, they did not even consider that it was proper for them to repent, so God punished them. For those whom reason does not profit, pain changes, turning them as if by necessity and force to what is pleasing to God. The blessed David is found saying something of this kind: "With bit and bridle you must curb their jaws, of those who will not come near to you." For in the same way that those who are accustomed to breaking colts, and these being wise, turn the wilder horses with bridles to a skilled course; so also the God of all, by the necessities arising from pain, often brings the disobedient and unruly to choose to live rightly. Having suffered such a thing, the inhabitants of Samaria, after suffering the calamities of war, barely recognized the one who was punishing and was grieved; and they cast off the worship of idols, and turned the eye of their mind to the Holy One of Israel, clearly expecting from him help and deliverance from the evils that had been brought upon them. For they shall not trust, he says, in the altars, nor in the works of their hands, which their fingers have made; and they will not look upon their groves, nor their abominations. For it was their custom to occupy the tops of the mountains, and under oak and poplar, as it is written, to worship the works of their own hands. But they will no longer look upon these things, he says, having learned by experience that the matter is vain and completely unprofitable to them, but rather the cause of every disaster. For of this on account of the cause, and they have perished, and have been given to their enemies. It is best, therefore, to be on guard and with all one's strength to avoid the divine wrath, and not wait to learn evils by experience. But rather, one should very swiftly strip off the causes at which God might be angered, and before the blow and the scourge to make amends to the one who has been grieved, by avoiding the more shameful things, honoring the most excellent, and in every way practicing virtue. In that day your cities will be forsaken, in the way the Amorites and the Hivites forsook them from before the sons of Israel; and they shall be desolate, because you forsook God your Savior, and you were not mindful of the Lord your helper. From these very events he persuades them to understand that their affairs have been reversed. For formerly they were victorious with God as their ally, and they were fearsome to the cities and lands of the nations. For they took them without a sweat, with God making easy for them all that was steep and difficult to achieve. But since they became imitators of their unholiness, they have become cowardly and easily captured like them. For their cities have been desolated, and have been abandoned by those dwelling in them, in the same way that the Hivites and Amorites once fell, consumed by their swords; and he immediately makes clear the cause of their having slipped into this weakness, and of their enduring so harsh and unbearable a calamity: For you forsook God your Savior, he says, and you were not mindful of the Lord your God. For it was necessary to give thanks for the good things they had received, on the one hand being delivered from the slavery in Egypt, and on the other hand overpowering enemies, and plundering the cities of those who resisted, and also that they were brought into the very land of promise; they brought wicked returns to the Master, offending him without fear, and grieving him not in one way, but having taken very little thought for the law appointed through the all-wise Moses, and completely spurning piety towards God, and attributing reverence to lifeless matter, and saying to the golden calves: "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." When, therefore, we are with God, being eager to think his thoughts, that is, and having chosen to achieve what is pleasing to him; then indeed we shall by all means be stronger than our enemies, and we will tread upon principalities, and powers, and the world-rulers of this darkness, the spiritual forces of wickedness, then we shall overcome, and very swiftly, monstrous pleasures and the movements of the flesh; then we shall conquer wicked thoughts, and the spirits of the ruler will find no place in us. But having neglected to cleave to God, we shall be weak and unmanly, and under the feet of our enemies, and no means will check Satan as he takes advantage. Therefore you shall plant a faithless plant, and a faithless seed. And on the day that you plant, you will be led astray. And in the morning if you sow, it will blossom for harvest, on whatever day you might receive your lot, and as a father of a man you might give a lot to your sons. I will try as best I can to make clear the meaning of the present text, which is veiled in much obscurity. What he says, then, is something like this: I have already said that those of Israel (that is, Ephraim, so that you may understand the ten tribes resettled in Samaria), deceiving and being deceived, and thinking what is not lawful, had a high brow, and thought that absolutely none of their enemies could overwhelm their hand, on account of their being innumerable and very many. But they were cheated of their hope. For they have fallen, and some have been consumed by war, while others are carried off to the lands of the victors, as captives and terrified and having been in every evil. But when, after a time had elapsed, they were brought back from the land of the Persians to the holy city, then they ceased having kings in succession, and they all inhabited Jerusalem, and honored the law of God; then also their children were in safety, and into The successions have run on as children of children. The word now teaches something of this kind, giving a riddle about grain and ears of corn. For since, it says, you did not remember the Lord your God, for this reason whatever plant you plant will be unfaithful, and not secure for preservation, that is, the seed and race from among you. And when you plant, and see it become great, then you will be deceived. For you will think, it says, taking courage in the multitude, but you will not reason truly. For they will fall like ears of corn, and you will find the hope in these things completely useless. But if you sow in the morning, that is, having come to be in the light, and finally having recognized the Master who is by nature and truly, who saves easily and has the strength to help; then what has been planted, or sown, will blossom for harvest, that is, it will be brought to fruition; for the ear of corn being consumed prematurely causes loss of both labors and hope for those accustomed to farm; but to come to harvest gives the fullest hope for good things. Therefore, your plant will blossom for harvest, that is, it will be brought to fruition, when it becomes morning for you, that is, when you are found to be in light and day and in the knowledge of God. Then you will also assign to your sons as a father of a man. For you will send on to your sons, as a kind of inheritance, cheerfulness and the participation in help from above. Woe to the multitude of many nations! As a surging sea, so you will be troubled; and the back of many nations will roar like water; like much water many nations, as much water carried down by force. And he will cast him away with scorn, and will pursue him far away, as the dust of chaff winnowed before the wind, and as the dust of a wheel that a storm carries. The God of all, being benevolent, does not leave those of Israel unconsoled, but very often brings in hope for good things along with fear, and this providentially, so that through both he may benefit the hearers. Therefore, that their cities will be laid waste has been said clearly; and what the cause of their suffering was, he taught, saying, that You abandoned the Lord your God, and you did not remember the Lord your helper. But he who struck immediately promises also to apply a dressing. And he explains something that happened, which it is necessary to relate as possible in words for the need at hand. When Hezekiah was at that time administering the thrones of the kingdom in Jerusalem, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came up against the fortified cities of Judea, and took them. For it is written thus: Then he sends Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to besiege it, who, having arrived, indeed spouted nonsense against the glory of the God and Savior of us all; for the madman insisted that he was not able to save them, even if he wished to do this. But using a barbarian tongue and mind, he came to know by learning from experience that it is a hard thing for any man to rise up against the highest glory. For an angel of the Lord went out, and in one night killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand from the camp of the foreigners; and rising in the morning, they found all the bodies dead. And since he who had sent them was thwarted in his expectations, I mean Sennacherib, he returned as a fugitive, and barely saved himself by reaching his home, although he also perished not long after at the hands of his own children. For it happened, it says, while he was worshiping in his house Asarach his patriarch, Adrammelech and Sarasas, his sons, struck him with swords. The prophetic word here reminds us of this history, and it narrates beforehand the attack of the Assyrians, and says: Woe to the multitude of nations! and what follows this. For he pronounces them wretched, as those who are about to die in Jerusalem, with an angel destroying them. And that it was not one nation, but rather many, he shows clearly, calling them a multitude of nations. And they were attacking the lands, or the cities of Judea, like much water and as if carried down by force, and causing disturbances, and all but surging like a sea over those who resisted. And the back of many nations among them he calls them this, on account of many nations being pursued by them. And the pursuers run at the back of those fleeing in every way and by all means. Then what after this? He will scorn him, he says, that is, he will send him back, and will pursue him far away, like the chaff of winnowers before the wind, and like the dust of a wheel a storm carries. For what is so easily scattered as dust from a wheel and a threshing floor, when a fierce wind blows it down? That Sennacherib went away as a fugitive, the God of all will confirm, saying to him through the voice of Isaiah: "And I will put a muzzle in your nose, and a bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way in which you came." Toward evening there will be sorrow before morning, and it will not be. This is the portion of those who plundered you, and the inheritance of those who inherited you. I have already said that the Rabshakeh, having surrounded Jerusalem with his army, and threatening to take it before long, perished with his whole army before dawn and day. There will be sorrow, therefore, he says, toward evening, when those in Jerusalem fully expected the attack of the war to be in the morning, but it ceased before dawn. For this reason he says: There will be sorrow toward evening; but it will not be before morning, that is, the tear will cease and end; and together with the fears from suffering it will be gone, as God helps, and has wondrously destroyed the phalanxes of the enemies, and moreover has driven the leader from the land of the Jews. This the blessed David also explains, saying: "At evening weeping will lodge, and at morning, rejoicing." But this, he says, is the lot; and this is the portion of those who plundered you and seized you as their own inheritance. Through these things he reproaches those of Israel, because they themselves have done things by which it was likely the nation would be utterly destroyed, but He Himself has pity again, and punishes with death those who plunder the people assigned to Him. "For when, he says, the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God; and Jacob His people became the Lord's portion, Israel the line of His inheritance." But besides these things, consider that also carefully for me, and how from the things that happened historically you may come to the innermost thoughts. When the wicked and opposing powers, pouring down like violent water on the soul, or casting us into external temptations, that is, the innate movements of the flesh, hasten to besiege the pious mind; let no one who knows how to fight excellently with God fall into inactive cowardice, but rather, placing his hope in Him, let him be superior to all fear. For that he will obtain help from Him, how is it possible to doubt? For the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and the blessed Paul also writes: "God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." And as the Psalmist says: "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them." And when heretics who are knowledgeable in the sacred dogmas, using their own perversities, rise up against the worshippers of the truth, and come on terrible and bold, either raising up wars and persecutions, or heaping up afflictions for them, and the fear of death; these too will be no less weak; for with a hidden hand the Lord wars against Amalek from generation to generation, as it is written. Woe to the land of the wings of ships, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia! who sends hostages by sea, and papyrus letters upon the water. For swift messengers shall go to a nation on high, and to a strange and harsh people. Who is beyond it? A nation without hope and trodden down. One might wonder, and indeed perhaps reason that out for himself, and say: For what reason has the prophetic word to us in these things been against Damascus, but it also brings in a mention of the land that is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia? We say then that At times the people of Israel, having heedlessly practiced abandoning God the savior of all, fell into polytheistic error; and having utterly neglected the commandment through Moses, they were disciplined by God, who raised up wars against them from time to time, and wasted them with the resulting calamities. But they, although it was necessary to heal the one who was grieved by repentance, and to depart from their own wickedness, and to return to what seemed good to the lawgiver, and to thirst for his aid, hired the conspiracies of the neighboring nations; and sometimes they approached the kings of Damascus, and sometimes those of the Egyptians; and not only that, but indeed also learning the worships of the nations who aided them, they hastened to imitate them. And so Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, when he was in Damascus, then having seen there an altar dedicated to an idol, fashionably worked, constructed a similar one, and dedicated it in the house of God. Therefore the vision came against Damascus. For behold, he says, Damascus shall be taken away from being a city, and it will no longer be a stronghold for Ephraim to flee to. Do you see the cause immediately brought forward, for saying that Damascus will be taken away from being a city? For it will no longer, he says, be so strong, that Ephraim, who reigned in Samaria, would even flee to it. He transfers, therefore, the word to the land of the Egyptians. For the people of Israel also approached them, especially those dwelling in Jerusalem, and they eagerly sought their support and aid, especially when the Babylonians were attacking. And so through the voice of a prophet he says: "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, who trust in horses and chariots!" And something of this sort happened. For Nebuchadnezzar campaigned against the land of the Jews from time to time. And in passing by, he plundered, so to speak, all the cities of the east. And when he wished to capture the city of the Tyrians, which was an island at that time, and then was at a loss for ships to transport them, using a Persian mindset, and taking courage in the multitude of his army, he ordered the sea to be made passable, by a mound being raised, and making it a broad highway from the mainland all the way to Tyre itself. Therefore the Tyrians themselves, fearing lest the city might somehow be captured, as the undertakings of the Babylonians were being brought to a conclusion, having gathered ships from everywhere, were transported from the island, leaving the city deserted for him. And when Nebuchadnezzar learned this, he moved his army to the task of taking the land of the Egyptians, and he took it without a struggle, God setting him up against the Egyptians; because they also, always raising a great brow, boasted against the people of Israel, as if they had no God powerful enough to save them. For when called for aid, and to defend them, they claimed that their own gods were mightier than the God of Judaea. And that the Babylonian took the land of the Egyptians after the toil at Tyre, would be clear from God saying to the prophet Ezekiel: "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled; yet he had no wages, nor his army, for the hard service that they had served against Tyre. In return for this I have given him the land of Egypt." The prophet therefore adds the Woe to it as well, and says: Woe to the land of the wings of ships, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia! He calls, therefore, the seven mouths, through which the wide and great river of Egypt mixes with the sea, the rivers of Ethiopia. And he names the land beyond the rivers what is now Alexandria, but was called at that time On. It was indeed very populous, and had very mighty inhabitants, and it was a short distance from the rivers of Egypt. For from the last mouth (and its name is the Herakleion), is distant to the west by about eighty stades in number. Since it was the custom for those who inhabit the aforementioned city to sail up and down the river, which was always navigable, to carry and bring their own goods to others, and from others to themselves, and to delight in the gains from commerce; for this reason the prophetic word in these passages declares the ships wretched, and does not bring the "Woe" against the ships, but rather against those who were always using them, rejoicing and delighting, as I said, in the gains that came from them. For when the entire land was seized by Nebuchadnezzar, all commerce ceased, and the breadth of freedom for this was cut off, with those who owned them having likely perished as well. Woe therefore, it says, to the wings of the ships of that land which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia! And he calls the sails the wings of ships, on which the striking blasts of the winds, like a bird, carry them through the midst of the waves. He who sends hostages by sea, and papyrus letters upon the water. The meaning of what has been said is entirely hard to grasp; it travails, however, with the narrative of a Greek story, which we will necessarily recount, not going outside of what is probable, that is, what is fitting for Christian discourses, but for the sake of making the rendering of the concepts clear to the listeners. The account of the story is as follows: Some of the Greek poets tell the myth that Myrrha was the daughter of a certain Cinyras, who, being overcome by unbridled impulses toward pleasure, had licentious intercourse with his own daughter, and made her the mother of a child, whom he named Adonis. Blushing at what had happened and being convicted by the laws of nature that he had acted impiously, he exposed the child, as they say, on a mountain. Some of the nymphs there, whom they also call Oreads, daemons, took him and both nourished and saved him; and he, having reached puberty and being now among the youths, appeared to have a most comely beauty. He took up hunting, and made his pursuits in this matter of great importance throughout the woods. Then, it says, their Aphrodite (and this was a courtesan woman), seeing him, fell in love with him and had relations with him, and continued to attend to him. And at this, Ares, being grieved, being a rival lover of Aphrodite, is likened to a boar, and he leaps upon him while he is hunting , and destroys him instantly; and the event became an occasion for lamentation for Aphrodite, it says. And she came to such despondency and grief that she even went down to Hades itself, wishing to bring back her lover. But since Pluto's wife laid strong claim to the young man, and would not let him go, having a beauty worthy of admiration, they made an agreement with each other to divide the cycle of the year, and for each to have him for half of it. And when Aphrodite ascended and announced this to her own people, that is, her friends or worshippers, the event became a festival and a public celebration. Therefore the Greeks devised such a festival for this. For they pretended to lament and mourn with the grieving Aphrodite because Adonis had died; but when she had ascended from Hades, and indeed said that the one she sought had been found, they would rejoice together and leap for joy; and until our own times this game was performed in the temples in Alexandria. Those of the blood of Israel also learned this, and indeed they performed it, having forsaken the God who is by nature and truly so, and having turned aside to what is not lawful, and having been senselessly snatched away into ruin and destruction by the deceits of demons. The blessed prophet Ezekiel also makes mention of this. For he spoke thus: "And I saw, and behold, there were women sitting, mourning for Tammuz." And Tammuz is interpreted as Adonis. And something of this sort was practiced by those who were in the land beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, about which we have spoken briefly and clearly in the preceding. Taking a piece of pottery, then writing a letter to the women in Byblos, that Adonis had been found, and having placed it in the earthenware vessel, and having sealed it, they would lower it into the sea, having performed certain rites over it; and as they said, it was carried automatically to Byblos on certain days of the year. And when certain women, friends of Aphrodite, received it, then taking the letter they would cease their lamentation, as though Adonis had been found by Aphrodite. Therefore, the prophetic word mocks us, considering the inhabitants of the land beyond the rivers of Ethiopia as once idolaters and unholy, and deceivers, and God-hated, and says: He who sends hostages by sea, and papyrus letters upon the water. And to this also certainly follows the "Woe," just as it does to the wings of the ships. For "Woe to the land of the winged ships," it says! Therefore the "Woe" is commonly applied to him who sends hostages by sea; that is, pledges of unanimity. For as if performing a mystery of Aphrodite for those who worship her in Byblos, and suffering the same madness as them, they would send out the letters, not by placing the messengers in ships, but as it were upon the water, because, as I said, they were placed in an earthenware vessel. We have been compelled to make mention of foul-smelling and ancient myths, and of Hellenic abomination, only for the sake of clarifying the meaning of the preceding text. For swift messengers will go to a lofty nation, and to a strange and harsh people. What is beyond it? A nation without hope and trampled down. I said before that the inhabitants of the land beyond the rivers of Ethiopia had offended the kings of the Assyrians; since they not only promised aid to those of Israel who asked for it, but indeed they also sent it, even if it benefited them not at all. But they, being grieved at this, after having ravaged, so to speak, all of Judaea, have marched against the Egyptians, and have taken all of it without toil, God giving them the power to overcome the hand of those who resisted, because of their being grieved against the Egyptians. Therefore, when the Babylonian was about to campaign against their country, some runners went from Judaea, announcing to them the invasion that would not be long in coming. And concerning them the prophet says that, "Swift messengers will go," that is, fast, and as it were winged and light, reporting the disaster from the war as neighboring and already at the gates. And he names the Egyptians a lofty nation, and a strange and harsh people; "lofty" instead of "arrogant," or else "fickle and light," and unstable; and "strange and harsh," as being strange in its harshness, and having no one beyond it in this respect. For "Who is beyond it?" he says, instead of, "Who is so fickle, and ignorant and witless, and practicing wickedness unusual to others, as the people in Egypt?" For they were extreme idolaters. Therefore he also names them a nation without hope and trampled down. Without hope, because of their not knowing the God who exists by nature and truly; and trampled down, because having subjected their minds far too much to the deceits of demons, they were all but laid under their feet; or else you may understand what is said in another way. For having fallen into the hands of the Assyrians, they have cast away all hope of good cheer, and have been so trampled down as to be unable, so to speak, ever to recover, having fallen under and been laid beneath the feet of their conquerors. Now all the rivers of the land, as an inhabited country, their country will be inhabited. He also usefully foretells the manner of the capture. For those who held the land of the Egyptians thought that they had become impregnable to the Babylonians, because their whole country was girded by very many and indeed great rivers, and had wide and long lakes. For such countries are somehow difficult to enter, and not at all easy to invade for those who wish to ravage them. But since God was wroth with them, He made this too easy for the Babylonians. For all having dried up the collection of waters, He showed the wet ground to be traversable by horse for them. This, I think, is what the prophet means in saying these things: Now all the rivers of the earth, as an inhabited land, their country will be inhabited. For the navigable, he says, and always somewhat wet parts of the regions will be such, at the time of war, as to seem already in some way to be an inhabited land always, and simply dry land devoid of waters. For what could the divine and all-powerful and supreme nature not accomplish? As if a sign were raised from a mountain, as the sound of a trumpet, it will be heard. The leaders of the tactical units, at the time of war, stationing some men on hills, very often have a sign raised; and this becomes a clear signal of the matter to the army. And he uses the sounds of trumpets, either rousing them to fight in a customary rhythm, or even recalling them from war as seems good to them. Therefore, the sign raised on high is also most conspicuous. For those accustomed to doing this stand on a mountain, and indeed the sound of the trumpets is audible and clear to all in the battle. Therefore, he says, the suffering of the Egyptians will be so very well-known to everyone everywhere, that it will be compared to a sign raised upon one of the mountains; and thus renowned, just as, of course, the sound through the trumpets. From such things, indeed, we shall know this, and it will be of much benefit to us, that we should in no way provoke to anger the undefiled nature; or, by doing in every way and altogether what is not right, and refusing the worship under Him, that is, running with apostates, and conforming their own ways to those under divine wrath, to share with them in the disaster, and to receive the same justice from God. One might see that the inhabitants of Egypt have suffered this. For since those of Israel had offended, and then they promised to save them, even if God did not wish it, they are given to their enemies for ruin and destruction. For thus said the Lord to me: There will be security in my city, as the light of noonday heat, and as a cloud of dew on the day of harvest it will be before the reaping. The account of the history is clear; nevertheless we will speak cursorily. For God saved Jerusalem when Rabshakeh was besieging it, and had surrounded it with the innumerable multitude of the Assyrians; how did he save it? "For an angel of the Lord went out," he says, "and killed from the camp of the Assyrians in one night one hundred eighty-five thousand." Therefore, he says, there will be security in my city. And that I have become a helper to those in danger will become so manifest to all everywhere, as the light at noonday is bright and most intense. For when the sun is at midday, and sends its most intense ray from above upon those on the earth, all things are illuminated with the richest light. Therefore, he says, the grace and security to be given by me at that time to those in danger will be as if a cloud of dew in the days of harvest before the reaping. And what he means to signify, I will say again: It is a custom for reapers not to apply the iron to the ears of grain before, unless perhaps dew has first fallen, to make the stalk easier for them to handle. Therefore, the matter is a prayer for them, I mean the sending down of dew from God. Therefore, the security from God has become thrice-desired by those in Jerusalem, just as, of course, the dew falling in the days of harvest before the reaping. When the ear of grain is perfected, and the unripe grape blossoms with a souring flower. And he will take away the small clusters with sickles, and will take away the vine-shoots, and will cut them down and leave them together for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth. And the birds of the sky will be gathered upon them, and all the beasts of the earth will come upon it. The meaning of the preceding is very difficult and not moderately hard to see. And the very construction of the language contributes to this. Nevertheless I will try to explain as is possible. He therefore makes his argument as from the knowledge of farmers. Custom For when they see the clusters blossoming forth from the vine, and already having the appearance of unripe grapes, they shear away the superfluous tendrils, and cut off with pruning hooks the small bunches that are superfluously attached to the larger ones, so that the larger clusters, receiving the most nourishing sap, might be able to come to fruition. The God of all says that He has done something of this sort, either concerning the Assyrians, or even concerning the Egyptians; for the saying is not very clear, against whom it would more appropriately go and be directed. We say, then, that if someone should choose to understand the multitude of the Assyrians, who besieged the holy city, as one vine, we will find that the great cluster understood in it, that is, the one resplendent on the thrones of the kingdom, did not perish along with the others, but he himself was saved, while the other multitude was consumed in the manner of small clusters, and like superfluous branches, the sharpest sword of the Lord pruned them as with a kind of sickle. For they fell, as I said, consumed by the hand of an angel, and their corpses became a feast for the beasts of the field and for the birds of the sky. But if someone should wish to say that these things were said also concerning the Egyptians, you will understand that the Assyrians, in ravaging it, did not destroy it completely, nor did they utterly annihilate it. but by letting loose the sword, as it were, upon the small clusters of local settlements or villages, they measured out the wrath of the compassionate God, who disciplines those who offend, but very often shortens the punishments, and does not allow those being disciplined to be utterly destroyed. In that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Sabaoth from a people plundered and afflicted, and from a great people from now and for eternal time. A nation hoping and trampled down, which is in a part of the river of its land, to the place where the name of the Lord Sabaoth was called upon, Mount Zion. Having very well described what would happen in the war from time to time to the peoples of the Egyptians, he also mentions their subsequent turning to God, and that having dismissed the ancient mist of deceit from the eyes of their mind, and having bid farewell to the worship of idols, they will proceed to better things; and they will recognize the God who is by nature and truly is, and the Creator and Lord of all, and being transformed as it were to a new and select life, they bear fruit for God in those things for which they would be well-pleasing and full of all praise, and as gifts they will bring what is a fragrant aroma to God: faith, hope, love. He calls them an afflicted people, because they endured very great hardship, having suffered the things from the divine wrath. And in addition to this, also plundered; perhaps by this he is indicating their change to better things. For a plant is transplanted, and being pulled up from the pit in which it was, it moves to another; and this is the method of the best husbandry for those accustomed to farm. Thus also the mind of those in error is, in a way, re-pitted, being as it were pulled up from its former deceit, and planted in other concepts, and in addition to this, in pursuits and knowledge that is pre-eminent, or rather, incomparably better than the former. And that they will bear fruit for eternal time, that is, continuously, with no interruption occurring in between, but rather always and forever. Therefore he also calls them a great people; either signifying by this their great numbers, or because they have become well-pleasing, having been called through faith in Christ. For those who once surpassed all others in the crimes of idolatry are now better and wiser than many, having a most vigorous love for Christ, and boldness for every good thing whatsoever. For where sin abounded, he says, grace superabounded. Where, then, will they bear fruit? To the place, he says, where the name of the Lord Sabaoth was called upon, Mount Zion, that is, to Mount Zion, where the name of the Lord Sabaoth should be invoked. And by this he signifies the Church, the great and spiritual mountain; for there is nothing lowly in it, nor any of the trodden-down doctrines, but whatever is great and lofty, namely, the knowledge of God who is according to truth, and the very clear declaration of the mysteries of our Savior. And the God-inspired Scripture most often names the Church of Christ Mount Zion, naming the truer Zion spiritually from the first one, which is lofty and a watchtower. And it has been thrown in between: The nation hoping and trodden down, which is in a part of the river of its country. For the conversion of the Egyptians to God began from a certain part of the country lying beyond the river; so that you may understand one of the cities of the Rhinocolurites, that is, of the cities there. For he says in the following, in the vision of Egypt: In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the land of the Egyptians, and a pillar at its border to the Lord. And it shall be for a sign to the Lord; and forever in the land of Egypt. And trodden down as crushed by the calamities of war; but hoping, because it too has henceforth placed its hope in Christ, and has brought its neck under His yokes, and has served Him, and has borne the fruit of the ways of piety.

Discourse 11

Behold, the Lord sits upon a light cloud, and shall come into Egypt, and the man-made things of Egypt shall be shaken at His presence, and their heart shall be defeated within them. In what way, then, the land of the Egyptians was saved and caught in the net for piety, clearly through faith in Christ, although it was polytheistic and grievously sick with error, the prophet attempts to teach in these words. For they were as if in deep darkness, being completely ignorant of the one who is by nature God and truly the creator and Lord of all, but attributing reverence to creation; and what is even more irrational than this, showing themselves to be craftsmen of their own gods, and having a multiform swarm of idols in their temples, so as to fashion types of irrational animals, and setting up altars to sacrifice to them. Therefore, where sin abounded in them, it was necessary for grace to abound all the more, and for the physician to shine upon those who were so grievously sick, and for the divine and heavenly light to flash upon those whose hearts were darkened. Behold therefore, he says, the Lord sits upon a light cloud, and shall come into Egypt. But what would he want to indicate by the Lord being seen upon a light cloud? Let us speak as we are able; Some of the interpreters have said that the light cloud is the holy flesh of the Lord, that is, the temple taken from the Virgin; and they compare it to a cloud, perhaps because of its being freed from the more earthly movements and desires, above and as it were on high. For truly all-holy and freed from all earthly impurity is the holy body of the Savior of us all, Christ. Others, again, have supposed that the holy Virgin was named the light cloud. But I think that perhaps his saying that He sits upon a light cloud may also suggest to us a breadth of other thoughts. For in many ways the blessed prophets, contemplating the glory of God, have written down their visions. For Isaiah says he has seen the Lord Sabaoth on a high and exalted throne, with the highest rational powers standing around in a circle, singing hymns to Him, and saying that heaven and earth are full of His glory. But the all-wise Daniel seats an Ancient of Days upon a throne; and he maintains that a thousand thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood around Him; and he says he also saw one like a Son of man with the coming on clouds, and has placed these things in succession. And Ezekiel likewise saw, he says, a firmament, with the Seraphim beneath; and on a throne he beheld a man, or rather the form of a man, whose upper parts, he says, resembled electrum, but from the loins to the feet was like the appearance of fire. And in each of such visions, some indication of the glory befitting God, and of the mystery concerning Christ, is cleverly hinted at for us. Therefore nothing prevents understanding in this case also, that the Lord was seen upon a light cloud, both most usefully and necessarily. For the cloud fulfills for us the type of both rain and spiritual dew, and of saving baptism itself. And indeed the blessed Paul says that those of the blood of Israel were baptized in the cloud and in the sea; it hung over them as they were crossing that deep desert, the cloud by day; and a pillar of fire led the way by night. And Christ was prefigured by both, that is, the mystery concerning him, namely, as in faith and holy baptism, justification and sanctification. It was necessary, therefore, for the Lord, coming for the cleansing and transformation of the Egyptians, clearly in a manner befitting God and spiritually, to be seen upon a light cloud. For it was not possible otherwise to wipe away from the soul of those who are astray the stain ingrained in it, except through holy baptism. Of which we also define the cloud to be a type. And the cloud is called light and has been very appropriately named so. For we are baptized for the putting away of sin, and turning away from impiety as from a truly hard-to-bear burden, through this we become in a manner winged, and learn to set our minds on things above, and to have our hearts on high. But that the Lord sits upon the cloud, I think it means this: The sitting signifies for us either rest, or authority. Therefore Christ rests, not at all in the worship according to the law, but rather in the perfection through holy baptism. And thus he has become king of those on the earth. And he says that the man-made things of Egypt will be shaken from his presence. For with holy baptism already revealed, and Christ henceforth shining forth, it is in every way necessary for the playthings of the ancient deceit to disappear, and the snares of the devil to be seen shattered. And it has ensnared to destruction and ruin every nation and race, so to speak, but especially the Egyptians more than others. For they became more superstitious than others, and perhaps even surpassing in error both Persians and Assyrians; although the divinely-inspired Scripture says about their land, that it is a land of graven images. And he says that the heart of the Egyptians will be conquered, yielding, as I think, the need to be overcome by the evangelical proclamations, although it was long ago warring against God, and opposing the words of truth. Therefore we will find Pharaoh to be clearly such. For the hierophant Moses said clearly: "The God of the Hebrews has sent us to you, saying: Send forth my people, that they may serve me in the wilderness." But he to them: "Who is he, that I should listen to his voice? I do not know the Lord, and I will not send forth Israel." For their heart within them will be conquered, that is, it will not remain unbreakable, nor hard, nor unadmonished; but rather it will accept the saving proclamation. And Egyptians shall rise up against Egyptians, and a man shall fight his brother, and a man his neighbor. And city shall rise up against city, and nome against nome. And the spirit of the Egyptians within them shall be troubled, and I will scatter their counsel. This, I think, is clearly nothing other than that which Christ said: "Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and all a man's enemies are the men of his own household." For with the already having been proclaimed of the divine and evangelical proclamation, and of the respect for their parents, these men, having been neglectful, have thought hostile and hateful things toward them, and having all but prepared the law of war, have risen up against their brothers. For some, advocating for the ancient error, and having unrestrainedly devoted themselves to the deceits of idols, make the word of faith unacceptable. But others, considering it a ridiculous and entirely unholy thing to choose to worship gods crafted by them, have run to the words of truth, and once being far off, have come near, and having been shown to be of the household of Christ through faith, have come within the hope of the saints, and have been made heirs of life eternal. Therefore, when the handmade things of Egypt are shaken, he says, because the Lord has come into it on a light cloud, there will be a great uprising both of family and of kin, and wars both one by one and in multitude, so that even city and nome will make attacks upon nome. And among those who inhabit the land of the Egyptians, a 'nome' is what each city and its surrounding areas and the villages under it are called; and such a term is common among them. Then he says, that The spirit of the Egyptians will be troubled within them, and I will scatter their counsel. And we say that having a different mind against one another, they have been troubled not moderately; but those who are in error, planning uprisings and battles against those who have believed, will find the God of all warring against them and resisting them. For I will scatter their counsels, he says, that is, I will show all their deliberation to be in vain, and their undertakings against those who have run to me to be entirely unprofitable. And they will consult their gods, and their images, and those who speak from the earth, and the ventriloquists, and the diviners. And I will deliver Egypt into the hands of harsh lords; and harsh kings shall rule over them. In what manner, or at what time at all, the Egyptians were enriched by the saving proclamation, the prophet is eager to make clear. And the account of the history is not unprofitable for those who have once chosen to learn what is useful. Therefore, Vespasian, having laid waste the land of the Jews and having burned Jerusalem, came down with his whole army into the land of the Egyptians, to subdue it also. And he did this according to the will of God, who was subjecting all lands and cities alike to the scepters of the Romans. But the Egyptians thought they could easily escape the yoke of slavery, and be completely invincible, because their country was girded about with very many waters. But they missed their hope. For when God wills to accomplish something, all things yield easily, and things that are unattainable and hard to achieve are paradoxically made easy. For who will turn back the high hand? as it is written. It happened, therefore, that all their bodies of water, both in lakes and indeed in rivers, completely vanished, so that they could be crossed on foot. And thus, finding the land of the Egyptians stripped of every difficulty, Vespasian conquered it. At that very time, therefore, it happened that those who ministered the divine and saving proclamation entered into the land of the Egyptians, and who were catching the nations through faith in Christ for the knowledge of the truth. Therefore the Egyptians, he says, having learned of the all-powerful and irresistible assault of the Roman army, and being greatly disturbed, and wishing to find out what ever would be the outcome of the matter for them, will consult their gods, and their images, and those who speak from the earth, and the ventriloquists, and indeed the diviners. For among them there were different kinds of false prophecy, and fabricated prophets. Some pretending to consult the dead; others also belching out words from their own hearts. And others also diviners, that is, those who curiously examine the smoke from sacrifices, and the twitching in the livers of the slaughtered animals wickedly. But there will be no benefit for them, he says, from divination; nor indeed will they find those who were considered to be gods able to help them. For I will deliver Egypt into the hands of harsh masters, and harsh kings will rule over them. And when you hear "harsh," do not think of the most cruel, but rather of the unbreakable, and those who know not how to concede victory to anyone. For such have been the most glorious kings of the Romans, with divine and secret counsel, as I said, subjecting all things to them. And so they have prevailed over all under heaven. Thus says the Lord Sabaoth: And the Egyptians will drink the water that is by the sea; but the river will fail, and will be dried up. The rivers and canals of the river will fail, and every gathering of water will be dried up, in every marsh of reed, and papyrus, and the green marsh-grass, everything around the river, everything sown by the river will be dried up by the wind-blight. And the fishermen will groan, all who cast a hook into the river will groan, and those who cast drag-nets, and those who cast cast-nets will mourn. And shame will seize those who work the combed flax, and those who work the fine linen; and those who work them will be in pain, and all who make beer will be grieved, and their souls will be in anguish. You will connect these things also to what we have just said. For the all-powerful God made the land of the Egyptians, which is so very moist, so dry, that it was passable without sweat for those wishing to go through the lakes and rivers. But the country of the Egyptians is divided in a way; and some have the arable and most fertile land, and are especially caretakers of vineyards. But others live by the lakes themselves, reaping the things from them. For they are fish-hunters, and cutting papyrus, they are also makers of paper, and they work the combed flax. And the marsh-men, that is, the herdsmen, are so-called; for among them the herds of cattle are beyond number; and the scarcity of bread and wine and other things is very great. Therefore, when the waters fail, he says, they will drink water. For sometimes, digging on the shores, some draw up potable water. But the rivers will fail and will be dried up, and all the canals. And there will be a scarcity of water in every marsh of reed and papyrus. And everything that grows in the waters will be dried up, he says, so that even the hunters of fish will groan, and those who work the combed flax, and those who work them will be in great pain; and in addition to these, those who prepare their beer. For with the waters having failed, they will be in want of everything that knows how to give cheer, and that provides richly the necessities for their life. And these things, as far as pertains to what is signified from the history, have been clearly stated. But if someone should choose to take the scarcity of waters in another way, and to delve into the depth of more subtle thoughts, he will not go astray from the mark, by comparing to waters the word among the wise men of the Greeks, which is old-womanish and foolish; and comparing to fish the multitude of men, and indeed also to papyrus, reed, and the rest, of which the nature of the waters is the nurse. And indeed to fishermen, and to those whose work would be with the things in the waters, those who know how to net the crowd of the common people, and prepare them to be entangled as if in some nets by the words that carry them away into deceit. These will groan and be grieved, and their souls will be in anguish, since the word that is among them is now in some way ineffectual; which we clearly affirmed, comparing it to waters, because it has completely failed, and all things nourished by it will be dried up. These make the beer; for they do not bring forth the wine that gladdens the heart of man, but a certain counterfeit and useless teaching, and they think they are dignifying it, as it were, with subtle words. For it hints at this, I think, that they say they work the fine linen, which is exceedingly fine. And the combed flax. For their teachings are like splinters of meager speech; but entirely unprofitable, and filling one with cold theorems. For beer is cold ........ ........................... And the princes of Tanis will be fools, the wise counselors of the king, their counsel will be made foolish. For when the inescapable disaster was hanging over the Egyptians, and the country was about to be captured, and on the point of submitting its neck to the yokes of others, even if perhaps they did not wish it, he who was chosen to lead, being not moderately disturbed and terrified by unbearable fears, gathered together the so-called wise men, that is, the magicians; and he asked very earnestly in what direction the end of their affairs would go, and in what way they might repel the attack of the war. But they, he says, were so far from being able to say anything of the necessary, that is, true things, that they were even condemned for utter folly. For when God wishes to do harm, the counsel and power of any man would be ineffective. For if he shuts a man up, who will open? according to what is written. Therefore, he calls the false prophets and the caretakers of the temples in it the wise men of Tanis. Who, though thinking highly of their magical art, were proven by the events themselves to be absolutely nothing. How will you say to the king: We are sons of the wise, sons of kings from the beginning? Where are your wise men now? And let them tell you, and let them say: What has the Lord Sabaoth planned against Egypt? On what achievements, he says, will you raise your eyebrow? Having profited the land of the Egyptians in what way will you be admired by them, or what words do you use, captivating the king; saying that 'We are sons of the wise,' that is, of prophets? Magicians and from magicians; who have all but ruled the whole country, having a famous reputation among the worshipers of idols, and always being with and living with the rulers; since indeed they were accustomed to introduce counsels on all matters to be done, with the falsely named gods whispering to them the hunt for what is advantageous. When therefore you are convicted of speaking falsely, he says, and knowing nothing of the truth, how will you say to the king: 'We are sons of the wise? sons of kings from the beginning?' And in these things the prophetic word has been for us, as it were, against those who seem to be wise; then he turns to the person of him chosen to lead, and says: 'Where are your wise men now? and let them tell you, and let them say what the Lord Sabaoth has planned against Egypt.' For if they are not impostors, he says, or deceivers and buffoons, and accustomed to speaking falsely, and speaking things only from their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord; learn from them the things hanging over the Egyptians, and which will very soon come to pass through the counsel of the Lord Sabaoth. But the word, as it were, mocks those who do not know God, but are lying as it were in deep darkness, because they are fond of adhering to the worship of idols. Therefore, it is a dreadful thing, or rather also entirely vain, to trust in the deceits of the false prophets; for knowing absolutely nothing at all, either of the things that will be, or of what God may bring, they make false prophecy a pretext for collecting money, and pretending to hear from God, they disgorge things from their own counsel alone, and bewitch the minds of those who adhere to them. For they speak whatever one might wish, and they say only that which they would judge to be pleasing to their hearers. But the divine law commands us to depart from such things. For it is thus: "When you enter into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you one who purifies his son or his daughter in fire, one who practices divination, one who uses omens, and one who interprets signs, a sorcerer, a charmer, a ventriloquist, and a diviner of wonders, and one who questions the dead. For everyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God." And to these things he adds and says: "You shall be perfect before the Lord your God." The For these nations, whom you are dispossessing, will listen to omens and divinations. But not so has the Lord your God given to you; "A prophet from your brothers will the Lord your God raise up for you, him you shall hear according to all that he will speak to you." For he who pays attention to divinations and omens, to bird-omens and the deceptions of sorcerers, will be entirely ungodly and bare of the boasts of piety. But truly full of good hope is he who pays attention with his mind to the evangelical decrees, and to what Christ might say, casting the vote for truth. For he is the Lord of prophets, and the provider of all knowledge, even if he has been named a prophet, on account of the measure of his humanity. The princes of Tanis have failed, and the princes of Memphis are exalted, and they will lead Egypt astray by tribes. For the Lord has mingled for them a spirit of error, and they led Egypt astray in all their works, as a drunkard goes astray, and he who vomits at the same time. And there will be for the Egyptians no work which shall make head and tail, beginning and end. In a way, the prophetic word smiles for us in these things at the trifles and empty talk of the liars. The ruler of the Egyptians asked his constant companions, the sorcerers and false prophets, who were also called wise men, to what end the things he expected would come for him. But since they were failing in counsel, and were convicted of speaking falsely, and there was no one for them to bring in a way of helpful counsel and beneficial thoughts; they were indeed reckoned as nothing, and so other wise men were sought; and indeed some have admired the rulers of Memphis, that is, the priests and magi, those, I say, in Memphis. For they seemed to be as it were select at that time, and having reached the pinnacle of magical experience, they appeared to the idolaters worthy of all account. Therefore, he says, the rulers of Memphis have failed, that is, they were reckoned as nothing, though the leaders of Memphis seemed to be lofty and admired by both the king and all those around him. Nevertheless, they too have led Egypt astray by tribes, that is, by cities and villages; and not just one by one, but indeed also in multitudes. For they have trusted them, although they have nothing of what is necessary to say; for in what way have they trusted? For the Lord, he says, has mingled for them a spirit of error, that is, he has shaken every word of truth from their tongue, so that they were unable to understand or speak anything of the truth. For it was not fitting for the truth to dwell on the tongues of idolaters. Therefore they have led Egypt astray, as a drunkard goes astray, and he who vomits at the same time. For it is the custom of drunkards to fall into the filth from their vomit. For this reason he says: There will be for the Egyptians no work which shall make head and tail, beginning and end. For they will not undertake bold enterprises. For this is a beginning and a head. Nor indeed will the things done come to a most desired end for them; for this is the tail and the end; for every thought of men is useless, and every aid is unsound, and able to help in no way; For when God brings evil, as I said, and brings his all-powerful hand upon those who leap away, and changes the natures of things to what seems good to him. And in that day the Egyptians will be as women in fear and in trembling, from before the hand of the Lord of Sabaoth, which he himself will bring upon them. And the land of the Judeans will be a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone who names it to them will be afraid, because of the counsel which the Lord has counseled against it. For those who were formerly bold and savage, and despisers of all danger, will be terrified, he says, and will find their heart broken within them, so as to be in no way different from the weakest of women, but as it were to slip into womanly unmanliness. And the cause of their dread, and of the terror at this, will be the hand of the Lord of Sabaoth, which he himself will bring upon He will cast upon them. And in these things, the hand of the Lord of Sabaoth is defined as the all-powerful will of God, bringing the nation of the Egyptians under the dominion of the Romans. And the divine counsel is altogether invincible, and by all means it is necessary that what seems good to the counsels of the highest nature be accomplished. And in addition to this, the land of the Jews will be a cause of terror to the Egyptians; and what indeed he means by this, let us see precisely; for what is being shown is very obscure. Therefore, the land of the Jews was formerly saved by God defending it, and He rendered it unconquerable, so to speak, to all the surrounding kingdoms of the nations. But although it had so great a helper, it was captured and came under the Romans, and every city has been burned, and the houses and villages have remained empty of men. And what was the reason for them to be captured? Clearly the counsel of the Lord, which he had also counseled concerning it. For it too, along with the others, was handed over to the most powerful hand of the Romans. Therefore, the land of the Jews will be a cause of terror to the Egyptians. For the words of the false prophets wished to encourage them, that they would be superior to the hand of their attackers, and that they would prevail by resisting. But the very fact that the land of the Jews was handed over to them, even though it once had God as its champion, instilled a terrible fear in them. For from this they expected to be completely and entirely subject to those who wished to lay waste, since the land of the Jews also suffered this, as I said, not because the one who saves had grown weak, but because he was subjecting it to his own commands and bringing it under the scepters of the Romans. But it seems to some to understand the preceding text in another way. For since the God of all visited the Egyptians, and transferred them from darkness to light, and made them cease from the customs of idolatry, and granted them to know at last, who is by nature and in truth God, and the creator of all. For they have believed in Christ; and they have known the Father through him and in him. For this reason, he says, out of very great gentleness and reverence, the land of the Jews will be to them a cause of terror. And when he says "a cause of terror," you will understand the fear that comes from reverence. For all honor Jerusalem, because Christ was born there, and endured the cross for the salvation of the world, and was laid in a tomb, and rose again, and ascended to the Father. In the past, therefore, the land of the Jews was hated by the Egyptians; for their manner of worship was at war with them. For the former worshiped creation, and the works of their own hands; but the latter have served the all-holy God, and being governed by his laws, have become caretakers of a pious commonwealth. Therefore the land once hated will be to them a cause of terror, as it were, and a basis for reverence, because Christ was born in it, as I said, who called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. In that day there shall be five cities in Egypt speaking the Canaanite language, and swearing by the name of the Lord. One city shall be called Asedek. One might very reasonably marvel at the blessed prophet for his brevity in these matters, for he was ignorant of nothing that would happen in the land of the Egyptians at the time of the visitation, but he proclaimed each detail, clearly declaring in what manner the evangelical proclamation was revealed. There shall be, therefore, he says, five cities in Egypt speaking the Canaanite language, that is, Syriac, or that of Palestine. For the Phoenicians and Palestinians speak one language. And again, the Palestinians and Egyptians are neighbors to one another, and there is nothing in between, but at the borders of Egypt, those which I mean are towards the east, and the sea of the land of the Palestinians, the first entrances, then, appear. Therefore, the land of the Egyptians is adjacent to that of the Canaanites. For this reason also the cities at the borders of Egypt, first receive the saving proclamation; and these are five, of which we say the first is now that of the Rhinocolurites. They also speak in the Canaanite tongue. For it has been the custom for those in these cities, not to adopt the Egyptian language so much as that of the Syrians. Some say that Josephus clearly recorded in his own writings that after departing the land of the Jews, a certain man named Ionias, who was of the blood of Levi and honored with the priesthood according to the law, took possession of these five cities as being neighbors of the Canaanites, having contended with some of his kinsmen, or perhaps even having endured persecution. This man, he says, having gathered an innumerable multitude of Jews, settled in one of these five cities, which has also been named the city of Asedek, that is, of righteousness. From this, they say, those at the borders of the Egyptians have become accustomed and fond of speaking in the language of the Canaanites. And they will learn, he says, also to swear by the name of the Lord. And this too is remarkable. For it is the custom for the worshippers of vanities to make an oath by whatever seems best to each of the elements of the world. For some name the heaven, others the sun, and others the man-made things in shrines; but they in no way remember the true God; for they have not known him. But for those who have now known and believed, it is their custom also to swear by his name. Thus also the all-wise Moses brought Israel, who had departed from the worship in Egypt, to the knowledge of the true God, saying: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." And he added to this, that You shall also swear by his name. Therefore, a clear proof of these five cities having accepted the faith is that they swear by none of the vanities, but rather accept the name of the Lord for the purpose of an oath. In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the land of Egypt, and a pillar at its border to the Lord; and it shall be for a sign forever to the Lord in the land of Egypt. For the whole land of the Egyptians was filled with sacred precincts and full of altars; and there were libations and sacrifices everywhere, offered by them on the one hand to the elements of the world; and on the other hand, as I said, also to the images set up in shrines, that is, and to the pillars of demons. And why do I say this, when, having set up images of irrational animals, they bestowed on them the glory due to God? See, therefore, from what to what the affairs of the Egyptians have changed. For those who were of old more superstitious than all others, and had unbridledly inclined to what is excessive, in that day, he says, that is, at that time, when the saving proclamation shall shine upon them, will accept the worship of the God who is by nature and truly is. For there shall be an altar to the Lord in the land of the Egyptians. The saying has great emphasis. For it is spoken with wonder. For how is it not remarkable that even in the land of the Egyptians itself, an altar of the Lord should be seen? And in addition to this, also a pillar at its border to the Lord. And by pillar in these words, he means, as it seems to me, either a holy temple of God, that is, the Church, or perhaps also the first of others raised at its border, that is, the sign of the holy cross, with which it is the custom for believers to be protected. For we always use this thing, overturning every diabolical influence, and repelling the attacks of demons. For the cross is an unbreakable wall for us, and the boast in it is truly saving; "But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of Christ." Remarkable, therefore, are the things foretold from the prophecy at that time, but which have now indeed come to fulfillment. For an altar to the Lord; and very many things, and more than can be numbered, throughout the land of the Egyptians; and the sign of the cross is an object of worship for the inhabitants. For they have believed in our Lord Jesus Christ. But it seemed to some of the exegetes, instead of the pillar, an inscription to name, and they say that this is the holy Gospel. But let the prudent man again glorify what seems to be best and well. Because they will cry out to the Lord because of those who afflict them, and the Lord will send them a man who will save them. And the Lord will be known to the Egyptians. And the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. And they will make sacrifices, and will vow vows to the Lord, and will pay them. Behold for me again the soberness of the prophetic skill. For as if someone were inquiring and saying: What is this matter? And what was the reason for the Lord to come into Egypt on a swift cloud, and to grant them this and that? the prophet, taking up the discourse, answers and says: Because they will cry out to the Lord because of those who afflict them, and the Lord will send them a man who will save them. For the father of sin, that is Satan, had leapt upon those throughout the whole earth, and placing the yoke of his own wickedness upon all, he beguiled them from the love for God. Having them all but bound under himself, he oppressed them bitterly and unholily; but the nature of the matter, having a terrible and unbearable greed, cried out against his tyranny. Thus you will understand the Egyptians as crying out. And yet how is it not true to say that, not having known the Master of all by nature, they would not have cried out to him at all? But just as the blood of Abel is said to cry out to God, and surely not it itself, having its own voice; but as it were God detesting the very absurdity of the matter; in the same way, I think, one might understand it also in the case of those accustomed to worship the unclean demons. For even if they do not know the God of all, yet because they have been oppressed by Satan, they have cried out in a certain way through the matter itself, surely asking for help for themselves. Thus we say that the Egyptians also cried out to God, because of those who afflict them, that is, those who have made them their own possession, and have oppressed them as with a most bitter slavery, clearly the unclean demons. But the Lord will send them a man who will save them. And who is the man, if not clearly Christ? that is, the only-begotten Word of God appearing in human form; he has saved not only the Egyptians, but indeed the whole earth. And he has saved by judging; and what is this, 'judging'? Instead of, passing a just judgment upon them. For having subjected Satan who had oppressed them, and with him the unclean demons, to holy decrees, having cast them into Tartarus with chains of darkness, he delivered them to be kept for judgment on the great day to be punished. But those who endured such an unbearable oppression, he both saved and rescued, and made his own worshipers, having flashed the light of truth upon them; and having clothed them with the boasts of freedom. Thus the Savior Himself also says somewhere: "Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up, will draw all men to myself." You see that he has judged the world, and has cast out Satan who long tyrannized over it, and has drawn all to himself. For the Egyptians also have known him. And indeed, having come to know him, they make sacrifices, and they also vow vows, and bring to fulfillment what they have promised. For this is what is sung through the voice of David: "Vow, and pay to the Lord our God." See, therefore, the newness of things. For those formerly accustomed to sacrificing to demons, those who offered worship to Satan and dedicated thank-offerings, and indeed also vows, that is, diligently fulfilling promises; having been enlightened in mind through Christ, and made radiant by the doctrines of truth, they will flee from the ancient error, and having once known the Creator and Lord of all, to him they offer worship in spirit, fulfilling all-holy vows, and offering sacrifices, no longer those of blood and the slaughter of irrational animals; spiritual rather, as I said, and well-pleasing on account of being blameless. And the Lord will strike the Egyptians with a great plague, and he will heal them with a healing; and they will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to them, and he will heal them. When God visits, he sometimes strikes those who have acted unholily, and executes the judgments for the ways they have provoked him, but he helps them greatly in this way. For he does not inflict the scourge because he is defeated, but rather to change them for the better. For either he transfers them from error to truth, or he teaches those who are uncontrollably inclined to sin the more shameful things to unlearn, and to hasten to turn to what is pleasing to him. Therefore, knowing that this thing is beneficial, I mean being disciplined, the blessed prophets have cried out to him: "Discipline us, O Lord, but in judgment, and not in wrath." And again: "O Lord, in affliction we remembered you, in little affliction was your discipline to us." And he said somewhere also to the synagogue of the Jews: You will be disciplined with pain and scourge, Jerusalem. Therefore, he disciplines those whom he would choose and loves. The prophet says that he will grant this also to the Egyptians: For the Lord will strike them with a great plague, and he will heal them with a healing. For even if they have been given perchance to the Roman generals, and their spearmen, armed with the law of war, have conquered the land, nevertheless having found a place among them for the divine proclamation, they have cast off the loss from having been led astray, and have passed over to the divine and heavenly light, and having rejected that ancient opinion, they have henceforth a sound heart. For they will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to them, that is, those who formerly on account of much impiety were in aversion from God, will learn henceforth no longer to bring their supplications to abominations, making them perhaps for what they would choose, but will rather cry out to him who heals the brokenhearted. And he will not be slow for them, but God will be rather ready to assent, both gracious and well-disposed. Therefore, the cause of every good for every person would be to know the one who is God by nature and in truth, and the Creator and Lord of all things. In that day there will be a highway for the Egyptians to the Assyrians. And the Assyrians will enter into Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians will serve the Assyrians. The blessed Paul writes concerning Christ, the Savior of us all, that he himself is our peace. For not only did he join those on earth with the ministering and holy spirits above, but he also prepared for nations to come together with nations. For before his coming, of intermingling with one another, country and city were estranged, and there were frequent uprisings and assaults of wars everywhere, and the prizes of the strong were the things of the vanquished, and greed was unadmonished, and to wrong whomever one could was considered something glorious, and one of the most admirable things. But peace has come to us, and in this respect, Christ. For since, flashing forth under heaven with the evangelical decrees, he taught everyone the way of piety, and to hold fast to the love for God and for one another, those former things have long since ceased, and the old things have passed away, and have become new, as it is written. For peace has prevailed everywhere. And this, I think, is what the prophet Isaiah also says somewhere else concerning all the nations: "And they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into sickles, and nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." For having all come under one yoke, spiritually the one under God, and bodily the one under the Romans, they live a quiet and undisturbed life, without war, so that with all fear removed, even those formerly most hostile to one another agree in unity of mind. For the Egyptians, he says, will have a road to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians to the Egyptians. And the Egyptians will go to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians will serve the Assyrians, not with the latter imposing a yoke of slavery, but being bound by the bonds of love, and making their interactions most pleasant. Indeed, he names as Assyrians those inhabiting the eastern country. In that day Israel will be a third with the Assyrians and with the Egyptians, blessed in the land, which the Lord of Sabaoth has blessed, saying: Blessed is my people in Egypt, and in Assyria, and my inheritance Israel. Israel was indeed named firstborn among the children. But since he has provoked Christ, he has been placed behind the gentiles, and has, as it were, inherited a second rank. For the time of his conversion has also been kept for him. For it is written that, "When the fullness of the gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved." See then, see him named third among these, among the Assyrians and Egyptians. And by Assyrians among these he means, as I said, those throughout all the eastern land, but especially Mesopotamia, in which they also say there are genuine worshippers, practicing an asceticism that is a sister and neighbor to that of the Egyptians, so as to have an equal desire and zeal for anything good whatsoever, and indeed also virtue. Therefore the God of all says: Blessed is my people, who are in Egypt and in Assyria; and Israel is numbered third. For he adds that, And my inheritance Israel. And the argument has previously shown us the reason for this; for he has killed the Lord and has been set behind, as David says. And the firstborn has become among the last. In the year that Tanathan came to Azotus, when he was sent by Arna king of the Assyrians, and warred against Azotus, and took it, at that time the Lord spoke to Isaiah, saying: Go and take off the sackcloth from your loins, and loose your sandals from your feet; and he did so, walking naked and barefoot. And the Lord said: Just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot, for three years there shall be signs and wonders to the Egyptians and Ethiopians; for so shall the king of the Assyrians lead away the captivity of Egypt and of the Ethiopians, young men and old, naked and barefoot, with their shame uncovered, the shame of Egypt. Having quite finished the discourse concerning the Egyptians, and having foretold in what manner they will be called through faith to the knowledge of the truth, he again arranges something of what was useful and necessary for the benefit of those from Israel; and what these things are, I shall say in brief. For having spared not even the reverence for the law through Moses, and indeed having disregarded love for God, they were most unwisely carried away to the point of arriving at polytheistic error, and of worshipping the works of their own hands. And for those who had once slipped into this opinion, no evil was unpracticed. For this reason, the God of all very often sent upon them wars and battles, on the one hand, those from the neighboring nations, on the other hand, those from the Persians and Medes; and those who rose up against Judea, sometimes first ravaging the other nations, caused those of Israel to consort with terrible and unbearable fears. But they, although it was necessary to propitiate the God of all, and to withdraw from unholy pursuits, and rather to turn to what was pleasing to Him, and to make amends to Him whom they had grieved, by turning from worse things to what is better, and thus to seek salvation from Him alone, and His ever-saving and defending hand—the wretched ones did not do this, but collecting for themselves aid from men, at one time they would call upon some of the neighboring peoples for this, at another time their neighbors the Egyptians, adding iniquity upon their iniquity, as it is written, and whetting as it were to wrath on this very account the all-powerful God. And indeed He said through one of the holy prophets: "And Ephraim was a senseless dove, and not having a heart; she called upon Egypt, and they went to the Assyrians." And indeed also through the prophet Isaiah himself: "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who trust in horses and in chariots. For there are many, and a very great multitude on horses; and they did not trust in the Holy One of Israel, and they did not seek God; and he is wise, he brought evils upon them, and his word shall not be set aside." Therefore, when Tanathan, who was a general of the king of the Assyrians, warred against Ashdod, and took it by force; and this was a neighbor to the land of the Jews; those from Israel expected immediately and very easily to suffer the same things themselves. And for this reason, hiring the hand of the Egyptians to defend them, they wished to lead them out against the phalanxes of the Assyrians. God, therefore, shows their hope to be in vain; and he foretells clearly, that they themselves will be the work [prey] of the Assyrian power, and they will be captured in due time, and they will be in the rank of the spear-won. For they say that in due time the land of the Egyptians came under the hand of the king of the Assyrians; and in a few years, three, having established himself in it, and having taken it all by force, having a very great number of captives, he returned to his own land. God therefore commands the prophet to take on the appearance that is fitting and customary for captives; that is, nakedness and being barefoot. For those who have conquered have little regard for the captured; but those who have fallen into this misery, whether they are some of the nobly born according to the flesh, or whether of the common multitude, are bound by one bond of wretchedness, having no garment, or rather, anything else contributing to their adornment or rest, but are thus carelessly at the whim of their captors for anything whatever, as coming by necessity. Therefore, as I said, the divine prophet is commanded to take off the sackcloth from his loins, and to take off his sandals, and to go through the middle of Jerusalem naked and barefoot. And he did this, not being very concerned about seeming respectable, and adding nothing to the things that please God, even if something might seem grievous and full of blame. But perhaps someone will say to this: Why did he not rather only foretell to those of Israel the things that would happen to the Egyptians in due time? But the one renowned among the prophets has gone thus naked and barefoot, having spared not the seemliness befitting him. To this, then, we say that they were not persuaded by the words of the prophets, but rather even rebuked those willing to foretell the things that would be, saying: "Speak to us other things, and report to us another deceit." For this reason, indeed, and very clearly, the temperate one, the decent one, and full of all virtue, the one crowned with prophetic grace, and renowned in discipline, even takes off his sackcloth, not a delicate garment, but rather thick and cheap; and he removes the sandals from his feet, and walks in such an appearance; so that those who see him, marveling at this very thing, may inquire about the reasons, and being eager to know for what purpose he has done this, they might be fully informed; that they have a vain hope in men; and that it was necessary for them rather to desire prosperity from above, and to love to make their helper the God who has always saved. Therefore, while the blessed prophet was wandering through Judea naked and barefoot, and no small terror arose among those who saw him, the Lord said, it says: In the manner that Isaiah my servant has walked, naked and barefoot, for three years there shall be signs and wonders for the Egyptians and the Ethiopians. For as I have already said, in a few years, three, the king of the Assyrians, having laid waste the land of the Egyptians, and indeed also the Ethiopians dwelling near it, and neighbors to the Thebans, having a very great number of captives, and having reveled in the misfortunes of the Egyptians; then indeed, then, he returned home again brilliantly. And the Egyptians will be defeated, being ashamed on account of the Ethiopians, in whom the Egyptians had trusted; for they were to them be glory. And the inhabitants of this island will say: Behold, we were trusting to flee to them for help, and they were not able to be saved from the king of the Assyrians, and how shall we be saved? The barbarian nations neighboring the Thebans, these are the Blemmyes, who are also Ethiopians, have practiced most skillfully the removal of arrows. But anointing them with a most deadly poison, they shoot them at their combatants; and if they should but touch, the one who is struck will surely die, and as if bitten by a snake, he will fall immediately. It was therefore customary and practiced for the Egyptians, when war and battle were imminent, both to hire the phalanxes of the Ethiopians and to be very proud of them; but they were captured with them, being defeated by the valor of the Assyrians. Therefore the Egyptians will be ashamed, he says, of the Ethiopians in whom they trusted. For when they too have been seized and conquered, the inhabitants of this island will say: Behold, we were once trusting to flee to them for help, who were not able to be saved from the king of the Assyrians; and how shall we be saved? Therefore he calls Egypt an island, because it is surrounded by rivers and encircled everywhere with lakes of water; but he introduces its inhabitants as condemning their hope in the Ethiopians. For if they themselves were captured, he says, how could they save those who trusted in them? It is good, therefore, to hope in the Lord, rather than to trust in man; and as the prophet Jeremiah says: "Cursed is the man who has hope in man, and makes flesh his arm; but blessed is he who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his hope." And in some way the prophetic word always benefits us; even if the history should not happen to have the form of a spiritual narrative, yet the benefit from it is not small. For Paul says that these things happened to the ancients as types, but were written for our instruction.

Discourse 12

Having very well finished the discourse concerning the Egyptians, I say, when and how they will be called through faith to the knowledge of the true God, the prophet, having declared, passes on to another vision concerning the desert. And in this he does not simply make mention to us of an uninhabited and desolate land; but he calls the land of the Babylonians a desert, which once had inhabitants greater in number, both terrible and most warlike; but it was so desolated, when the wrath from above was brought upon it, that it remained completely devoid of men when Cyrus, the son of Cambyses, campaigned against the Babylonians. Of whom the prophet also makes mention elsewhere, saying: "Thus says the Lord to my anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him. Cities shall not be shut." He took by force the one that was once arrogant and lifted up against every nation, and invincible in battle, I mean Babylon. The prophet now also makes mention of it, and calls it a desert. And in what manner of misery it slipped into this state, he relates clearly for two reasons, as I suppose. Either to make the Jews desist from their hope; "For Ephraim was a silly dove," as one of the holy prophets says; "He called upon Egypt, and went to the Assyrians;" or to comfort those who were grieved, because their country had been ravaged, and the temple itself had been burned, and they had been carried off as captives to Babylon along with their wives and children. This was clearly teaching, that God would also rise up against those who had ravaged them, if they should choose to live according to the law, and become genuine keepers of His divine commandments. Therefore the prophet narrates. However, the loftiness of the vision has changes of persons. For at one time, as an eyewitness of things to come, and having already become a spectator, he explains the things shown to him by God; And at times with a prophetic spirit he proclaims beforehand what will happen in due season; and sometimes he also introduces the person of the Babylonians lamenting themselves over such terrible and unexpected calamities. Thus, as one who has seen the expedition of the Persians and Medes, and indeed also of the Elamites against Babylon, he says thus: They will ride through and pass through the desert. "As if a whirlwind of winds should pass through a desert." The dust rising up, and almost confounding everything. And he adds: "Because a dreadful and harsh vision was announced to me." For the sight alone of the enemies is exceedingly sufficient, and the most valiant multitude of fighters prepared for war, to create a harsh dread in those who behold them. But he says he has not only seen, but also, ‘It was announced to me,’ he says; for along with the sight, he was also taught the outcome of the events, clearly by God. "He who deals treacherously, deals treacherously, and he who acts lawlessly, acts lawlessly." Unrebuked, he says, is the audacity of the attackers. For they are not kindled to gentleness by human reasonings; nor does any of them consider any of the things that have come to pass; but he acts lawlessly without restraint, and deals treacherously according to what seems good to him, with no mercy whatsoever; For they do not look to mercy, but their zealous work will be, he says, to act lawlessly and to deal treacherously. He said something like this also through the voice of the same, to the inhabitants of Assyria: Behold, I am bringing upon you the Medes, who do not reckon silver, nor do they have need of gold. They will shatter the arrows of young men. For when God brings wrath upon the transgressors, there will be nothing that can help. Rather, a beast-like mind dwells in those who wish to ravage those against whom they might run. Upon me are the Elamites, and the ambassadors of the Persians are coming against me. Now I will groan, and comfort myself. Therefore my loins were filled with feebleness, and pangs seized me, as a woman in labor; I have done wrong in not hearing, I have hastened in not seeing. My heart wanders, and iniquity overwhelms me, my soul is set in fear. The speech in these things has the power of personification. For the Assyrian is introduced, both fearing the attack, and not ignorant of the phalanxes of the enemies, and against whom is the purpose of the war for them. For not against any others, but 'against me,' he says, 'have the Elamites rushed, and the noblest of the Persians.' I will groan then and comfort myself. For to those who are in extreme calamity, there seems to be a certain kind of comfort, to lament and to wail. For a tear is squeezed out from pain. But it is a strange thing if the Assyrians lament, having always been hard and arrogant, exceedingly disdainful toward all the nations, and thinking that resistance would not be easily met. But those so bold and puffed up with superhuman thoughts, they receive womanly tears, and compose a lament for themselves, being broken into weakness before the experience of war. For my loins were filled with feebleness, and pangs seized me as a woman in labor. But for what reason will such things happen to you, he says, O Assyrian? You might say to the one asking: 'Yes,' he says; 'for I know that I have offended the God who rules all things through much sin.' I have done wrong in not hearing, I have hastened in not seeing. In this, he says, I have wronged myself, because I have greatly practiced being hard of hearing, and I made it a work of haste not to see, that is, who is by nature and truly God. For I heard of the worship of the Jews, I took the holy city by force, I have sacked the temple. I had from hearsay moderate knowledge of the things commanded to those of Israel. Rather, also the prophet Jonah was sent from God, preaching and saying: "Yet three days, and Nineveh will be overthrown;" and having been terrified at once by the threat, I repented, but I did wrong again by not hearing, and I have made it a matter of haste not to see what it was necessary to see. For my heart has wandered. And sin has made me submerged, burying me in a way. For this very reason my soul has stood in fear; for I have come to be in dread of the last things. These, then, would be the voices of the Assyrians. For it is the custom of the holy prophets to personify the voices, for the benefit of those who hear. Prepare a table, drink, eat. Arise, O rulers, prepare shields. I said that the word of prophecy is at times very artfully varied into many different persons; and it is absolutely necessary for those who would choose to understand and to report correctly to observe such things accurately. For thus the knowledge would become clear, and have nothing steep or difficult regarding what is said. It has therefore introduced the person of the Assyrians weeping for themselves, and crushed into cowardice, and travailing in unbearable dread of the evils that are about to be. Then it mentions the time when it will happen that they are captured and fall into incurable calamities; and indeed it also makes clear the cause of the [wrath] that came upon them. For the blessed Daniel has written that "Belshazzar the king made a feast for his nobles, for a thousand of them; before the thousand was the wine." Then he says that he also impiously brought forth the holy vessels taken from Jerusalem at that time, and he himself drank from them, and his concubines, and his wives. This was nothing other than boasting against the glory of God; and exalting himself over the one who presides over those from Israel, as one who had been unable in any way to help his own people. So while Belshazzar was drinking, and, so to speak, mocking the holy vessels; There appeared, he says, the knuckle of a hand, and it wrote on the wall, Mene, Tekel, Peres; interpreting the writing, the divine Daniel said to the Assyrian; God has torn apart your kingdom, and has divided it, and it has been given to the Medes and Persians. Of this very history, I think, he now makes mention, and the prophet says as if to the rulers themselves, that is, the nobles, and indeed to Belshazzar; Prepare a table, drink, eat; arise, O rulers, prepare shields; live lavishly, he says, at riotous tables; the saying is in a way customary; be sated, drinking insatiably. And what after this? Wars will succeed the festival, and the suffering will not be long in coming; but from the drinking itself you will run to arms, and you will seek for shields. For it is truly very hard to exalt oneself against God, and to be insolent against the glory beyond which there is nothing of all that exists. For Israel was given to the Assyrians; since God had inflicted upon them the necessity of suffering captivity because of their great sin. But it was not right for those who had conquered to fall into such ignorance and senseless thoughts, as to suppose and think they had overcome the hand of him who willed to save them, and had become better than the ineffable power of the one who is above all and who has raised up creation as God. For thus said the Lord to me: Go, set a watchman for yourself; and whatever you see, report it. And I saw two horsemen riders; a rider on a donkey, and a rider on a camel. It is the custom for the holy prophets at the time of the vision of God, or of the visions, to collect their mind as if within themselves, and with undistracted thought to contemplate the things shown by God, and as if having come to be on high and in a certain secret watchtower, to hearken to the divine words. And so one of the holy prophets said: "I will stand on my watch, and I will mount upon a rock, and I will look out to see what he will say in me, and what I shall answer to my reproof." The prophet now teaches something of this sort, and says that he heard from God: Go, set a watchman for yourself, and whatever you see, report it; and he was not commanded to set up some other watchman, but surely to prepare himself for a vision of God, and as some watchman having come on high with his mind, to look down upon the things that will be, and to receive with sight the spectacle of the events. I saw therefore, he says, two horsemen riders; a rider on a donkey, and a rider of a camel. And what this is, the lament of the Assyrians will teach clearly. For it said: Against me are the Elamites, and the ambassadors of the Persians come to me; and the Elamites are a barbarian nation, practiced in riding on camels. But who else could the rider of the donkey be but the chosen men of the Persians? whom they say indeed go to battle mounted on mules and with canopies, so that no toil might unnerve them. But when they see the place of battle, then, having leaped down from the canopies, they use chosen horses. Therefore, he calls the one who rides on mules the rider of a donkey. Although it is also likely that the prophet saw, in another way, the band of enemies mounted on horses, and a following multitude of camels and mules, prepared perhaps for the transport of the spoils. For elsewhere he says this somewhere: "In the affliction and the distress, a lion and a lion's whelp; from there also vipers and the offspring of flying vipers, who carried their wealth upon donkeys and camels;" For he called Cyrus a lion and a lion's whelp, and the Persians and Medes under him. But vipers and the offspring of flying vipers: this is, those from other nations practiced in darting swiftly and moving as if flying, for whom riding camels is a custom and practice. Listen to a great hearing, and call Uriah to the Lord's watchtower. The prophet has confessed that he saw some two horsemen, of a camel and of a donkey; and who these might be, we have already said before. But since he has seen, he is then commanded to hasten to learn the things resulting from the attack, and the terrible accounts of the Chaldeans' calamity. For such a hearing is great indeed. Therefore the things that happened to Babylon were dreadful, and beyond all description, and reaching the extreme of evils. For Cyrus took it in such a way as to make it completely desolate, and to destroy those in it, and netting even from the caves those who had expected to be able to hide at all. And indeed the God of all said to him, that I will give you dark, hidden, unseen treasures; I will open them to you." And somewhere the person of Jerusalem is introduced, speaking to Babylon: Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, because I have fallen and I will rise again; for if I sit in darkness, the Lord will give me light. I will bear the Lord's wrath, because I have sinned against him, until he vindicates my righteousness, and executes my judgment, and brings me out into the light; and I will see his righteousness. And my enemy will see, and shame will cover her, who says to me, Where is the Lord your God? my eyes will look upon her. Now she will be for trampling like mud in the streets. Days of smearing brick, that day is your erasure; on which, clearly, it was sacked by the Persians and Medes and Elamites, and was made desolate, as I said. Listen therefore, he says, to a great hearing, that is, the long and terrible accounts of the capture, and call Uriah to the Lord's watchtower. They say that a certain Uriah was one of the most distinguished among the priests according to the Law. Take, therefore, he says, Uriah as a witness of the watch, that is, the vision, shown to you, and let him be taught by you the things that are to come. For since, disbelieving the prophets' accounts, they were saying: "Speak other things to us, and announce to us another delusion," for this very reason and very providentially, the God of all made the most honored among the Jews witnesses of the things shown at times, as in a prophetic vision, to those who have the spirit of prophecy, so that if they were not willing to be persuaded by their words, they might at least trust those who were honored among them with the priesthood according to the Law. And he said: I stood all day, and in the camp I stood all night; and he himself comes, a rider of a pair of horses. The prophet, having been commanded to set up a watch for himself, and to announce clearly what was shown to him by God; I have stood, he says, continually by day, and through the whole night; and behold, he himself comes, a rider of a pair of horses. Who then is he? The Persian and the Elamite, that is, the leader of the army, that is, Cyrus. And he answered and said: "Babylon is fallen, and all her images, and her handmade things have been shattered to the ground." The prophet saying, "Behold, he himself comes, a rider of a pair of horses," in what way the things of the assault will be done, and having seen it very well not long after, then God answers and says: "Babylon is fallen," that is, the arrogant one, the insolent one, the hammer of the whole earth, as Jeremiah says; the one treading upon all nations like a wild beast, the one raising a proud neck, devastating countries and cities. "Is fallen," he says, that is, she has perished utterly; she is gone and has been trampled, and is seen utterly cast down, lying henceforth under the feet of her captors. And all her images and handmade things have also been shattered. For it is a land of graven images, as another of the holy prophets says; but she trusted greatly in falsely-named gods; and expecting to be saved by their aid, she has been trampled with them, and together with her own objects of worship has been shattered. "Hear, you who are left behind, and are in pain, hear what I heard from the Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel has announced to us." Israel was carried away captive, and served the Babylonians, God permitting him to be entangled in such long calamities on account of his great sin. However, many had remained both in Jerusalem and in Judea; but they continued groaning and suffering, their land having been ravaged; and the temple itself having been burned, and Jerusalem utterly laid waste. The prophet, therefore, usefully weaves the vision as a remedy of aid for their consolation, and says to them: "Hear, you who are left behind and are in pain, hear what I heard from the Lord Sabaoth." The God of Israel has announced it to us. For he knew, he knew that the calamity of the Babylonians would be a cause of joy for them, and that the accounts of what happened to those who had grieved them would be a manner of consolation to those who had been so ravaged.

Discourse 13

And I think it is necessary to first set forth the subject of the vision before us. For thus and not otherwise will those who encounter it understand. Therefore, two sons were born to Isaac, Esau and Jacob; and Esau was called Edom, that is, earthly; for such was his life, and for one meal he sold his birthright, as it is written. But Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in a house; for so the holy Scripture said concerning him; And from Jacob, who was also renamed Israel, came the Jews; and from Esau, that is, Edom, the Idumeans, that is, the Hagarenes, and these are Saracens. Therefore, the Idumeans were brothers and kinsmen to those of Israel; and the land of the Jews and the land of the Idumeans were bordering and adjacent to each other. But neither their kinship, nor their being neighbors to one another, awarded harmony to the peoples. For the Idumeans, living according to the customs and laws of the Greeks, were at variance, and they frequently plundered the land of the Jews, and dared to do the most shameful things to them. And indeed, when those of Israel, having cast off the yoke of the Egyptians' oppression, were returning to the land promised to their fathers, "Moses," it says, "sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: 'Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that has found us; and our fathers went down into Egypt, and we sojourned in Egypt for many days; and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers; and we cried out to the Lord, and the Lord heard our voice, and sending an angel, he brought us out of Egypt; and now we are in the city of Kadesh, from part of your borders: We will pass through your land; we will not pass through fields, nor through vineyards; nor will we drink water from your cistern; we will go by the king's highway; we will not turn aside to the right, nor to the left, until we have passed your borders. And Edom said to him: You shall not pass through me; but if not, I will come out against you with war." Do you see how hard and unmerciful the Idumaeans have become, and this toward their brothers? But their crimes are not limited to these things; for they have also done something else unholy and cruel. For the Babylonian captured the land of the Jews, and after burning the temple and ravaging Israel, he wrought things beyond all description against the inhabitants. Then some of those who had escaped from the Persian sword, as to a neighboring country of the Jews, and as with brothers and kinsmen were eager to take refuge; but they, although it was necessary to help them as brothers, and to pity them for having suffered miserably, and indeed also to receive them kindly, they leaped upon them like wild beasts. And they made the fugitives the work of their own cruelty. And for this very reason, the God of all strongly accused them through the voice of the prophet Obadiah, for it is written thus: "In that day, says the Lord, I will destroy the wise men out of Idumaea, and understanding from the mount of Esau; and your mighty men from Teman shall be dismayed, to the end that every one from the mount of Esau may be cut off, by slaughter and for the impiety against your brother Jacob. And shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever, from the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces; and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem; even you were as one of them." See then how they became imitators of the Persian cruelty, and those who expected to be saved, going for this reason as to brothers and neighbors, they killed pitilessly. So then, after the Babylonians had captured the land of the Jews, and were returning at last to their own land, they made the ravaging of Idumaea a byproduct of their journey. For they took them all, and very easily, God letting loose his wrath upon them. And so he said again through the voice of Obadiah: "For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, so shall it be to you; your recompense shall be returned upon your own head." This then, in brief, is the subject of the vision before us. And indeed we must proceed to each point, to speak of what is written, as far as is possible. Call to me from Seir. This is the voice of the all-ruling God saying to the prophet, that as soon as war descends upon the land of the Idumaeans, all who inhabit it will turn to flight. And Seir is a very large mountain of Idumaea, under which is said to be a splendid city among them. Therefore, as those from Mount Seir, that is, the Idumaeans, are about to be put to flight as never before, he says, Call to me, that is, let those fleeing from there come to Judea. For just as they mocked those from Israel taking refuge among them, so they will be mocked, he says, for doing the same things, and being overcome by the hand of the Babylonians. Guard the battlements, I will keep watch in the morning and at night. The word is to the Idumaeans, with God all but reproaching them for the futility of their labors, namely, those for repelling their enemies, while in no way striving for salvation and help from him. For when the attack of the Assyrians was about to happen, and they were blocking the entrances to the cities, they were guarding the battlements. But the matter was useless to them. For their cities were captured, and there was absolutely no one who was saved. Therefore the word from God to them was made in character: "Yes," he says, "you are planning right and proper things, guard the battlements." Then, as if from them, "I keep watch in the morning, and at night." "But unless the Lord guards the city, in in vain the watchman kept awake." For it was necessary rather to seek help from above and from God, and not indeed rather to trust in stones. For thus they say the walls of their cities have been shaken down, so that a stone was not seen lying upon a stone. If you seek, seek, and dwell with me, in the evening you will sleep in the thicket. For if indeed you wish, he says, to seek help, seek it from me who am able to save, and dwell with me, that is, you will be mine and think my thoughts, removing yourself from the worship of falsely-named gods. The Savior says something of this sort: "He who loves me, let him follow me, and where I am, there also let my servant be." Therefore, when the phalanx of the enemies is overrunning, he says, all the land of the Jews, outside of houses or cities, you will also sleep in the evening in the thicket, that is, you will lodge together with the wild beasts; and you will encamp also in the marshes, and thus finally you will pay the penalty for your cruelty towards your brothers. In the way of Dedan, bring water to meet the thirsty, you who dwell in the land of Teman, meet with bread those who flee because of the multitude of the 70,500 fleeing, and because of the multitude of the wandering, and because of the multitude of the sword, and because of the multitude of the drawn bows, and because of the multitude of the fallen in the war. He accuses the Idumeans of having committed unholy acts, just as I have already said before, also through the voice of Obadiah the prophet. For although it was necessary to help the people of Israel who had fallen into incurable misfortunes, having compassion on them, this they did not do; but they appeared unloving and harsh, and wilder than the cruelty of the Assyrians, cruelly slaughtering those who had managed to escape their hands at all. Therefore, what they should have done to be well-pleasing, having not done this ..... saying: In the way of Dedan bring water to meet the thirsty, you who dwell in the land of Teman, meet with bread those who flee. For it was necessary, it was necessary, he says, for you, who hold the southern country—for Teman is interpreted as South—to bring bread and water to those fleeing and wandering in the way of Dedan, and to be eager rather to accomplish the things befitting the love owed to brothers, and not to oppose like beasts those who have already suffered, leaping upon them in a way, and burdening the yoke of those already oppressed by such bitter and untamable misfortunes. Therefore it was necessary to meet the fugitives kindly. For they were turned to flight, disregarding houses and cities, because of the multitude of the sword and of the terrible bows; and because they have fallen in great numbers, and the dead among them have become more than can be numbered. For thus the Lord said to me: Yet a year, as the year of a hireling, the glory of Kedar will fail, and the remnant of the bows of the mighty sons; Kedar will be small, because the Lord the God of Israel has spoken. That the destruction of Idumea has drawn near, and has, as it were, come within the doors, and that they will altogether and in every way dwell for destruction, as the Babylonians burn down their cities and ravage the whole country, he clearly foretells; For there will be, he says, one year in between, and the archers of Kedar, although, he says, having a reputation not unadmired for this very thing, will fail and perish; and the prophecy is true. For the Lord the God of Israel has spoken; and the truth will in no way lie. Moreover, by the year of a hireling he means that which is precisely measured out. For one who has entered into the toils of service, and has hired himself out to another, always somehow examines minutely and precisely the measure of the time of his hire. And let these things be said now, as far as pertains to the letter and indeed the history. But applying the power of the word to the holy Church and her nurslings, and indeed also to the flocks of the heretics, we say this: that very often the hordes of the Greeks attack those who are accustomed to think rightly, and the creator and Lord of all things by nature and in truth of those who chose to worship. Then, subjecting them to bitter persecutions, they sometimes inflict unbearable labors upon them. And likewise also those who have the poison of unholy heresies in their mind and heart, and although they steal the name of Christians, and feign brotherhood toward us, sometimes surpass the cruelties of the enemies, being both unloving and harsh. For are they not, being of such a kind, convicted of these things by the facts themselves? But God will not endure them forever, nor will He at all tolerate the exceedingly unloving, but will rather bring upon them the things that come from wrath and justice.

Discourse 14

Having foretold the capture of the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Idumeans, the prophet, comes to the holy city itself, that is, to Jerusalem; and he usefully relates beforehand the things that will happen to it at times from divine wrath; so that they might know that the God of all is the ruler of justice, or rather, justice itself; He does not simply honor and accept and deem worthy of care one who has become His own, through being instructed by the law; but rather He tests the life that each has lived, and to those who are good in disposition He distributes good things; but He considers a lover of wickedness a stranger and in no way related to Him, even if he happens to be beloved on account of the fathers. The people of the Jews, therefore, out of very great ignorance, thought both that they would be utterly indestructible to their enemies, and that with no one at all attacking them, they would live a quiet life in very great prosperity, even though they were offending God and had turned to very great impiety. For they had worshiped idols, and having set up images and altars under oak and poplar trees, they offered sacrifices and performed libations to vain things, having utterly disregarded the glory due to the all-holy God. And so, through the voice of Jeremiah, He says to them concerning Jerusalem: "And do not say, 'This is the temple of the Lord,' because unless you thoroughly correct your ways and your practices, I will make this house like Shiloh." And again He accused them through Micah the prophet, saying: "Her leaders judged for a bribe, and her priests gave answers for a price, and her prophets divined for silver, and they leaned upon the Lord, saying: Is not the Lord in our midst? No evil will come upon us. Therefore, on your account, Zion will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become like a fruit-keeper's hut, and the mountain of the house like a grove of the forest." And the divine John also made it clear to them that the judgment of God comes swiftly against everyone who is accustomed to sin, saying: "Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce then fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think of saying to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. And now the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Therefore, since Israel had an unbridled impulse to sin, and was devoted, as I just said, to the false worship of idols, God reveals beforehand through the prophet the future capture of Jerusalem at times, and says: What has happened to you now, that you have all gone up to vain housetops? The city was filled with those shouting; your wounded are not wounded by the sword, nor are your dead the dead of war. It seems, then, to indicate here the devastation in the times of Jeconiah; and to accuse those of Israel strongly, as not even in the evils themselves, and so exceedingly knowing how to achieve in the most severe calamities what leads to benefit, and what was to be for them the cause of favor from above. For it was necessary for them, weeping and lamenting, to go up to the house of God, to profess repentance, and to ask for forgiveness for the things in which they had provoked Him, and to seek the helping hand from Him alone. And He Himself taught this, saying through one of the holy prophets: "Gird yourselves and beat your breasts, O priests; lament, you who minister at the altar. Enter in, sleep in sackcloth, you who minister to God, for the sacrifice and the libation are withheld from your house. Sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the elders, all the inhabitants of the land, into the house of your God, and cry out earnestly to the Lord, 'Alas, alas for the day!'." Therefore it was necessary for them, by doing these things, to appease the one who had been provoked, who has power to save. But they, perhaps not even admitting into their minds that it was fitting to do these things, went up to the rooftops of their houses, and there were beatings of the breast everywhere, and lamentations of children, being consumed perhaps by hunger and thirst. For it is necessary that these things happen to besieged cities. For this reason he says: What has happened to you now, that you have all gone up to vain rooftops? For why, he says, even in such unbearable terrors, and when your concern is for the ultimate things, and the entire struggle, have you not cried out to God, but have instead jumped up to the rooftops, although this action benefits you in no way? For this reason he also calls them vain rooftops. Why was the city also filled with those shouting? Not indeed to God, but crying out in vain, and, as it were, being immoderately distressed at the evils that had happened within the gates. The lamentation should have been for repentance; the tears should have been shed before God. Behold, he says, before engaging in battle, before taking up the sword, before practicing resistance, the city has become full of the dead. It is therefore useful and necessary for salvation to know how to achieve the things through which one might have God as a savior, even if one should be in bitter calamities. For indeed the blessed David sings and says: "O Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in You." But it should be known that he calls Jerusalem the valley of Zion. For Zion is a mountain, or on a mountain; but Jerusalem lies at its foothills, whence he also calls it the valley of Zion. All your rulers have fled, and those who were captured are harshly bound, and the strong ones in you have fled far away. Having abandoned, as I said, God the Savior of all, the peoples of the Jews, and having taken courage in human aid, expected to be saved. But when the enemies came, and the fear of suffering was at its height, and they saw the phalanxes of the Assyrians already surrounding the country, or rather the holy city, those in authority and in the highest honors fled; just as from a sinking ship they swam away to save themselves, having as it were bid farewell to those who had hoped in them. Therefore all have fled, he says, who formerly promised to save you, and were thought to have an unconquerable hand; and indeed those who were captured are harshly bound. For Zedekiah was captured along with his children; and the Babylonians slaughtered them, but him, with his eyes gouged out, they carried away to their own land. "Vain therefore is the salvation of men," according to what is written. But one must cleave to God alone, crying out that wise saying: "For I will not hope in my bow, and my sword will not save me." For the Lord of hosts alone saves those who love Him, and delivers from every evil, so that they say rejoicing: "For you have saved us from those who afflict us, and have put to shame those who hate us." For this reason I said, Leave me alone, I will weep bitterly; do not strive to comfort me for the ruin of the daughter of my people, because it is a day of trouble and destruction and trampling from the Lord Sabaoth, in the valley of Zion. This the voice of the prophet all but weeping and lamenting over the misfortunes of the race. And by the fact that he begs off those who have the strength to comfort, he reveals the magnitude of the wound, as if it has no cure; but rather has been brought upon them unbearably, having a bitter and incorrigible assault. For a day of confusion and destruction and trampling from the Lord Sabaoth has been brought upon them. "For who shall turn back the high hand?" For if the assault by the Assyrians were done without the wrath from above, there would be very great hope for those in distress, of being able at times to overcome those attacking them, as God who rules all things extends to them his ever-saving hand. But since it is he himself who strikes, and the trampling is from the Lord, who will overturn it? "For if he shuts a man in, who will open?" he says. They wander from the small to the great, they wander upon the mountains. Marvel at the sobriety of the Spirit-bearer. For since he said that the confusion and the destruction and the day of trampling would be brought from the Lord Sabaoth, lest anyone think that the divine wrath has leaped upon them in vain, he immediately cuts off the suspicion of those who are sometimes expected out of levity to arrive at this foolishness; and he adds the defense, so that the creator of all things might appear a just judge. "They wander," he says, "from the small to the great, they wander upon the mountains." And what this is, you will learn from the very words of God. For he said somewhere to the blessed prophet Jeremiah: Have you seen what the house of Israel has done to me? She has gone up on every high mountain, and under every leafy tree, and has committed fornication there. For occupying the high places of the mountains, they built both hills and sacred precincts. Then, having fashioned an idol as they saw fit, they brought sacrifices to it, and having utterly disdained piety towards God, they said to the wood, 'You are my Father,' and to the stone, 'You gave me birth.' So, have few suffered this? By no means, he says; for the whole race and every household has gone astray, small and great. And so he said again to the blessed prophet Jeremiah: "And you, do not pray for this people, and do not make supplication for them in petition and prayer, because I will not listen. Or do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? Their sons gather wood, and their fathers kindle a fire; and their women knead dough to make cakes for the host of heaven; and they have made libations to other gods, in order to provoke me to anger." Therefore, they have been punished by a holy decree. For having dedicated their worship to creation and having served the works of their own hands, they themselves have drawn down upon their own heads the things from divine wrath. For not in vain are nets spread for the winged, as it is written; and God brings punishments upon the one who dishonors his glory, having inclined with an erring mind toward anything that is out of place. But the Elamites took up quivers, men riders on horses, and a gathering for battle. And your choice valleys will be, they will be filled with chariots, and the horsemen will block your gates, and they will uncover the gates of Judah; and on that day they will look to the choice houses of the city, and they will uncover the hidden things of the houses of the citadel of David. He raises the narratives to a height, and all but paints the assault of the war, and terrifies the listeners with fears, skillfully driving them to the necessity of choosing to repent; therefore, as if beholding the companies already present, and having come inside the gates, he says such things. And the Elamites, as from a Persian city, are named from it. But some say that they are Saracen horsemen, and these are horse-archers and among the most accurate, harsh and unbending, and not knowing how to show mercy. And that they are also superior in number he teaches by saying: Your choice valleys will be filled with chariots, and that the horsemen will block your gates, so that those wishing to drive through are severely constricted; and having rushed in, they will search every splendid house, and they will uncover the hidden things of the houses of the citadel of David, that is, the wealth of the kings. For those from the tribe of Judah ruled, from which the blessed David also came. And let these things, again, be said with a view to history. But if indeed they should invade the human mind like enemies, either swarms of foolish thoughts, or even carnal pleasures; they seize it as a captured city; and they destroy all its spiritual wealth, banishing all piety, and stripping it of the splendid accomplishments of virtue. For this reason the divinely-inspired Scripture says: "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for healing will pacify great sins." For when such passions are checked, they are diminished, and sobriety benefits those who use it. But by impulses that are, as it were, unrestrained and unreproved, always creeping toward what is worse, they shake from their foundations those who are spiritually drowsy. And they saw that they are many, and that they diverted the water of the old pool into the city, and that they tore down the houses of Jerusalem to fortify the wall for the city. And you made for yourselves water between the two walls, inside the old pool, and you did not look to the one who made it from the beginning, and you did not see the one who created it. Again he accuses the people of the Jews, that is, the leaders and those adorned with the highest honors, as having erred from sound reasoning, and having acted foolishly, not doing what was likely to be able to save Jerusalem in its peril, but such things as made the wrath that had come upon them fiercer, in a way whetting and making even greater the indignation against them of God, who rules over all, since he was overlooked, and no one still trusted in him; but rather by their own efforts and human undertakings, those from Israel supposed they would be able to overpower the hand of their enemies. For they say that having numbered the houses of the city, then having measured out the stored water as if by estimations, they realized that they are many, and they diverted the water of the old pool into the city, so that they might have, as they themselves thought, what would be able to suffice, even if the time of the siege should somehow become longer. And in addition to this, they made fortifications for the walls, he says, by tearing down the houses of the city. And you did not look to the one who made it from the beginning, and you did not see the one who created it. For it was necessary, it was necessary, he says, not to be bold in your own powers, that is, your good fortunes, rather, but to raise the eye of the mind to the one who always walled the holy city. For, he says, 'Mountains are round about her, and the Lord is round about his people,' which he also promises to her through the voice of the prophet, saying: And I will be to her, says the Lord, a wall of fire round about, and I will be for glory in the midst of her; but you considered the matter of no account, he says, and you overlooked the things from God, as if in no way needing help from above, you have most foolishly taken courage in bulwarks of stones. But it were far better for you to have called upon the invincible hand, and to have sought to receive the things from the gentleness and love for mankind of God, to name him Savior and Redeemer, and being so disposed, to shed a tear in repentance. And the Lord of Sabaoth called in that day for weeping and for mourning, and for baldness, and for girding with sackcloth, but they themselves made gladness and joy, slaying calves, and killing sheep, so as to eat meat, and to drink wine, saying: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. And these things are revealed in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, that this sin shall not be forgiven you, until you die. It is true that according to what is written: "When the wicked one comes into a depth of evils, he scorns;" this one might see that the people of Israel had suffered. For having been in fear of every evil, and seeing the danger from the cruelty of the Assyrians hanging over them, then, when it was necessary to appease God by lamenting their own indolence, and to make lamentation and shaving, and girding with sackcloth, as the time called for this, they turned to the very opposite. For, as if giving up, and as it were, having become callous to everything, they pursued luxuries, and were eager to perform the works of gladness, slaughtering calves and sheep, getting drunk and indulging in excessive luxuries, and indeed also uttering to one another things born of despair and of a wild and careless mind: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." For they likely thought that God would also be deaf to such things; But these things are revealed, he says, in his ears; and this sin shall not be forgiven you until you die, that is, you shall certainly go down to death and destruction, and because of this sin of yours. Therefore, in days of wrath, that is, for those shattered by the fears from temptations, we must not be supine towards indolence, but rather mourn and approach the good-loving God in tears, and by afflicting ourselves with the toils of fasting, seek to be pitied, crying out that verse through the voice of the Psalmist: "Behold my humiliation and my toil, and forgive all my sins." But since the prophet says in these things that the Lord Sabaoth called in that day for weeping and lamentation, and shaving, and girding with sackcloth, I thought it necessary to weave the words of Micah, or rather those given by God through the prophet, into my discourse. And it is written thus: "And now says the Lord our God: Turn to me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in lamentation, and rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, long-suffering and full of mercy, and repents of evils. Who knows if he will turn and repent, and will leave behind him a blessing, a sacrifice and a libation to the Lord our God? Sound the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, proclaim a service, gather the people, sanctify the Church, select the elders, gather the infants that suck the breasts, let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber, and the bride from her bridal-canopy. Between the foundation and the altar the priests who minister to the Lord will weep, and they will say: Spare, O Lord, your people, and do not give your inheritance to reproach, for the nations to rule over them, so that they may not say among the nations, Where is their God?" Therefore, when God at that time was calling for weeping and lamentation, and shaving and girding with sackcloth, they made merry, sharpening against themselves even more greatly into an unrestrainable wrath the one who is able to destroy and to save. Thus says the Lord Sabaoth: Go to the treasury, to Somnas the treasurer, and say to him: What are you doing here, and what have you here? that you have hewn a monument for yourself here, and have made a monument for yourself on high, and have inscribed a tent for yourself in the rock? Behold now, the Lord Sabaoth will cast out and destroy a man, and he will take away your robe, and your glorious crown, and will throw you into a great and immeasurable land, and there you will die; and he will turn your beautiful chariot into dishonor, and the house of your ruler into a thing to be trampled, and you will be removed from your stewardship and from your position. Somnas became a treasurer of money, and of what kind is not yet clear, whether of the sacred funds, and those distributed to the temple, or of the royal funds, but he seems rather to have been in charge of the collection of the sacred funds, and of those things necessarily and needfully spent at times for the repair of sacred vessels. They say that he, being also of the blood of Levi, was seen to be distinguished by the boasts of the high priesthood. A certain proud and he was exceedingly arrogant, and harsh towards those who offended him, and leaping upon acts of greed, and overcome by shameful gains, and a lover of ostentation, and always hunting for honors from men. For this very reason and quite rightly hated by God, therefore when Judea was about to be utterly laid waste, and Jerusalem itself to be captured, when the victorious Babylonians also transported Israel as a captive to their own land, Shebna was making a conspicuous monument for himself, and he was putting into it a most costly construction. Thus, the word from God came to him in this manner. For what does He say to the prophet? Go to the chamber, this is a place in the temple, to Shebna the treasurer, and say to him: What are you doing here? and what have you here? That is, what inheritance do you have here? or how do you remain here? For why have you hewn a monument for yourself and inscribed a dwelling in the rock? What then will be? and what is the threat? or with what evils, he says, will you consort? Behold, the Lord of Sabaoth will cast out and destroy a man. For, as I said, the most powerful were led away captive with the common herd, even those who had a distinguished superiority over others. But since he himself was also carried away into captivity, his crown of the high priesthood was taken away, and he was cast like a useless vessel into a boundless land, there to die without any mercy, no longer riding in splendid chariots as before, but rather shaken and cast out completely from the stewardship entrusted to him and from his position, that is, from standing and ministering to God. And it shall be in that day, I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and I will give him your crown, and I will give the power and the stewardship into his hands; and he shall be as a father to the inhabitants in Jerusalem, and to the inhabitants of Judah, and I will give the glory of David to him, and he shall rule, and there shall be no one who speaks against him; and I will set him as a ruler in a faithful place, and he shall be for a throne of glory of his father's house, and every glorious one in his father's house shall trust in him, from the small to the great, and they shall be depending on him in that day. The narrative has not yet departed from the history, for it is still directed against Shebna the treasurer, who had indeed received the glory of the priesthood, but who abused it in this way and went against every ordinance, so as to be unbearably greedy and in short to leave no impropriety unpracticed. Therefore, when he was cast off, that is, having been carried away to a far and boundless land, I will call, He says, at that time my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah. And by calling him His own servant, He has testified to his obedience; and that He will bestow the glory of the priesthood on him He makes clear; promising to crown him and saying, that He will also give him a robe, and the stewardship and the power, that is, the ability to rule the peoples under his hand. And in addition to these things, He has testified, that he will also be good, not arrogant like Shebna, but as a father, or faithful and good. And for this reason he will also be established in a faithful place, that is, with it being securely preserved for him and remaining, so that every glorious and distinguished person would all but place their hope in him, not as in God, far from it, but as in a good father. For he will preside over and defend small and great, He says. And he will be so loved, that the peoples under his hand will seem to hang on him. And these things, as I said, the historical account brings to us. But again, through the innermost contemplation, it seems to hint to us the mystery of Christ. For crowned with the priesthood according to the laws, the Scribes and Pharisees were not obedient, but hard and arrogant, and lovers of money, and lovers of full purses, and practicing everything that is hated by God. And so the prophet Isaiah himself says at the beginning of his book: "How has the faithful city Zion become a harlot, full of judgment, in which right- righteousness slept in her, but now murderers?" Your silver is worthless; your innkeepers mix the wine with water; your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving gifts, pursuing rewards, not judging for orphans, and not paying attention to the judgment of a widow. And the Savior himself also accuses them, saying thus: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe dill and mint and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: judgment and mercy and faith." and what is even more unholy than these things, they have also become slayers of the Lord. For this reason, they were cast out from the honors of the priesthood, and have been removed from ruling the peoples, and have been thrown out of the economy entrusted to them according to the law; they have come to be outside of sacred crowns and of sacred vestments; and after them our Lord Jesus Christ has been called, our great high priest. For as the blessed Paul writes: "No one takes the honor for himself, but is called by God, just as Christ did not glorify himself to become a high priest, but he who spoke to him, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.'" For being God by nature and Lord of all, and receiving the worship of all, since he became man, he has also been named our high priest. And he is said to have also received the glory of David, that is, the rule and kingdom over Israel. But by Israel we do not at all mean the one according to the flesh, but the one in spirit and intelligible. For not all, he says, who are from Israel, are Israel, nor because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but as many as have been justified through faith, following in the footsteps of their father Abraham, these are also his children, and sons of the promise, and are named Israel. When Christ, the high priest of us all, was revealed, therefore, there will be none, he says, who speaks against him. For an enemy will not prevail against him, and a son of iniquity will not presume to harm him. And in another way as well. For Israel spoke against him, but the nations welcomed being ruled by him. And so he is found saying through the voice of David, concerning Israel: "Deliver me from the contradictions of the people;" and concerning the nations, "You will make me the head of the nations; a people whom I did not know served me, at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me. Strange children lied to me, strange children have grown old, and they have become lame in their paths. For they have grown old and have come near to destruction, and they have, as it were, a broken mind, having become strange children, that is, those from Israel." For formerly he was the firstborn, but since they lied against Christ, they have become strangers. For they are henceforth called children of perdition, sons of Gehenna. But when, he says, I reveal Eliakim (which is interpreted God's resurrection; for the Word, being God, was raised up for our help, who also long ago said: ‘Because of the oppression of the poor, and because of the groaning of the needy, now I will arise,’ says the Lord), then, he says, everyone who is glorious in the house of his father will trust in him. And what other house of the Father of Christ could there be than the Church? But if anyone is glorious in it, this one will trust in Christ, and not only the glorious, but also if one is small, I mean according to the world. For the God of all is just and impartial, but rather according to the measure of spiritual age, for some are fathers, and others still children, and young men and youths, spiritually speaking. Thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: The man who is fixed in a faithful place will be moved, and he will fall, and the glory that is upon him will be taken away, for the Lord has spoken. After so long a narrative, a concise and brief word has been introduced, showing the severity of the divine judgments, and as it were of a king decreeing with fitting authority that it should come to pass. And again the power of the sentence looks, if one should wish, to Somnas the treasurer; but if also more broadly upon those who minister according to the law, he will understand it thus, just as also we have just now rendered. For those who seem to be established in the security of their prosperity, for this is what it is to be established: to seem to be in a faithful place, have fallen and have been stripped of the glory that was in them, with no one defending them, that is, able to raise up those already cast down, because the Lord has spoken. "For if he shuts a man in, who can open?" he says.

Discourse 15

Wail, you ships of Carthage, because it has been destroyed, and they no longer come, from the land of the Kittim it has been brought captive. Come now, let us again, endeavoring to make clear as possible the oracles given by God concerning Tyre, first relate the history, and let us make it clear in what way it was captured and destroyed and brought captive, according to what is written. Therefore, when the Babylonians, having laid waste to Judea, and having also burned the holy city itself, were carrying away Israel captive, the surrounding and neighboring foreign nations, opening a bold and unbridled mouth, attempted to mock the glory of God. For they said that he was not able to save them, but rather that even the assisting God himself had been defeated by the hand of the Assyrians, and rather they thought that their own gods were even mightier than the God of the Hebrews, and that they presided over and fortified them, keeping them safe from every attack, and showing them to be superior to the Babylonians. And in another way they themselves also plundered the nation of the Jews, on the one hand by attacking those who were in distress, and seizing those who were left behind; and on the other by dedicating sacred vessels to their falsely-named gods, and by necessity sending those who had come under the yoke of slavery under them away from the worship according to the law. And so God spoke through one of the holy prophets: "And what are you to me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all Galilee of the foreigners? Are you rendering a recompense to me, or are you bearing a grudge against me? Swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense upon your own heads, because you took my silver and my gold, and my choice and beautiful things you brought into your temples, and the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel you sold to the sons of the Greeks, that you might drive them out from their own borders." Therefore Tyre was also captured by the wrath of God, in a certain manner as follows: For it was an island, still with a strait passing through the middle, and not separating it from the mainland by long distances. And when the Babylonian came, he sought to take it along with the others, and he commanded the armies under his command to fill in the sea between, and to join it to the mainland, and not to allow it to remain an island any longer. When this had happened, or was expected to happen before long, most of those in Tyre, since they had trade as their occupation and were accustomed to sailing, swam away from the island with their children and wives, and departed to other cities and villages. Therefore the Babylonians, having driven in, killed those who remained, and took many captive, and did the usual things for victors, except they were not moderately grieved having learned that a great many, and the most prominent among them, had put their possessions on ships and fled. And the account remembers the history, and the prophecy of Ezekiel. For thus spoke the God of all to him: "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army serve a great service against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn bare; yet he had no wages, nor his army, for the hard service that he had served against Tyre. In return for this I have given him the land of Egypt." For after the capture of Tyre, the Babylonian turned the battle to the nation of the Egyptians. Of this history the blessed prophet Isaiah now makes mention, and commands the things of Ships of Carthage. It is clear that Tyre is to wail because she was destroyed, and they no longer come from the land of the Kittim. Some say that the Kittim are Greek islands, that is, Macedonian; but others affirm that through this Cyprus is signified, named from one of the cities in it. But wail, he says, for what reason? For she has been taken captive. But perhaps someone will say, Does he bid Carthage, that is, the ships from there, to lament for Tyre? For what reason? For the Carthaginians have become colonists of the Tyrians. And they were very proud, having Tyre as their mother, at once the most famous and most valiant among the islands, those, I say, in the east. And they say that those from the land of the Kittim are also proud of her, and revel in the profits of their commerce. Wail, therefore, he says, you merchants of Carthage, or rather, the ships, for she has been destroyed. And let Tyre also wail, for they no longer come from the land of the Kittim. For she has been taken captive. To whom have the inhabitants of the island become like, the traders of Phoenicia, crossing the sea in much water, the seed of traders, as a harvest being brought in, the traders of the nations. To which, then, he says, of the nations shall we compare those who inhabit this island? Who have suffered such things, or have been so sacked, as also the traders of Phoenicia? For trade is the pursuit of the Tyrians, and crossing the sea with haste, for the sake of profits and gains. And by adding that they are the seed of traders, he showed that their ignobility is also hereditary, and that they sprang from a wicked root, and that their ancestors from of old were overcome by the love of gain. And those who pursue such a shameful life among them are more than can be numbered, as he teaches, saying: As a harvest being brought in, the traders of the nations. For when the grain is harvested, that is, the ears of corn in the field, the bringing in of sheaves from all sides is great, and the gathering into the threshing floor. Be ashamed, Sidon, the sea has said; and the strength of the sea said, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor nourished virgins, nor reared young men. The Carthaginians are colonists of the Tyrians. Yet the Tyrians have Sidon as a mother; for Tyre was from Sidon. Yet Sidon was very proud of Tyre as a brilliant and renowned daughter. But when she was captured, and has been taken captive, then, he says, the sea, that is, all the islands by the sea, will then say: Be ashamed, Sidon, for the finest of your boasts has perished, and she who was long ago formidable and most valiant, and most illustrious for her great wealth, is gone. Therefore, the sea will say these things; but the strength of the sea itself, that is, she who prevails over the islands, clearly Tyre, lamenting her own misfortunes, when she is already stripped of her inhabitants, and desolate of children, then she will certainly say, "I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor nourished young men, nor reared virgins." For I have become, he says, equal to those who have not borne at all, nor raised either young men or virgins, because all have utterly come to destruction, and absolutely no one was left. But when it becomes audible to Egypt, pain will seize them concerning Tyre. The prophet has not been ignorant that, as I have already said, after the capture of Tyre, the Assyrian was about to move on to the land of the Egyptians. When, therefore, he says, these things become heard among the Egyptians, then they too will be pained in every way and altogether, not because Tyre has been sacked, perhaps, but because the evils of war have moved on to them. Go away to Carthage, wail, you inhabitants of this island. The discourse of the prophecy is of great character. For he does not properly and truly command them to depart from Tyre, and rather to remove to Carthage, nor simply to wail, but as it were to reproach them for fleeing, and being crushed by immeasurable cowardice. He says they should lament for themselves, and for the misfortunes brought upon them. Both of these are womanly, and more fitting for youths and for those already past their prime. For when war has been announced, and is expected to come against a country or a city, everyone who is in their prime prepares for battle, and practices tactics, and rages against the enemy phalanxes with all the zeal they have, even if they are not yet present. But women and young boys practice for flight, and wail, crying. For a young boy and a woman are somehow always ready for fear and lamentations. Therefore, the God of all smiles at the cowardice of the Tyrians. For those who were formerly mighty in battles, terrible and hard to meet, bold and indestructible, are fleeing and wailing. Is not this your insolence from the beginning, before it was delivered up? Who has planned these things against Tyre? Is he weaker, and has no strength? I said before, that when Jerusalem was sacked, and the temple itself was burned by the army of the Assyrians, the surrounding and neighboring nations rejoiced as if Israel had perished, and as if it were utterly cut off, and they shook their own heads at them; and they thought that they had fallen into the hands of enemies, not because of their own sins, but rather that the one who saves them had grown weak, and that those who had conquered had become stronger than the hand of God. What then, O Tyrians, does he say? Before it was delivered up, did you not commit this insolence against me? Did you not say that my strength was weaker and inferior to your gods? Who then, he says, planned these things against Tyre? I, clearly, whom you have dared to call weaker and feeble. Therefore, judge from the events themselves, whether he is weaker than your gods, or has no strength. For I delivered Israel, who sinned against me, to their enemies. But since you are rich in gods, and many are honored among you, which of them planned such a design against Tyre? Who has delivered it to the enemies? Therefore, it is a hard thing to await through experience itself what one must suffer. But I think the most prudent ought to see from afar with the slender eyes of the mind what leads to benefit, and not to exult over the scourged saints, nor indeed to think that the hand which always saves them has grown weak, but rather to understand that they sometimes fall into temptations when God permits it. Her merchants are glorious, rulers of the earth. The Lord of Sabaoth has planned to bring to nothing all the insolence of the glorious, and to dishonor every glorious one upon the earth. The discourse returns again to the need to strip from them their excess of inherent arrogance, and moreover in addition to this, their insatiable greed. For being merchants, he says, and having such a shameful and ignoble occupation, they have advanced to such a degree of glory and preeminence, that they are even bound with the honors most fitting for rulers, and have become most renowned for crowns of good repute. But the Lord of hosts, he says, has planned to bring to nothing the insolence of the glorious and to dishonor every such person. And when God determines such a decree for them, and brings a sharp judgment, who is able to defend, or who could ward off the divine wrath? For who will be stronger than the all-powerful authority? Or who will turn back the high hand, according to what is written? Therefore, let them not think, he says, that having offended their own gods they were brought down from glory to dishonor, but rather let them know that it was the judgment of the Lord of Sabaoth, against whom they dared to say, that he is weaker and has no strength. Therefore let us also say to the lawless not to be lawless, and to sinners not to lift up the horn, nor indeed to raise it impiously, and to speak injustice against the God who rules all things. Work your land; for ships no longer come from Carthage. And your hand will no longer have strength at sea, which provokes kings. He transfers, he says, their pursuits from commercial occupations to agriculture. For you will no longer engage in your most beloved commerce, nor will those who gather for you immeasurable wealth come from Carthage, running to your hand, that is, your power. You will be able to for nothing at all any longer, although she had been very powerful at sea, that is, having become most mighty against every island and city lying by the sea, she who also provoked very many kings. For Tyre was formidable in ancient times, as I said, both to those farthest away and to her neighbors and to the leaders of the nations. But the Lord of hosts has given a command concerning Canaan (that is, concerning the land of the foreigners), to destroy her strength. For the evils from the war have been brought through the cruelty of the Assyrians, not indeed upon Tyre alone somehow, but also upon other nations, both Moabites and Idumeans, and certain others. And collectively all are called Canaanites, the worshipers of idols, and not being of the blood of Israel, and indeed let one who hears reproach, seed of Canaan and not of Judah. When therefore, he says, the harms of the war come upon all the Canaanites at once, then some, understanding the causes of what has happened to them, will say: No longer continue to insult and wrong the daughter of Zion. For I said that they reproached Judea, and mocked those from Israel as having been captured, and they pitied Jerusalem, that is Zion, not as having been overlooked by God the savior, but as having fallen into capture and suffering for this reason, that the God honored among them has been defeated and grown weak, to whom they performed the worship according to the law. And if you go to the Kittim, there also will be no rest for you; and to the land of the Chaldeans, it too has been desolated by the Assyrians, its wall has fallen. When God drives one to sweat and toils, who is able to help? When the almighty right hand wages war, who is so great that he will deliver the weary from incurable disaster? No one at all. For the nature of things follows his divine nods, and whatever he wishes to happen, this is brought to pass in every way and completely. If, therefore, he says, you should go on a long journey, so as to arrive even at the Kittim; for they say it is one of the cities in Cyprus; but the Kittim, they maintain, is Carthage itself; there also will be no rest for you, that is, wars, and the fear of death, and the dangers of death will find you. But even if you, having become a captive, should reach the land of the Chaldeans, not even so will you cease from needing to be grieved. For there will be no rest for you, how or in what way; for it too has been laid waste by Persians and Assyrians plundering it, that is, when Cyrus was campaigning, at which time its wall also fell. And by "wall" of the land of the Chaldeans, I think, he means either the one who presides and the one who reigns, or even the wall itself, in which the Babylonians had especially trusted, expecting to suffer nothing grievous, but that the attack of those warring against them would be fruitless. For it was so constructed that even with wagons coming side by side, a wide road could be seen on it. And so through the voice of Jeremiah the God of all says, shaking the hope of the Babylonians in this very thing: "The wall of Babylon has been widened; being dug up, it will be utterly dug up." Wail, O ships of Carthage, because your stronghold has perished. A song and lament from the beginning of the vision is placed in the middle; that it is most fitting for such voices to be spoken by all against Tyre, the account in a way confirming the prophecy. And for the ships from Carthage to wail, because their stronghold has perished, that is, Tyre. And the occasion of the matter has been stated clearly through what has already passed. And it shall be in that day that Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the time of a king, like the time of a man. Tyre mocked Jerusalem, as having been plundered, and she did not attribute the causes of their suffering to the indolence of the Jews, as having offended God through their outrageous behavior toward the law, and what seemed good to him; but rather she thought that their protector was not able to save them, that is, the God of all. Therefore she herself was also captured for this reason, And it endured a desolation of equal duration to the captivity of those from Israel. For they had completed seventy years among the Chaldeans, having the burdensome yoke of slavery. Therefore, at that time Tyre will be left behind, that is, it will be desolated, and it will remain depopulated, and it will extend to such a length of time so as to seem to be the lifetime of a man, that is, of a kingdom, that is, the seventieth year, just as the blessed David also sings in the Psalms: "The days of our years are seventy years in them, and if in might, eighty years, and the greater part of them is toil and trouble. And it shall be after seventy years, Tyre shall be as the song of a harlot. Take a harp, wander about, O city, a forgotten harlot; play the harp well, sing many songs, so that you may be remembered. The promiscuous and wanton woman, selling the beauty of her body to her lovers, as long as she is youthful and young, she snares many, and the bloom of her body is itself a trap and, as it were, a charm for those who see her. But when she has passed her prime, then indeed, when her beauty has faded, she is no longer successful in the hunt, but by another method she pursues the ability to devise again provisions of wretched gains. For her pursuit becomes song and melody; for many are charmed by her playing the harp. From this, there will sometimes be for her some brief remembrance of her past life, and some will praise her beauty in its prime. Something of this sort will happen to the city of the Tyrians, he says. For it will be like the song of a forgotten harlot, no longer having the adornment it had in the beginning. It will be a song and a melody to many. For they will remember the things that formerly belonged to her. But you, O Tyre, like an old harlot who has passed her prime, take a harp, wander about as a city that has become like some forgotten harlot. For when, as I said, the beauty of women has faded, even those who were once captivated and became her lovers forget her. Play the harp well, therefore, and sing many songs, so that at least some memory of you may arise. And it shall be after seventy years, God will make a visitation to Tyre, and it shall be restored again to its former state, and it shall be a marketplace for all the kingdoms of the world, and her merchandise and her hire shall be holy to the Lord, and it shall not be gathered for them, but for those dwelling before the Lord; all her merchandise to eat and drink, and to be filled to satiety, a memorial before the Lord. By a just decree, God, as I said, made the desolation of the Tyrians of equal duration to the captivity of those from Israel. And since Cyrus with the Persians and Medes had taken the city of the Babylonians by force, and had laid waste the whole land of the Chaldeans, Israel was released from captivity, and returned again to his own land, and inhabited the holy city. And God, the ruler of all, not remembering evils, also turned away His wrath from the Tyrians; and He reconstituted it again, and it has returned to its former state, and has become a marketplace and a lodging, just as it was long ago for all the kingdoms of the earth. But observe the difference. For in the past, the hire from the merchandise was collected only by those who practiced it, and absolutely no fruits at all were brought to God by anyone. But since the Gentiles have been called to grace through faith, she herself also came to know the Savior and Redeemer of all, and a holy temple has been raised among them, and a divine altar has been set up, no longer is the hire from the merchandise collected for them alone; but indeed it will also be holy to the Lord, that is, for a votive offering and a fruit-offering, so as to eat and drink before the Lord. For in the past, taking possession of the shrines of the idols and the precincts of the demons, they would offer sacrifices, and they would hold festivals in them, for the honor and glory of their own creations; for they were still wandering in error. But since, as I said, they have come to know the true God, the hire of the merchandise has become holy to the Lord, and they eat and drink as a memorial before the Lord, clearly dedicating to God thank-offerings for the things in which they might prosper. Behold, the Lord destroys the inhabited world, and will make it desolate, and will uncover its face, and will scatter those dwelling in it. I have already said that Jerusalem has been sacked, and with it the other cities of Judaea have also been laid waste. Indeed, the surrounding and neighboring nations smiled upon her as she lay fallen, and practically shaking their heads over her, laughing broadly, they were saying that God was being defeated by the hand of the Assyrians; just as, of course, the Rabshakeh, being full of Persian arrogance, said to those sitting on the wall: "Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying, that God will deliver Jerusalem out of my hand." Therefore, since together with those from Babylon the other nations also, mocking the glory of God, said that he who had long presided over them had not been able to save them, for this reason indeed, and very rightly, suffering punishment both for their sins and for this impious insolence, they themselves also have been given over to the Babylonians for desolation. And the word of prophecy has related to us the vision concerning each of the nations. For they have fallen under the movements of divine wrath, both the Philistines and Moabites, Damascenes and Egyptians, and indeed also those from the desert, the Ashdodites and Idumeans, and Tyre in addition to these, and last of all Babylon, and the whole land of the Chaldeans has been laid waste in the same way as the others, when Cyrus son of Cambyses and Mandane roused up against it the Assyrians and the Medes. Therefore, the blessed prophet, having narrated the things brought upon each of the named nations by divine wrath, through the preceding words, virtually makes a recapitulation of the whole discourse, and calls the destruction that happened to many nations a universal one. For this reason he says: Behold, the Lord destroys the inhabited world, and will make it desolate, and will uncover its face. For not just one or two cities have fallen, but lands and nations have been destroyed in the ways already mentioned. Therefore He will destroy and make desolate, he says, the inhabited world, and will uncover its face. For as long as the God of all is long-suffering and postpones punishments, the life of the impious somehow remains hidden, and the face, that is, the appearance, of each one's life is, as it were, concealed. But when He brings His wrath and inflicts on each the fitting and deserved punishment, the face of those being punished is laid bare. For the manner of the punishment shows what sort of people they are and have been, if it is true that God will render to each according to his works. But I think I should also say this. For since the prophet named the inhabited world, and said that it would be destroyed and indeed also come to desolation, some wish the prophet's discourse to pass from a partial indignation to one that is universal and against all; and indeed they say that he clearly relates beforehand the things that will happen to the world, also at the time of the consummation. Therefore we must also, choosing to follow their thoughts, make a twofold narration for each of the things said. Therefore he says the inhabited world will be destroyed and will be made desolate, and its face will be revealed, with the things done by each one, whether good or evil, obviously being made manifest, and he will scatter those dwelling in it. And if the force of the meaning were applied to the nations, you will understand that when the named lands were brought to desolation, of those dwelling in them, some were scattered, and others, having become captives, were enslaved to their captors, and leaving the land that bore them, they migrated to other lands. But if it applies to the universal judgment, "the inhabitants of the earth will be scattered" would signify that they will be divided, and the Savior will teach this clearly, saying, "When the Son of man sits on the throne of his glory, he will set the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left." Therefore, instead of to separate, or to divide, the inhabitants on the earth, to scatter has placed in them. And the people shall be as the priest, and the servant as the Lord, and the handmaid as her mistress; the buyer shall be as the seller, and the lender as the borrower, and the debtor, as he to whom he owes. The earth will be utterly corrupted with corruption, and the earth will be utterly plundered with plunder, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. When peace prevails, it is in every way necessary for cities and countries to be administered by the proper laws, both divine and human, and for the ranks of dignities and pre-eminence to be preserved, and for the wealthy to be secure in their wealth, and for the free their freedom. But if the phalanxes of the enemy should descend, and a city or country should become the work of barbaric cruelty, there will perchance be a confusion of affairs, and nothing will remain in order. For the honor of priests will be gone, and in equal rank will be servant and master, handmaid and mistress, the buyer and the seller, the lender and the borrower, the debtor and he to whom he owes; and by these are signified the rich and the poor. For corruption and plunder, that is, pillage and devastation, proceed in the same way against all. And the prophet seals the saying with truth, adding: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. And that judgment at the divine tribunal is without respect of persons, who would dare not to say? For pre-eminence of dignities does not save anyone, unless they have the good fruits of a lawful life; and wealth in no way benefits those who have it, but we shall all stand before the judge on an equal footing and in such a rank, whether small and great, rich and poor. For there is no partiality with God. Something of this sort is also written in Job: "Small and great are there, and the servant does not fear his master." The earth mourned, and the world was corrupted, the high ones of the earth mourned; and the earth transgressed because of those who dwell in it. The appearance of mourners is always somehow gloomy, and their eyes and cheeks are full of dejection, and their foreheads pale; for grief for the dead consumes a man's heart like fire. It is possible to see a city, or land and country, that has suffered such a thing when occupied by barbarians; for all things become gloomy, when those in them have been consumed by swords, and houses have been burned, and have suffered the damages of war. Thus you will understand that the earth mourned, and since it suffered such things, it is necessary for the high ones in it also to suffer, that is, the most distinguished. For are not those who are deprived of honor and wealth and the other things that are wont to accompany the glorious, who have a more burdensome grief in their sufferings? And he says that the earth transgressed because of those who dwell in it. For a city is called lawless, and indeed a country very often, although the insensate earth does not know how to be lawless, but they receive this judgment from the wickedness of the inhabitants. And you will again take the saying in a general sense. For if, as one of the holy disciples says, the earth and all the works in it will be burned up at the time of the consummation, the face of the earth will be gloomy, and like those who mourn. And as a lawless earth, that is, having served the lawless, it is burned up. For we await new heavens and a new earth and his promises, according to what is written, and Paul also writes that creation itself will be set free from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Because they have transgressed the law, and have changed the ordinances of the everlasting covenant, therefore a curse shall devour the earth, because those who dwell in it have sinned. The discourse returns again to the precision of the prophecy. For lest some think that the God of all brings punishments upon some without cause, they connect the causes with the movements of anger, and clearly proclaim the accusations of those being punished. Therefore, the earth will mourn, for what reason? Because they have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant. For this reason he says: And the earth shall be cursed. having transgressed- for its inhabitants have ceased. And again the prophet seems, since along with the other cities or lands he also demanded justice for that of the Jews—for, as I said, the sins of those under the law have been destroyed—to bring it into the midst; For they transgressed the law, he says, those of Israel considering it of no account, but turning as it were to another path, and paying attention to doctrines which are the commandments of men, since indeed, applying the universal principle as the rendering of the concepts, we say that the God of all created man in the beginning, and engraved in him a natural law, instructing him in the knowledge of both evil and good. And this, I think, is what was said through the voice of John concerning the only-begotten Son of God: that "There was the true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world." This, then, we understand to happen also in the last times—I mean those of His coming; for it is written that, "In those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and I will write them on their hearts." Therefore, those on the earth transgressed this law that innately steers us toward the knowledge of good and evil, and they changed the commandments. For, having been created for good works, they turned to love of the flesh and an earthly mindset. For this reason the earth has become cursed. For its inhabitants have offended the Creator through very many sins. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth shall be poor, and few men shall be left. For since, he says, the earth has become cursed, on account of the great lawlessness that has occurred in it, for this reason also, burdened with unexpected poverty, they will scarcely be saved; for few and easily counted shall be left. And these things, indeed, pertain to the letter, and the outward aspect of the history. But as for the innermost meaning, we say again that those who are to be condemned for very many sins at the divine tribunal will surely be poor in every way, and in want of the good things from above, and stripped of the hope prepared for the saints; for they will go down to Hades to be punished, and few will be left, that is, those who through righteousness have pleased God, and possess the wealth that comes from good deeds; and these are few in number, according to the voice of the Savior, that "Many are called, but few are chosen." The wine shall mourn, the vine shall mourn, all those who rejoice in soul shall groan; the gladness of timbrels has ceased, the arrogance and wealth of the impious have ceased; the voice of the lyre has ceased. They were ashamed, they did not drink wine, the strong drink became bitter to those who drink it. Every city was laid waste, he will shut a house so that none may enter. Wail everywhere for the wine; all the gladness of the earth has ceased, and the cities shall be left desolate, and the abandoned houses will be destroyed. The God of all very often accused those of the blood of Israel, as having sinned unbearably, and that, foreknowing for this reason that they would be punished, they had not chosen to ward off his wrath with the labors of repentance. For he said that the Lord of Sabaoth called in that day for weeping, and lamentation, and shaving, and girding with sackcloths, but they themselves made gladness and rejoicing, slaughtering calves and sacrificing sheep, so as to eat meat and drink wine, saying: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." And indeed through another prophet, he says: "Those who sleep on ivory beds and live wantonly on their couches. Those who eat kids from the flocks, and suckling calves from the midst of the herds, who drink strained wine, and anoint themselves with the best ointments, and suffered nothing for the affliction of Joseph." Therefore, having tended toward great extravagance, they lived luxuriously out of season, although it was necessary to wet the cheek with unceasing tears, and to ask for amnesty for their sins, the harms from the war have been justly brought upon them; and those who once lived in luxury have unexpectedly fallen into calamities. The vine has mourned, and not the plant itself, but those who drink the fruit from it, those who once, he says, rejoiced their soul will lament, and wailing will rather be their pursuit. For the gladness of tambourines has ceased, the arrogance and wealth of the impious has ceased. He calls arrogance the exceedingly haughty brow, that is, boastfulness. And he says the things that come from wealth also cease, and the sound of the lyre, and strong drink is bitter to those who once lived in luxury, and cities and houses have become desolate. For all the gladness of the earth has ceased, and if one should reflect upon the consummation of the age itself, in which the time of judgment will be, he will say again: that all the luxury of those in the world will pass away, and there will rather be groaning and gnashing of teeth for those who go down to Hades; and wealth will not benefit at all those who have possessed it, and all luxury will be idle, and bodily things will cease, or rather, the love of the flesh, once so longed-for by them, will come to a bitter end for the lovers of sin. For they will render an account to the judge of all; for as the most wise Paul writes, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad. In the same way as if someone were to glean an olive tree, so will they glean them; and if the vintage should cease, these will cry out with a loud voice. He shows again, as from the most visible and manifest examples of the enemies' perversity, the harshness of those who spare no one, nor indeed tolerate anyone to escape without a share of their inherent cruelty. For with a precise eye they observe the plant, those who seek the fruit from the olives; and if any should fall somewhere, they eagerly snatch it up, and they gather up to the very last one; so, he says, the enemies will glean them, destroying them with complete ruin, and when the vintage has ceased, these will cry out with a loud voice. But again he also takes this as from a custom that is wont to be done at the conclusions of the vintage. For the grape-gatherers, when they have come to this end of their labors, rejoice and shout, and composing some rustic song, they depart from the fields. When, therefore, he says, the enemies have gleaned every- one and left absolutely no one behind, then just as when the vintage has ceased, they will cry out with a loud voice, evidently shouting over the fallen and exulting over the dead. We say then again, looking to the innermost meaning, that at the time of judgment there will be no one of those who have lived unholy lives who will be able to escape notice. But those who have lived and gone through life rightly and lawfully will go to the mansions above; but the profane and wicked will be food for the all-consuming fire. Therefore, he says, the gathering of such people will be exact, and the Savior himself will teach this, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind, which, when they had drawn it to shore, they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." Therefore, he says, the search for the unholy will be exact, and absolutely no one who has lived thus will be left behind; for he who knows hearts and minds will deliver them all to the angels appointed for this. But those who are left on the earth will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord. Saying that the examination of those caught in sins will be so exact that no one can escape notice, he does not permit the impious and God-loving person to be crushed by these fears. For even if it is said that the things from wrath come upon all, nevertheless the God of all does not destroy the righteous with the wicked. And he teaches this, saying through the voice of Ezekiel: "Son of man, a land on which I bring a judgment of blood, even if Noah and Daniel and Job are in the midst of it, they will be saved by their righteousness, but the land will be for destruction." And indeed elsewhere the same prophet says to us; that he had seen a man clothed in a long robe, and having a girdle, and six men coming after him; and of each, he says, the ax was in his hand, and he said: "Go into the city after him, and strike and do not spare, and do not pity an elder, a young man, and infants, and kill women to extermination, but upon all on whom is the mark, do not draw near, and begin from the saints." But since I think it necessary not to leave the prophet's words unexamined, come let us say, why ever, when Noah and Job were already dead, and perhaps also Daniel himself, he says that they will be saved in their own righteousness, even though all the rest of the earth, against which the vote of death might be cast, was being destroyed. It seems, then, that by Noah he represents those who through faith in God are pleasing to him; and by Daniel, the wise and discerning; and by Job, again, those who through patience, clearly in everything praiseworthy, are pleasing to him. When therefore, he says, wrath consumes those on the earth, not only of the Jews, but also of the gentiles, those who are left and by the just judgment of God who weighs all our affairs have escaped destruction will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord; for they will be glad, having been saved through the ineffable glory of the one who presides over the saints, and who fortifies the pious with his forbearance and grace. We shall add this also to what has been said. For indeed at the time of the consummation of the present age, those who have become lovers of wicked practices will be sent down to Hades to be punished. But those who are left, that is, the just, will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord, for they will be with Christ who is the glory of God the Father. For he himself said, "I have glorified you on the earth, I have finished the work that you gave me to do." And indeed God the Father himself says somewhere to the blessed Moses: As I live, and my name lives, truly all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. For all things have been filled with Christ. But the water of the sea shall be troubled. For this reason the glory of the Lord will be in the islands of the sea, the name of the Lord will be glorious. He enigmatically calls the multitude of the nations water and sea. For it is the custom of the holy prophets to do this. And so the blessed David says concerning the earth and those in it: "This is the great and wide sea, therein are creeping things innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: this is that dragon, whom you have made to play therein." And we certainly do not say that his speech was about those swimming in the sea, nor indeed that he wished to indicate the different kinds of fish, nor do we say that some corporeal and perceptible dragon is in the waters of the sea. But he shows to us, as I said, through these things the turmoil in this life, and for those in it a life in the surge; and indeed also a dragon, that is, Satan, who goes about all men, and roams about our inhabited world, plotting against the souls of the saints. The water of the sea, therefore, he calls the multitude of the nations; and the islands, perhaps, the cities. And indeed he says that all those in them will be troubled, when the divine wrath leaps upon them. But he says that the glory of Christ will be in all of them in a certain way. For they will recognize that by the divine commands they have been ravaged and have utterly perished, and having not moderately offended the almighty one through their inherent unholiness, they are given over to desolation. And they will altogether and in every way condemn their own gods, who in no way defended them. And this was nothing other than the glory of the Lord being lifted to a great height. But the aim of the prophetic predictions seems henceforth to pass over to the mystery of Christ, and to make remembrance of the salvation that will be through him. For indeed, he says, those who are left on the earth will rejoice together with the glory of the Lord; "For we were saved not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His great mercy, and not being justified through the shadow in the law." For the law justifies us least of all, but the grace through holy baptism will rather deliver us from sins, and making us rejoice in the hope of future good things, it richly nourishes us. For we expect that we will also be with Christ Himself, who is the glory of the Father, as I just said. But since the word of the holy apostles has gone forth from one end to the other of what is under heaven, removing the nations from polytheistic error, and bringing them to the grace through Christ; he says the water of the sea was troubled, that is, the peoples under the whole sun. They are troubled by strange voices, and departing from their ancient error, they are brought to anchor at the knowledge of the truth. Therefore he says: The glory of the Lord will be in the islands of the sea. And by islands, as I think, he means the holy Churches of God, which, lying in this world as in a sea, both endure and rise above the turmoil in it, with Christ preserving them, and not allowing them to be shattered by the waves of persecution. For since he enigmatically calls the nations a sea, following this turn of speech intelligently, he calls the churches islands, in which the glory of God is marveled at. Lord God of Israel, from the wings of the earth we have heard wonders, hope for the pious. Of those left on the earth and rejoicing with the glory of the Lord, and of those dwelling in the islands, I mean the churches, the prophet brings in the person for us in these things, of those glorifying the God of all and saying: From the wings of the earth you have heard wonders, and in addition to this, of those who have believed that there will be a good hope for the pious of being justified by him, and indeed also of richly partaking of his gentleness. And they seem to call the holy mystagogues the wings of the earth, by whose words, as if on wings, we mind the things above, leaping away from earthly affairs, and having cast off an earthly and carnal mindset, we have our citizenship in the heavens. From the thus understood wings of the earth we have heard the wonders through Christ, he says, clearly. For we have been initiated by the writings of the holy apostles and evangelists, and learning the divine signs through the Savior, we have the firmest faith in them, and we are confident and steadfastly disposed and believe that the hope of the pious is very good; for we expect the kingdom of heaven, and the honors and glories prepared for those who love God. And they will say: Woe to those who set aside, who set aside the law; fear and a pit, and a snare are upon you who dwell on the earth. And it shall be, that he who flees from the fear will fall into the pit, and he who comes out of the pit will be caught in the snare. Who will say it? Those left upon the earth, surely, and rejoicing with the glory of the Lord, and those who inhabit the islands, that is, the Churches. And to whom will they say it? To those who set aside the law, that is, to those who have not believed. For if they had believed Moses, they would have believed Christ, for he wrote about him. But see how, having accepted the faith, they immediately admonish those who set aside the law, and hold up the fear of the coming punishment upon them, and they terrify them with dread, foretelling what is to come. For fear, he says, and a pit and a snare, that is, every kind of evil is upon you, and there will be no escape from the disaster. But even if someone should by chance escape one of the evils, he will be caught by another, and in every way and altogether he will be caught by one of the evils brought upon him. And this happened to the Jews, after the cross of the Savior, when their country was plundered, and their cities and houses were shaken down; and it would be a long story to tell each detail, especially to those who are nurtured by the Church. Because the windows from heaven were opened, and the foundations of the earth will be shaken. The earth will be troubled with confusion, and in perplexity the land will be laid waste. The earth has swayed and all the earth will be shaken like a fruit-watcher's hut, like one who is drunk and carousing, and it will fall, and they will not be able to rise, for lawlessness has prevailed upon it. He gives the reason for the things that were foretold would happen, and that they will fall into bitter and inescapable calamities. For he said that fear and a pit and a snare are upon you; and that if anyone should escape the pit, he will be caught by the snare. What then is the reason for this? Windows, he says, were opened from heaven, that is, God has visited those on the earth. For as long as he is patient with those accustomed to transgress, he seems, as it were, not even to be watching, but rather that heaven is closed. But when he examines the ways of those on the earth, then indeed, as if windows have been opened, he holds in his sight those who are on the earth; and bringing charges according to the transgressions of each, all things are in turmoil; and he fills them with fear, and as if from drunkenness all those on the earth are thrown into every kind of evil. And it is usefully added, to say that the earth is shaken like one of the fruit-watchers' huts in the fields; that is, because lawlessness has prevailed upon it. For as long as those upon it commit tolerable transgressions, he postpones the punishments, and the God of all restrains the movement. But since the impiety of all has become unrestrained, it is altogether necessary both for the earth to be watched over by God, and, with lawlessness prevailing upon it, for it to be drunk, in a way, and to carouse, and to be shaken down into every form of calamity. And God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven, and upon the kings of the earth. And they will gather and shut them up in a stronghold and in a prison, after many generations their visitation will be, and the brick will melt, and the wall will fall. This too is a brilliant achievement of the incarnation of the Only-Begotten. For it was necessary, it was necessary, when the sun of righteousness had at last shone forth, for that spiritual darkness to be scattered, which Satan had poured into the hearts of all. For he darkened the minds of the unbelievers, as it is written, and persuaded them to worship the creation rather than the creator. For those who were deceived divided among themselves the elements of the world. and some inscribed the sun as a god, others the moon, and others the stars according to their pleasure. And the peoples of the Jews themselves have also been sick with this impiety. And indeed God said somewhere to the prophet Jeremiah, when he was once offering up supplications on their behalf: "And you, do not pray for this people, and do not ask, and do not approach me concerning them in petition and prayer, because I will not listen. Do you not see what these are doing in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? Their sons gather wood, and their fathers kindle a fire, and their women knead dough to make cakes for the host of heaven, and they have poured libations to other gods in order to provoke me to anger." And indeed also through another prophet he says to them: "Did you offer me victims and sacrifices in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel, says the Lord? And you took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of the god Rephan, figures which you made to worship them." Therefore, he says, God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven, that is, he will scatter those who worship the host of heaven, I mean the sun and moon and stars. And it is likely that all idolatry is named in part in these. For worship of the elements of the world has ceased since Christ was revealed. And understanding the host of heaven to be also the inventor and father of sin itself, that is, Satan, we will perhaps come straight to the truth. For it is said concerning him: How has Lucifer, who rises in the morning, fallen from heaven?" And since, because of his ancient glory, and the glory before his fall, he is likened to Lucifer, the prophetic word now also names him the host of heaven for us. But he says that the hand will be brought, not indeed only upon the host of of heaven, but indeed also to the kings of the earth, that is, to those who have held sway by avarice over what is under heaven, and it is clear that this means the world rulers of this age, the wicked and opposing powers. For they have ruled the earth, having declared as their own worshippers those in it, and having persuaded them to completely disregard the love toward God. Therefore, these who held sway, that is, ruled, by deceit and falsehood and avarice, they will gather and shut up in a fortress and in a prison. For the power of the Savior has sent them down into the prison of punishment, into the inescapable fortress. And indeed, the demons, approaching him, were begging that he not command them to go into the abyss. And the prophet adds and says that after many generations there will be a visitation for them; for they have tyrannized from the foundation of the world, and have not ceased warring against the divine and ineffable glory. And their madness was extended for them, even until the time of the coming of the Savior of us all, Christ. Then, when a visitation came upon them, they were shut up in prison. Yet they have suffered this for many generations, and he says the brick will melt, and the wall will fall, perhaps comparing Satan to a wall. For he is formidable in resistance and like a city with the finest towers; but he has been captured and has fallen, with Christ casting him down. For it was not possible to escape his invincible power. That when Satan had been cast down and had fallen, the trifles of idolatry were laid waste, and those who formerly wandered were called through faith to the knowledge of truth, the all-powerful right hand almost seizing them, the Savior himself will teach, saying: "Or how can one enter the house of the strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his goods?" But it is the custom of the divinely inspired Scripture to compare the exceedingly mighty to a wall and to cities, just as indeed also with the blessed prophet Jeremiah. For God said somewhere: "Behold, they have set on this day as a fortified city, and as a strong bronze wall to all the kings of the earth, and they will fight against you and will not be able to prevail against you, because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." It is necessary to remember that Jesus son of Nave, having taken by force the five kings of the nations, and having conquered them, shut them in a cave, and rolled stones, blocking their escape route. And it was an image of a true barrier. For the wicked and opposing powers which once held sway over what is under heaven were shut up in a fortress and in a prison by the strength of Christ. And with them was also abolished the once great and ineffable wall, that is, Satan. And so the wanderers are called through faith to know henceforth the true and by nature creator and God and Lord of all. But it must be known that some interpret these things with another meaning regarding the cosmos of heaven, and say that at the time of the end the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. But I think it is necessary for the meanings of what is presented each time to be concluded in accordance with the interpretations, and very harmoniously. That the Lord will reign in Zion, and in Jerusalem, and will be glorified before the elders. Zion is interpreted as high, and a watchtower, that is, Jerusalem, a vision of peace. Therefore the true watchtower and indeed the vision of peace, would be, according to the truth, the Church of Christ. For in it the highest contemplation of his divine mysteries is accustomed to take place, and indeed also the vision of peace. And we say that Christ is peace, whom we know from the divinely inspired Scripture, the all-wise Moses having written about him, and in addition to this the holy prophets. Therefore, with profane and abominable idolatry having been removed, and the worship of creation having been taken out of the way, cast down- But when those who have seized dominion under heaven through greed are shut up both into a fortress and into a prison, and the wall has been melted down, and shaken from its very foundations, according to the meanings already previously given, the Lord will reign in Zion, and will be glorified before the elders. And elders, as I think, he says in these things are those who are perfect in mind, and who have, as it were, a mind grown gray, so as to be able to perceive with the eyes of the heart the depth of the mysteries concerning him. To these also the wise John writes, saying: "I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning." But those who have known, marvel and ascribe to him the glory fitting for God, confessing him to be King and Lord of all. That Christ has reigned, the tyranny of the devil having been completely removed, he himself will teach, saying, when he offered himself as a ransom for the life of all to God the Father, enduring the precious cross for our sake: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." Therefore, he has subjected to his own scepters those throughout the whole earth, having first cast out the ruler of this age. The name of ‘casting out’ seems to signify the overthrow of his greed against all.

Discourse 16

Lord my God, I will glorify you, and I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, an ancient, true counsel; may it be so, O Lord. In the book that has been completed, the prophet's discourse was long, and proceeding through hidden meanings, concerning both the wickedness of the devil, and the punishment and justice that would come upon him, and moreover the overthrow of the evil and opposing powers. And he added to these things the proclamation of the kingdom of Christ. For he said that the Lord will reign in Zion, and in Jerusalem, and will be glorified before the elders. Therefore, on account of all these things, the prophet becomes full of joy, and honors the accomplisher of such wondrous things with praises. For this reason, he says: O Lord my God, I will glorify you, and I will praise your name, an ancient and true counsel, and you have done wonderful things. But since he says 'You have done' concerning things that had not yet happened at that time, he indicates that although it has not yet happened, it will certainly and in every way come to pass, by adding, 'May it be so, O Lord.' For with the eyes of the mind they beheld the time of the visitation as present, and they by no means were ignorant that it was not yet present, but as an ancient counsel, and wonderful things, he calls the mystery of the incarnation of the Only-Begotten, and the things accomplished by it for those throughout all the earth "For we were saved in Christ, who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times of the age," as the most wise Paul says: "For the mystery of Christ is not new, or recently revealed, but was predestined before the foundation of the world, and has been revealed in its own proper times." For you have made cities a heap, strong cities, for their foundations to fall; and the city of the impious shall not be built for ever. This is also of the true counsel, and of the blameless deliberations of the all-powerful God, that strong cities should be shaken, and become a heap, and, as it were, be uprooted from their foundations, and become beyond hope, from which they will never be able to recover. For it shall not, he says, be built for ever. But we say that the cities that have been shaken are not, of course, the physical ones, that is, men those in them; But we think rather that each of the evil and opposing powers, and above all others, Satan, has been named a city, and a strong one at that. For it is a custom for the divinely-inspired Scripture sometimes to compare the exceedingly strong to towers, and walls or even cities, just as, of course, we said before, that the blessed prophet Jeremiah was also set by God as a fortified city, and as a strong bronze wall. And when Emmanuel was revealed and shone upon the world, the unholy throng of the opposing powers was destroyed, and Satan was cast down from the very depths [alt. foundations], and he has fallen in such a way as to have fallen into a weakness without end, and at no time to expect to rise up and recover. Therefore the poor people shall bless you, and the cities of wronged men shall bless you. For you became a helper to every humble city, and a shelter to those who despaired through want; from evil men you shall deliver them; a shelter for the thirsty, and a spirit for men who are wronged. They shall bless you as faint-hearted men who are thirsty; in Zion, from the ungodly men to whom you delivered us. Israel was called to the knowledge of God through the instruction in the law, and was enriched with the things from God. For he has been saved, and has inherited the land of promise. But the immeasurable multitude of the other nations, of those I say throughout the whole world under heaven, was entirely alien to spiritual things, and had been established from above without good things, untasting of the gifts from God, in a manner naked and unclothed, not having the divine shelter, not the covering from on high, not wealth in the mind from virtue, nor anything else of all that is full of praise, and is worthy of all wonder. But when Christ himself appeared, and delivering them from the greed of the devil, brought them to God the Father, and they were enriched with the light of truth, the participation in his glory, the greatness of the evangelical way of life, they send up songs of thanksgiving for these things to God the Father. Therefore, since, he says, O Lord, you have also made an ancient and true counsel, summing up all things in Christ, and enlightening those in darkness, and casting down the world-rulers of this age; though they were like some cities so strong, the poor people will bless you, and whole cities will glorify you. For you have become a helper to all, and a shelter for those who were unbearably grieved on account of their poverty of the ancestral goods; and you have delivered them from evil men. For there were also some in Zion who were faint-hearted in this way, just as, of course, men who were thirsty. And perhaps through these things the prophet is showing us that. For there were, there were also in Israel those who thirsted for the coming of the Savior, and who desired to see the Savior and Redeemer of all; such a one was Simeon the just, when he took the newborn Jesus into his hands and said: "Now you are releasing your servant, O Lord, according to your word in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples. A light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel." And indeed also the blessed Zacharias, the father of John, being filled with the Holy Spirit, glorified God, crying out: "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; to show mercy with our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant. The oath which he swore to Abraham our father: to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life." You see how the counsel of God the Father became ancient and true, and was promised to the holy fathers. I mean that salvation was revealed to the world, the Emmanuel, who became the breath of wronged men. For they have breathed again [free] from enemies, and have been delivered from impious men, to whom they have also been delivered over. And if one should take such utterances as applying to the nations, we say that the unholy demons who formerly held power over those on the earth are called men, whose weakness is very well signified by their also being named men. It is likely, of course, that also the false teachers among them, and those called hierophants, or also poets and prose writers, and the inventors of eloquence honored among the Greeks, are called wicked men, since through their inherent eloquence they cast the deceived into the mire of destruction. But if these things were said concerning those of Israel, we say that the wicked men are those who were chosen to be leaders, I mean both Scribes and Pharisees; who, having the glory of the priesthood, and having girded themselves from this with both renown and power, took the key of knowledge. And they neither believed themselves, nor did they permit others to do this; but the people under their hand are delivered over to the teachers in the law, while the deceived are delivered over to the unclean demons, God permitting them to suffer this handing over, just as, indeed, some are also delivered to a debased mind, having shown themselves unworthy of His forbearance and help. And the Lord Sabaoth will make for all the nations; on this mountain they will drink gladness, they will drink wine; they will anoint themselves with myrrh on this mountain. Deliver all these things to the nations. For this counsel is for all the nations. Having said before that the Lord will reign in Zion and in Jerusalem, He weaves a mystical thought as if from the likeness of things perceptible and visible; for Zion is high and a watch-tower, for Jerusalem is interpreted as a vision of peace. And both of these are in truth the Church of Christ; for it is high and conspicuous, and as if situated on a mountain. And in another way it is considered high by us, for nothing in it is lowly, and it is very much removed from earthly things. For it is written that "The mighty ones of God of the earth have been greatly exalted." Likewise, high also are the divine and true doctrines in it. For the discourse concerning God, that is, concerning the holy and consubstantial Trinity, is lean and polished and turned toward truth alone. Again, Christ who is peace is seen in it. Therefore, he says, the Lord Sabaoth will do this, and not at all only for those of Israel, as beloved on account of the fathers and chosen, but for all the nations, that is, for those under all of heaven. And what will he do? They will drink, he says, gladness, they will drink wine; they will anoint themselves with myrrh on this mountain. And it seems through gladness to signify cheerfulness in hope, and it is clear that this is in Christ; for we reign with Him, and gaining things beyond mind and reason, we will be within all delight. And through the wine, to signify the mystical blessing, and the manner of the bloodless sacrifice, which we are accustomed to fulfill in the holy churches. And the myrrh would very well signify for us the anointing of the Holy Spirit. For the wise John writes: "And you have an anointing from the Holy One; and you have no need that anyone teach you, but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things." For we are anointed with myrrh especially at the time of holy baptism, making the anointing a symbol of partaking of the Holy Spirit. But all these things, he says, deliver to the nations; for this counsel is for all the nations. For the ancient law, and the worship according to it ministered by angels was not given simply to all the nations, but to one and only, to that of the blood of Israel, But the grace in Christ, and the calling through faith, and in addition to these the sanctification through the Spirit, and the mystery itself through the counsel of God the Father has come upon all the nations. For Christ is the expectation of the nations, according to the voice of the Holy One. Death, having grown strong, swallowed up, and again God took away every a tear from every face. He has taken away the reproach of the people from all the earth. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. Very timely and necessarily with the tradition of the mystery, the word concerning the resurrection of the dead has also been brought in. For this reason also at the time of holy baptism, making the confession of faith, we also expect the resurrection of the flesh to be, and so we believe. Therefore death indeed prevailed over our forefather Adam because of the transgression, and like some savage and cruel beast, it leaped upon and seized him. Henceforth, then, laments and wailings and tears and mourning for the dead have prevailed over those on the earth. But it has ceased in Christ. For on the third day he came back to life, having trampled on death, and having become a way for human nature to escape corruption. For he has become the firstborn from the dead, and the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. And what is after the firstfruits and the first will certainly follow, that is, we ourselves. Therefore the suffering was turned into joy, and the sackcloth was torn; and we have girded ourselves with God-given gladness, so that we say rejoicing: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O Hades, is your sting? And the sting of death is sin, it says." Therefore every tear has been taken away; for believing that Christ will in every way and certainly raise the dead, we do not shed tears over them, nor do we descend into excessive sorrows, like the rest who have no hope. He seems to name death itself the reproach of the people, as having its origin in the transgression against us. Or perhaps sin, through which corruption entered and the power of death has held dominion over those on the earth. But since the mystery of the resurrection is not easily acceptable to the many, and it was likely to be disbelieved on account of the great work in it, the blessed prophet added, that the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Then who would dare to say that God will speak falsely, and will not in every way and certainly carry out in truth what was promised? "For heaven and earth, he says, will pass away, but my words will not pass away." And they will say on that day: Behold, our God, on whom we have hoped, and we have exulted, and he will save us. This is the Lord, we have waited for him, and we shall exult; and we shall be glad in our salvation, because God will give rest upon this mountain. You will recognize, he says, the one who gives gladness to drink, and in addition to this also wine, and who anoints with myrrh those in the spiritual Zion; and you will recognize that he is truly God, and from God by nature Son, and though he might appear in the form of a servant, for the salvation and life of all he has become man, and been made like in all things to those on the earth, apart from sin alone. For it is almost as if stretching out a hand, he says, they will say: Behold our God, in whom we have hoped and we have exulted in our salvation. But I think that this saying is most fittingly related to those of Israel, who, having been brought up on the Mosaic voices and not being ignorant of the predictions of the holy prophets, expected that in due time a Savior and Redeemer would come, our Lord Jesus Christ. And so, as I have already said before, Zacharias the father of John, prophesying in the Spirit, has spoken about Christ, that "A horn of salvation has been raised for the people." And Simeon likewise, taking the holy Infant into his hands: "My eyes, he says, have seen your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples." Therefore, recognizing the one foretold long ago, the hope of all, the Savior and Redeemer, they will say, he says: Behold our God. And they will confess that God will give rest upon this mountain. And again, suppose the mountain is said to be the Church, for rest has been given in it. For we have heard Christ saying: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." For we have been unburdened through faith in him of faith the grievous and unbearable sin. And we have found rest in another way also, having been delivered from the terrors, I say, concerning the need to be punished, and to pay the penalties for transgressions. And the grace of our Savior of all, Christ, to us has not been limited to these things; but the good things in hope have also been added, and the possession of the kingdom of heaven, long and incorruptible life, and the removal of everything accustomed to cause grief. For it is written concerning the saints that "Everlasting joy shall be upon their head." And the Moabitess shall be trodden down, in the manner they tread a threshing floor with wagons, and in harvest. And he will stretch out his hands, in the way he himself humbled [them] to destroy. And he will humble the insolence, upon which he laid his hands. And he will humble the height of the refuge of your wall, and it will pass down to the ground. The word of the holy prophets is somehow always deep, and it travels the inward and hidden path. It is necessary then, therefore, not to think the outward appearance of the letter to be entirely and in every way true, but rather to investigate the meaning that is somehow, as it were, buried in the letter. The Moabites, then, were neighbors to the Jews, but they were disposed most strangely toward deceit, and toward the necessity of adhering to the worship of idols. That therefore, when Christ had shone forth, and the nations had been called into his venerable and divine mystery, and had been sanctified through faith, the abominable and unclean idolatry would be entirely and in every way removed from the midst, Satan having been placed under the feet of the believers; for he has given us to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy; he teaches, saying, that the Moabitess will be trodden down, in the manner they tread a threshing floor with wagons. And we say that in these things he indicates, either the Moabite worship, that is, to take the entire example from one idolatrous country, with the word being extended, as I said, against all idolatry. Therefore, it will be trodden down, he says, just as something lying under the feet of threshers. And he will stretch out his hands, in the way he himself humbled [them] to destroy. Who will stretch out his hands? The inventor of idolatry, the one who maintains the deceit, and led man astray from God, that is, Satan. For he will stretch out his hands, that is, all his power and practical energy will be loosed; for hands are taken as a type of energy. For just as he humbled those on the earth, so as to destroy them all, in this same manner Christ will humble his insolence, that is, the unbearable greed which he used against all, almost laying his hands on them, and through greed bringing under his own scepters those created by God for good works. Then the discourse for the prophet proceeds again. As to the Moabitess herself, that is, the profane idolatry, and he says: that the height of the refuge, the wall that is being humbled, we say is he who presides over idolatry and deceit, and as it were fortifies it, and holds it together so that it may stand. But it will fall, he says. For Christ will cast it down, and will bring it down to the ground, that is, completely, and we see through events what was foretold brought to fulfillment. For sacred precincts have fallen. and all things in the shrines have been removed. And no longer are there altars and sacrifices, and sorceries, and those practicing the mockeries of deceit. But all things have ceased because of Christ, and the light of truth has dawned upon those on the earth and the rising sun of righteousness, brightening the hearts of those who believe in him. In that day they will sing this song in the land of Judea, saying: Behold, a strong city, and he will set up our salvation as a wall and a rampart. For when the Moabitess has been trodden down, that is, when the worship of idols has been completely abolished, according to the meaning already given, those freed from deceit, and having passed through to the light of truth, opening the eye of the mind, will recognize- they will sing, he says, to the creator of all things and Lord, Savior and Redeemer, the one through whom are all things, and in whom are all things, the one who for our sake has come down into our condition. And striking this very song and melody as if from a lyre, giving glory they will say: Behold, a strong city, and our salvation. For truly our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, the hope in him, is like some city with the strongest towers and completely impregnable. For he receives those fleeing the greed of the devil, and taking them in, he saves them. For this reason indeed he also said that, "My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." Therefore, a strong city, and salvation, is the Savior of all, a city having a wall and a surrounding wall, that is, all security. For the cities which are very well fortified, and do not have a simple enclosure, but are strengthened in addition to the great wall by another outwork. And it is fitting again for those offering up the song to say concerning the Church of our Savior, this: Behold, a strong city and our salvation. For the gates of Hades will not prevail against it, according to the voice of the Savior; for it is girded as with a kind of double wall by both the assistance from the holy angels, and indeed by that from above and from God who is a surrounding wall. For the strength of the holy spirits is also from him, since he himself and he alone is the Lord of all powers. But it must be known that in the holy Scriptures Judah is sometimes called Christ, as having been born from the tribe of Judah, at least according to the voice of Jacob saying: "Judah, your brothers will praise you." Therefore, on the land of Judah is that which is sung. For the Church is the city of Christ. Open the gates, let the people enter who keep righteousness, and who keep truth, taking hold of truth, and keeping peace; for in you we have hoped, O Lord, forever. Since those throughout the whole earth have already come to know our Lord Jesus Christ and have confessed that he will be a strong city and salvation, having a wall and a surrounding wall, then, necessarily, the Holy Spirit commands the holy mystagogues, I mean, both apostles and evangelists, saying through the voice of the prophet: Open the gates; that is, widen for those who are willing the entrance through faith, the path through the blameless initiation, and let the people enter who keep righteousness, and who keep truth. For the divine and evangelical, and saving proclamation teaches the believers the righteousness that is beyond the law, and to be steadfast in the keeping of truth. For it no longer introduces worship in types and shadows, just as indeed the old law did, but that in spirit and in truth, and this is the truth. And it takes hold of truth. For it yearns, as I said, not for the things in shadows, but for the things through Christ who is the truth. And they also keep peace. How, or in what way? For having been received completely by Christ, and having abolished that ancient enmity; for wandering he was separated from him; he will be an unshaken worshiper. And to fulfill this the blessed Paul persuades us, writing: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." For we were at war with God, worshiping creation and being held by the passions of the flesh. But we are called friends and peaceful to him alone, saying: Lord, besides you we know no other. We name your name, and in addition to this, having bound on like a crown the exceptional life and evangelical citizenship, the boasts concerning such things might reasonably be said through the voice of the saints to God, that in you we have hoped, O Lord, forever. For they will not cease from their hope in God, but rather will boast in him continually. O great God, the eternal one, who, having humbled them, brought down those dwelling in high places; you will cast down strong cities, and you will bring them down to the ground. And the feet of the meek, and the steps of the humble will tread upon them. On matters exceedingly marveled at, it is the custom for the holy prophets to bring offerings of thanks to God who rules over all, and as it were to leap up from exceeding joy. This would be a clear demonstration of the highest genuineness for them. For they rejoice greatly seeing the glory of God widened, and those who envy it removed from the midst; I mean, of course, the unclean demons, and in addition to these, Satan; whom he also compares to strong cities, and affirmed that they dwell in high places. For there is in them always a somehow high and arrogant mindset, so that they rise up even against the hand of God, and think that having fiercely stumbled, they will be harmed in nothing, but will reign forever over those on the earth. But You, he says, are also the only God, the great, eternal one; and from the deeds themselves you have shown this; for having humbled them, you brought down those dwelling in high places. That is, you shook the strength of the proud, being high and arrogant you brought them down to the earth, and as they were strong cities, you demolished them from their foundations. For this is the meaning of "to the ground." And you have given them to be trodden underfoot by the feet of the meek, and the humble. And who are these again, but the genuine guardians of the Savior’s ordinances? Those who are zealous to imitate their own Master who cries out and says: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me that I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." And we remember Him saying again: "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." For the apostate dragon has been trodden down; and we have stepped on the asp and the basilisk, we who wish to dwell in the help of the Most High, and have come under the protection of the God of heaven, that is, of Christ, for he is worshiped in heaven; "For when," it says, "He brings the firstborn into the world, he says: And let all the angels of God worship him." The way of the pious has become straight, and the way of the pious has been prepared. For the way of the Lord is judgment. We have hoped in your name, and in the remembrance which our soul desired. The blessed prophet Jeremiah, makes mention of the evangelical way of life, and of righteousness in Christ, saying to the lovers of truth: "Stand by the roads, and ask for the eternal paths of the Lord, and see which is the good way, and walk in it, and you will find purification for your souls." For the paths and ways of the Lord are the words of the holy prophets, and of the commandment through Moses, the foretelling as in shadow and types of the mystery concerning Christ. Therefore, by searching these paths we learn the good way, that is, the way of life in Christ; having walked in it with our souls, we shall find true purification through the spirit. Therefore he says the way of the pious has become straight; for how is it not straight and smooth, and having nothing steep at all, when by speaking the word of faith we are justified, and we are enriched with the cleansing through holy baptism? And in another way the path of the pious is straight. For with the enemies destroyed, and the greed of the devil overthrown and all difficulty stripped away, what is there still to resist and be able to paralyze the lovers of piety? But see how, with the way of the pious having been smoothed, he says there will be in a way an overturning of the things in types and shadows. For he adds, not simply, "The way of the Lord is judgment"; that is, not offerings of calves, not slaughters of sheep, not cakes and incense; but rather judgment, that is, righteousness. For it is the custom in the divinely-inspired Scripture to signify righteousness by the name of judgment. Just as, of course, the blessed David: "The honor," he says, "of the king loves judgment," that is, righteousness; for in honor from God and to men every kingdom loves righteousness. Therefore, the way of the Lord is judgment. And again he brings in, rejoicing greatly, those who will walk this straight way; for they say that, We have hoped in your name, and in the remembrance which our soul desired. For all our hope is in Christ, whom we also always remember, having this desire, that through it we have been saved. From the night my spirit rises early to you, O God, because your commandments are a light upon the earth. He calls "night" the time before the incarnation of the Lord; and "dawn" the prophetic foreknowledge; and "true light" the Gospel of the sun of righteousness, Christ, which also is commanded to be learned by all the earth. For he says that learning comes not from nature, like seeing or walking, but from diligence and care. But he who has not learned will be taken from the living, and he will not see the glory of Christ. Those who say, We have hoped in your name, and in the remembrance which our soul desired, necessarily add this also. For having taken the divine illumination into their minds, and having sent away the darkness of the ancient deceit, and seeing the mist of sin vanished, they offer up hymns of thanksgiving, as if from night, and saying they rise early from darkness, as the spiritual day dawns in them, and the morning star at last rises in their hearts, as it is written. To such people the divine Paul also writes, and says, "You who were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord." And indeed elsewhere also: "For we are not of the night, nor of darkness, but sons of light, and sons of day." For the mind of believers is illumined by the evangelical decrees. For this reason also the divine David says, as to our Lord Jesus Christ, "Your law is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths." For indeed, with a kind of mist, I say, and with shadows from the letter, the law given through the all-wise Moses was made obscure. But in the evangelical proclamations, the beauty of the truth appears naked and transparent, and it brightens the mind, pouring like light into the thoughts of the devout. Learn righteousness, you who dwell on the earth. For the impious man has ceased. Whoever does not learn righteousness on the earth will not practice truth. Let the impious man be taken away, that he may not see the glory of the Lord. Somewhere God said through the voice of a prophet: "And all shall be taught by God." See, then, how in these things the discourse introduces Christ himself to us as a kind of mystagogue for those from the nations who have believed. For it was necessary, it was necessary for those who had once recognized that his commandments are a light upon the earth, to receive from him the knowledge of what is profitable. "Therefore, he says, you who dwell upon the earth, learn righteousness." And this is like that which was said through the voice of David: "Hear these things, all you nations; give ear, all you who inhabit the world." For the law in letters has instructed only Israel according to the flesh, but our Lord Jesus Christ, having spread the net of gentleness, has caught the whole world under heaven. Rightly, therefore, he also counsels those throughout the whole earth, saying that they must learn the righteousness spoken through him, that is, the evangelical righteousness. But that disobeying the words from him is not without penalty, he adds and says: For the impious man has ceased. Whoever does not learn righteousness on the earth will not practice truth, for he will depart, he says, into ruin and perdition, and will be, as it were, extinguished. For I think this is what "He has ceased" signifies. Anyone who does not accept the knowledge of evangelical righteousness, and whoever does not do the truth. And again in these things he calls "truth" the power of the life in Christ, and the worship and service in spirit and in truth. For since the law has a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, it was not truth. But Christ and his decrees would rightly be understood as righteousness and truth. I think it is necessary to say this also: Christ has become for us righteousness from the Father, and besides this, He is also truth. Learn, therefore, righteousness, he says, and truth; that is, know the true Son and the creator and Lord of all. For every impious man will be taken away and removed from the midst, that he may not see the glory of the Lord. Such is what was proclaimed by Christ himself to the peoples of the Jews: "Amen, amen I say to you, that if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins." And again: "He who believes in the Son is not judged, but he who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God;" But he who has once been condemned, and has died in his own sins, how could he see the glory of the Lord? For he will not be with Christ, and having in no way shared in the glory from him, he will not see the inheritance of the saints. Lord, your arm is high, and they did not know it; but when they know, they will be ashamed. Jealousy will seize an uninstructed people, and now fire will devour the adversaries. While God threatens those who do not learn righteousness, and those who do not do the truth, according to the words just now rendered by us, the prophet comes to a recollection of Israel’s ignorance and disobedience. For the creator of all, God the Word, the all-powerful arm of the Father, through whom all things were brought into being, existing in the form and equality of the Father, submitted himself to a voluntary emptying, and humbled himself, as it is written, becoming man, that he might justify those on the earth, clearly through faith in himself; and he worked things beyond reason, and through the magnificence of the things done, he deemed it worthy to be known that he is both God and from God by nature, saying: "If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me; but if I do, even if you do not believe me, believe the works." But although they became beholders of such wonders, and hearers of his words, they remained hard and unadmonished, and rather had an unbridled mouth. For they have dared to impiously call him a Samaritan, and a drunkard and a carpenter's son, and things even more odious than these. Therefore, having foreknown these things through the torch-bearing of the Spirit, the prophet makes his address to the Father and God in heaven, and says, Lord, your arm is high, and they did not know it. For by the worth of his own pre-eminence, and as in glory befitting God, he is great and high; and indeed the arm of the Father is also all-powerful, that is, God the Word through whom all things were made. But since he appeared in the flesh, they have been ignorant of his glory. Nevertheless, they will be ashamed, he says, if they should learn that he is clearly the life-giving Word of God. But in what way did they learn? For they killed the author of salvation, and they denied the Holy One of Israel, just as the divine Peter says. But since Christ, having broken the bonds of death, rose again on the third day, and the leaders of the Jews especially knew this, then indeed, then they were also ashamed, and fearing lest the mystery of the resurrection should somehow be proclaimed to all, they gave sufficient silver to the soldiers, as it is written, so that they might say that "His disciples came by night and stole him." But they will be ashamed in another way also. For when they see him at the end of the age coming in the glory of the Father with the angels, then they will also have unutterable shame, being sons of the bride-chamber on account of the fathers, for theirs are the promises, and the lawgiving, and the covenant, but being sent into the outer darkness. He rightly, therefore, calls them an uninstructed people, and says that jealousy will seize them, and that fire will devour the adversaries. For since they have been sent away, and have been cast out from the hope in Christ, and have been shown to be strangers to the promises, while the Gentiles have been accepted, for this reason they are consumed with jealousy, and as if by fire being consumed, the wretched ones, that is, continue to be so by envy. Something of this sort is also written in the songs concerning those of the blood of Israel, that "They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their idols." And I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a nation; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. Lord our God, give us peace, for you have rendered all things to us; Lord our God, possess us. Lord, besides you we know no other; we name your name. It is the custom of the holy prophets to make supplications on behalf of Israel, for they were lovers of God, and very well adorned with boasts of piety. But since they have sprung from the root of Abraham and from the blood of the holy fathers, they are necessarily sad for those of the same race from Israel, seeing them perish because of their impiety toward Christ. For this reason, then, the blessed prophet Isaiah now comes forward, saying: "Lord our God, give us peace; for you have rendered all things to us." For if you would grant us peace, he says, we shall be full of every good thing, and we have had the most perfect participation in the gifts from you. And it is necessary to see what peace they ask for; for either they ask for Christ Himself; for He is our peace, according to the Scriptures, and through Him we have been joined to the Father, through kinship, that is, the spiritual one. Or at least they say that. For those who have not yet believed, and have the indelible stain of sin, are separated from God, and are rightly considered in the rank of enemies, and they have a proud neck, and fight against the laws of the Master. But those who are obedient and well-reined, and ready for whatever pleases them, are most beloved and have peace with him. But this thing is truly God-given, and comes through generosity from above. Grant us therefore, O Master, to be at peace with you, and, with profane and abominable sin removed from our midst, to be united with you spiritually through Christ the mediator. Such is what is rightly said through the voice of Paul: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," when this has happened, we shall be a possession and an inheritance of God. For this reason it is wisely added, "Lord, possess us; besides you we know no other, we name your name." For those who are at peace with him must be single-minded, and yoked to God alone, so as to know him alone, and not even to bear on the tongue the name of another completely falsely named God. For one must name him alone, because he alone is over us God by nature and in truth. Such a thing the law of the all-wise Moses also proclaimed to us, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve, and in his name. Amen." But the dead shall not see life, nor shall physicians raise them up. For this reason you have brought on, and destroyed, and taken away every male of theirs. Add evils to them, Lord, add evils to all the glorious ones of the earth. Those who only know the God who is by nature and in truth, and who name his name, and who count absolutely no one with him, and who for this reason say, "Lord, besides you we know no other," necessarily connect this with "The dead shall not see life," that is, again, "apart from you." For the creator and Lord of all, being life by nature, gives life to all things, and in him we move and have our being. But neither shall physicians, he says, raise them up; "apart from you" obviously following this as well. For all things are from God for us, and he himself has made medicines from the earth, according to what is written. As far, therefore, as it pertains to the letter, I say, and to the readily available and obvious meaning, the rendering of the thoughts would rightly be thus, and not otherwise. But since it is necessary to go according to the sense of the saying, and to lay bare the aim of the prophetic precision, we necessarily say this: there are some who are dead, not at all in the flesh, but rather deadened by worldly love of pleasure, and not having the holy life which is in Christ and angelic. But outside of you, he says, such men would not partake of life, that is, of the life-giving grace. And again, outside of you, those who are able to free those caught in spiritual sicknesses, who would rightly be considered spiritual physicians, could not raise any of the sick. And we say that the spiritual physicians are the holy prophets, apostles, and evangelists; who through grace from above, and the supply of the Spirit, being rich in the word that is able to heal, they treat those wounded by both sin and the wickedness of the devil. And it is likely that the prophetic word hints at something else for us; for our Lord Jesus Christ, showing himself to be of equal power and equal glory with the one who begot him, raised the dead from their tombs, and healed those in the final stages of diseases. But although he was the doer of such wondrous deeds, he was not honored by those who had seen them; and the leaders and teachers of the Jews especially persecuted him in this way. Since, therefore, he says, outside of you the dead would not see life, for you are the only one who is able to give life, nor could a physician raise from the tombs those whom you yourself raised; and yet even after this they disbelieved, and have raged uncontrollably, they whom it was fitting, even before others, to be believers; for this reason you brought upon them, and destroyed, and took away every male of theirs. For you brought your wrath upon them, which necessarily cut down not all of Israel root and branch; for the remnant was saved; but every male of theirs, that is, the ruling order. For the male is most dominant compared to the female. And perhaps he calls males those who were, as it were, the more vigorous of the Jews, not in terms of bodily strength, but rather in knowledge of the legal commandments, such is what was said by God to one of the prophets: "I will go to the great ones, and I will speak to them." And behold, with one accord they broke the yoke, they tore apart the bonds, that the prominent and more sacred element among the Jews is rightly declared wretched, and has drawn down upon itself a more violent wrath, Christ himself will make clear, saying: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves." And again: "And woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering." Therefore, the male is rightly punished, that is, that which is in pre-eminence and honor. And as those in spiritual manliness then came to the knowledge according to the law, to whom he wishes evils to be added. For not only have they fallen away from intimacy with God by having insulted Christ, but they have also been consumed by famine, and have fallen into the calamities resulting from it, their land having been ravaged and completely overthrown. And those whom he called males, he also calls glorious, as being clearly distinguished and set above the others, on account of being crowned with the boasts of the priesthood. All their male, God-given and allied, but by evils he means the things that cause evil, that is, the wraths sent by God, famines, plagues, wars, and things like these. And by glorious, those conspicuous in evils, and renowned in powers. Lord, in tribulation we remembered you, in a small tribulation was your discipline for us. And as a woman in labor draws near to giving birth, and in her pain she cried out, so have we become for your beloved. Moved by a very great love for God against the audacious acts of the Jews, the blessed prophet, having said, "Add evils to all the glorious ones of the earth," lest anyone be thought harsh and severe for not rather exhorting to pity the sinners, but for them to be in tribulation and evils, he necessarily added what naturally happens to all, I mean, the habit of remembering the all-powerful God in tribulation and necessities. For the breadth of cheerfulness sometimes relaxes them towards contempt, and, so to speak, they do not even perceive their sins, having slipped into this state of mind from too much indolence. But affliction, as it were, drives them to God, and brings them to an awareness of their transgressions. Therefore, for this reason, he says, I said, Add evils to the glorious ones of the earth, since it is common for all to remember you then especially, and to consider your things, and to be mindful, when they share in misfortunes. For we are disciplined in a little affliction, God not inflicting an unmixed or completely harsh punishment, but rather blending His anger with gentleness. Therefore, it was not of one hating sinners to ask for affliction to be brought upon them, but rather of one loving them and asking for them to be disciplined; so that since from their own choice they have not had piety as a fruit, they might at least be turned to it as if by necessity, being called to awareness by the divine wrath. Such, I think, is that which was rightly spoken through the voice of David: "With bit and bridle you must curb their jaws, of those who do not draw near to you." But they, having sinned unbearably, and having treated Christ with drunken violence, will fall into affliction. But we, who are yours and are mindful of your things and speak them, have been disposed no differently toward your beloved, that is, the Son; just as, for sure, and like a woman in labor, having cried out, as it were, against those dishonoring them, and being greatly pained because of this, and making a great accusation against those who disobey him. And what they say is true. and indeed, the blessed Isaiah himself, rebuking the foul-mouthed speech of the Jews, which they made against Christ, says: "But you," "come here, you lawless sons; seed of adulterers and a prostitute, in what have you reveled, and against whom have you opened your mouth, and against whom have you let loose your tongue? Are you not children of destruction, a lawless seed?" And indeed, the blessed David says somewhere concerning them: "Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bend their back forever." And very many such words have been spoken by the holy prophets against the synagogue of the Jews, because of their impiety toward Christ. Because of your fear, O Lord, we have conceived in the womb, and have been in travail, and have brought forth a spirit of salvation, which we have brought to birth upon the earth. Those who say, out of love for God, that they have become like a woman in labor for the beloved of the Father, that is, clearly, the Son, adhering intelligently to the figure of speech, say that they have both been in labor and indeed have conceived in the womb, and have brought forth the spirit of salvation upon the earth. Such a saying would be fitting, as I said, for prophets and holy apostles and evangelists who, being enriched with the supply of the mystagogy from above and receiving, as it were, certain intelligible seeds, have brought forth for those on the earth a spirit of salvation, that is, the teaching in the spirit, which is also the cause of life for the ages. For it is the custom of divine Scripture to often call the writings of certain people "spirit." "And indeed, test," it says, "the spirits to see if they are from God." For the saving proclamation is always spoken in the Holy Spirit, or else, in a worldly spirit, whatever things fight against the truth. For indeed the divine Paul writes concerning himself and the other saints: "But we have not received the spirit of this world, but the spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." Therefore, they call the evangelical proclamation a spirit of salvation. For it leads to unending life and to a long-lasting existence. We shall not fall, but they who dwell upon the earth shall fall. The dead shall arise, and those in the tombs shall be raised, and those in the earth shall rejoice. For the dew that is from you is a healing for them. But the land of the impious shall fall. Truly admirable is the vigilance of the saints. For they always somehow consider what seems to be opposed, in the words they might use to us. Therefore, since they said they had brought forth a spirit of salvation for those on the earth, but they see death still prevailing even after this over those on earth, as if someone were saying: What is the benefit to us of the divine proclamations? And where is the spirit of salvation? For those on earth are falling; they necessarily bring forward the defense, and indeed they say, The dead will rise, by the grace of God, as the blessed Paul says; Our Lord Jesus Christ tasted death for everyone, but He rose on the third day, and became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, and the root of those who through Him are refashioned unto life, and, as it were, the beginning of human nature putting off corruption; and we have been enriched in unshakeable hopes with life eternal. It is established that in every way and altogether the dead will rise again, and the power of death will be completely abolished; but the time is not yet present in which the resurrection is; for the time being human nature is subject to the necessity of dying. And for the time being it endures the death that has been weakened in Christ, and which at times will be weak even in us ourselves. Will that, he says, be set against our words, that is, our saving proclamations, the fact that those on earth still fall? And what is this? Absolutely nothing. For the dead will rise again, and the bodies in the earth and tombs will return to life. And what, again, might be the manner of this? The dew from you is a healing for them. And in these things they have come to call 'dew' the life-giving energy and power of the spirit, through which the blessed David said the dead would be raised. For he somewhere sings to God, and says: "For when you turn your face away, they will be troubled, and will return to their dust. You will send forth Your Spirit, and they will be created, and You will renew the face of the earth." Therefore, the life-giving dew is the Spirit from the Father through the Son, instilling incorruptibility even in the bodies from the earth. But while those who have fallen in the earth will rise again, the land of the impious will fall, and this happened to the land of the Jews; for they have acted insolently towards Christ, and towards the holy mystagogues, although they brought forth the spirit of salvation for those on the earth. Go, my people, enter into your chambers, shut your door, hide yourself for a very little while, until the wrath of the Lord has passed by. For behold, the Lord from His holy place brings His wrath upon the inhabitants of the earth. And the earth will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain. The person of God is introduced to us in these words, anointing the mind of the saints for patient suffering. For since they were about, while producing the spirit of salvation both for those of the blood of Israel and for those throughout the whole world under heaven, that is, while ministering the evangelical proclamation, to fall into terrible and unbearable trials, and to endure danger itself to soul and blood; for this very reason and quite fittingly He persuades them to love to be bold against such things, saying: Go, my people, enter into your chambers. And most cleverly and very reverently He perhaps calls the chambers the tombs in the earth; and indeed He shuts the doors for them as for those who are truly hidden, and bids them endure in secret for a short while, until the wrath of the Lord has passed by. For it was said to the beginning of our race, that is, to Adam: "You are earth, and to earth you shall return;" and human nature was accursed because of the transgression; for this very reason it has been subjected to corruption. But the things brought on by divine wrath will be loosed, and this completely at the time of the consummation, when death is abolished, the tyranny of the devil destroyed, and sin cast into the pit. Therefore, hide yourself, He says, O my people, and endure for a short and very little while, until death, which is from the Lord's wrath, passes by, and the time of the resurrection of all is revealed. For even if you should happen to suffer death, He says, with the wickedness of those who hate inflicting this also upon the holy mystagogues, yet the Master of all will bring punishment upon those to those who have killed the saints. For the Lord brings wrath from the Holy One upon those who dwell upon the earth. This is similar to that: "For the Lord rained from the Lord upon Sodom fire and brimstone." Therefore the Son from the Holy [ηυμφρεδ. of the Father] Spirit will bring wrath upon those who dwell upon the earth. For as he himself somewhere says: "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father." But when the time comes, in which wrath will be brought upon those who have committed unholy acts against the sanctified ones, the earth will reveal her blood, and will not hide the slain, that is, all blood that has fallen to earth, this will be made manifest, no one will be hidden, that is, he of the wronged will have truly passed away. For the Creator will remember all, and there will be absolutely no one of those unjustly slain who will not be known, and in the memory of God. In that day God will bring the holy, and the great, and the strong sword, upon the dragon, the fleeing serpent, upon the dragon, the crooked serpent, and will slay the dragon. Having stated very well that wrath would be brought upon the impious, and upon those who killed them, he said that Satan himself would also be destroyed along with his own children; yielding to whose stratagems, those who opposed the preachings from them made war on the saints. For at that time, he says, in which the earth will reveal her blood, the Father will bring the holy and sharpest and great sword, the all-powerful and invincible one, that is, the only-begotten Word, upon the dragon, the fleeing serpent; upon the dragon, the crooked serpent, and will slay the dragon. He names Satan both dragon and serpent. For he is bitter and venomous, and in addition to this, cowardly. For it is his custom always to flee. But he is terrible and a lover of evil-doing. For he runs a crooked course like the beast, but he will be destroyed; for indeed he will henceforth be inactive, or rather he will pay the price for his unholiness, enduring the ultimate penalty, and being held in the gates of Hades, and enduring as a work of the eternal flame a long and unending punishment. In that day a beautiful vineyard, a desire to sing about it. I am a strong city, a besieged city; in vain I will water it. For it will be captured by night, and by day the wall will fall. Having very well completed the discourse concerning those ensnared through faith, and having stated most clearly that they will be anointed with myrrh, and will drink wine on the holy mountain of our Savior of all, Christ; and we say the mountain is the Church; and having added that there will also be vengeance for those slain on account of piety, and indeed that by the holy, and great sword the apostate dragon will be utterly and entirely destroyed, he brings the discourse back to the things that happened out of ignorance to those of the blood of Israel. For at that time, he says, in which they will make faith in Christ unacceptable; I am the beautiful vineyard, of which one might say the desire is to sing; I am the strong city; for the discourse is thus composed as if from Jerusalem; I will be a besieged city. Then the prophet introduces to us the person of God, saying, that In vain I will water it. For if Israel became, he says, a fruitful vine, according to the voice of Jeremiah, yet it produced thorns, and made the exhortation through the law useless for itself. In vain therefore has he both watered it through the old law, and even if he should still water it through the evangelical preaching, it will remain thus unprofitable. What then happened to it from this? It will be captured by night, and by day the wall will fall. For since he named it a strong city, and yet a besieged one, in accordance with the sequence of thoughts he says that it is captured, and indeed he insisted that the wall will also fall. But to be captured by night and for the wall to fall by day, seems to indicate something of this sort. For it has been taken, that is, it has been sacked, as if having come to be in mist and darkness for not enduring Christ saying, "While you have the light, walk in the light, so that the darkness does not overtake you." But since they have continued to care little for the words from him, the wretched ones were overtaken as in darkness. For sin overpowered them. And this was then what was said to them by the voice of Christ: "Amen I say to you, if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins." Therefore it was captured, and has remained in sins; and a wall has fallen as in the day, that is, clearly and manifestly, it has been deprived of the protection from God. The blessed prophet Isaiah says something like this also at the beginning: "For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the man of Judah, a beloved new plant. I waited for it to make grapes, but it made thorns." Then he adds: "And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be for plundering; and I will break down its wall, and it shall be for trampling. And I will let my vineyard go, and it shall not be pruned, nor shall it be dug, and thorns shall come up on it as on barren land, and I will command the clouds not to rain rain upon it." Do you see how true is what I said, that is, I will water her in vain. For he has no longer given the spiritual rain to those of Israel; and he broke down its hedge, and in addition to this, the wall. And by hedge, perhaps, he calls the assistance from the angels; but by wall, indeed, impregnable and firm, the protection of his own power. For mountains, it says, are round about it, and the Lord is round about his people. And if it says, "has fallen," it does not in any way indicate that it was also carried away, but rather that it has been taken away. For Israel has remained without help, and completely without a share of the mercy and love from above. There is not one that has not laid hold of her. Who will set me to guard stubble in a field? Because of this enemy I have rejected her. The land of the Jews has indeed been besieged after the cross of the Savior. And those gathered from every nation, that is, the all-powerful army of the Romans, rose up manfully against the nation of the Jews. And it has been sacked in another way, spiritually, that is, and hiddenly; for it has been given for trampling to the unclean spirits. For if it has been deprived of the hedge, and the wall that saved it has been taken away, how could anyone doubt that it has become pasture for the spiritual beasts? And this was then what was said about it by the voice of David to Christ the Savior of all: "Why have you broken down its hedge, and all who pass by the way pluck it?" A boar from the wood has ravaged it; and a wild ass has fed on it. For indeed through these it signifies the manifold passions by which the mind of the Jews is held captive; the ass signifying utmost irrationality; and pleasure, indeed, the boar. That it has therefore become easily captured by everyone wishing to ravage it, this he teaches, saying: There is not one that has not laid hold of her, for there is no hand, that is, power, either of men or of wicked spirits, which has not laid hold of her. But, O Master, someone might perhaps say; for were you not saving as your own people, were you not guarding it, and were you not the all-powerful wall. Yes, he says, I have both guarded and protected with my own grace and strength; but it was necessary to be guarded then, when it had fruit from the law. But since henceforth it was brought down to this, he says, of wretchedness and of spiritual indolence, so as to have no fruit from virtue; and it resembles bare and fruitless stubble; who will set me to guard it? For what is the benefit from security, if it has become desolate of good fruits? Who then will persuade me? For this the "will set" indicates: to guard stubble in a field. But how it has come to this misery he explains, saying: Because of this enemy I have rejected her. In these things he points out Jerusalem, almost with a finger. And since, he says, it has become most hostile to me, for this very reason and very rightly I have rejected her. Not another, then, to become an enemy to himself, he says, and to reject again another, but rather Jerusalem herself he shows as an enemy, and says she is rejected, having been cast out, clearly, from her spiritual intimacy with him. For he said to her: "How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing. Behold, your house is left to you desolate." Therefore, for this reason the Lord God has done all that he commanded. I am burned, all who dwell in her will cry out. For since she has become an enemy, he says, and has stood against the one who saves, and has warred as against an enemy with the one who calls to life, for this reason all that he commanded, that is, what he determined and willed to be, he has brought to completion. And what are these things? To be rejected, certainly, to no longer have the spiritual rain. To endure the siege, to be in want of benevolence and protection from above. For she has been burned and brought to complete uselessness. And I am burned, all who dwell in her, he says, will cry out. And if anyone should wish to approach the matter more historically, he will find Jerusalem to have been burned down. But if in another way, the burning in these things signifies utter uselessness. And the destruction completely cast upon the Jews, with the divine wrath all but consuming them, and showing them to be as dust and ashes. The divine prophet Jeremiah also says something like this concerning Jerusalem: "The Lord called your name a beautiful olive tree, shady in appearance; at the sound of its pruning a fire was kindled upon it, great is the tribulation upon it." Its branches have become useless. For to depart from God and to be utterly bereft of his grace and help makes the soul of man completely useless. "For it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," and as Moses says, "Our God is a consuming fire." Let us make peace with him, let us who are coming make peace, children of Jacob. Israel will bud and blossom, and the world will be filled with its fruit. Since the Jews had renounced love and faith in Christ the Savior of all, as the beloved one had spurned them, and had transferred the call to the Gentiles, and Christ was drawing in those from the ends of the earth through the holy apostles, the blessed prophet appears as a wise counselor to the peoples from everywhere, and says to them: Israel has departed, the firstborn has kicked back, he denies the faith, he has acted impiously toward the redeemer; but we who are coming, that is, we who are about to come in due time; and we will certainly come as from darkness to light, from Hellenic ignorance to the knowledge of the one who is truly God, from sins to justification; let us make peace with him, that is, having destroyed the ancient enmity, let us be at peace with God. For with sin having been destroyed and Satan rendered powerless, and with nothing any longer hindering, that separates and divides us from Christ, let us consent to his decrees; let us follow what he may both wish and say, let us submit our neck to the Evangelical proclamations; for thus we will make peace with him. The all-wise Paul also says something of this sort to those called from the Gentiles: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Having exhorted, then, those who are coming, concerning whom the blessed David also said: "The coming generation will be told of the Lord," he transfers his discourse to the holy apostles themselves that they will win for God the world under heaven, having understood, or rather learned through the Holy Spirit, he leaps up in a way, and says from exceedingly great joy: The children of Jacob will bud, and Israel will blossom, and will be filled the the world of his fruit. For the divine disciples were born from the blood of Jacob, who was also renamed Israel. But since from east to west, and to all the earth their sound went out, and to the ends of the world their words, the multitude of the nations has been called to knowledge, and as the word of the prophecy says, the world was filled with his fruit. And of whom, then? Or clearly of Israel, that is, of those from the blood of Israel. For those who believed are the fruits of apostolic labors; and the divine Paul called them joy and a crown; for truly a boast and glory of the holy mystagogues are those saved through them. Shall he be smitten as he himself smote, or shall he be slain as he himself slew? Fighting and rebuking he shall send them away. The meaning of the proposed texts follows very closely what has been said; and in what manner, we will say as best we can. For we said that the children of Jacob will sprout and blossom, and the world will be filled with his fruit. But as if someone were rising up and saying: And yet Israel has acted impiously in no small measure; for he has become hard and intractable, and has killed saints, and attacked every righteous man and prophet, and has his hand filled with blood; then how will he blossom again, and, as if nothing amiss had happened, the world be filled with his fruit? To such things, then, the prophet says: Shall he be smitten as he himself smote? Or shall he be slain as he himself slew? For, he says, he used unbridled wrath against the saints, and with unbridled impulses he slew them, as one who knew not how to pity in any way. Will therefore the fount of gentleness use against them angers of equal weight and justice of equal measure, and thus slay them as they themselves have slain the saints? Or will he rather conquer as God, and not utterly cut off the one beloved and formerly chosen for the fathers' sake? Something of this sort is what was said by God through one of the holy prophets: "What shall I do to you, Ephraim? What shall I do to you, Judah? I will make them as Admah and as Zeboim, my heart is turned within me. My repentance is stirred up. I will not act according to the anger of my wrath. I will not abandon Ephraim to be wiped out, because I am God, and not man; the Holy One in your midst." For it was necessary, it was necessary for one who is God, and not a man like us, both to excel in gentleness, and just as he is by nature beyond every created thing, so to be above and to surpass what is on earth, I mean, in regard to philanthropy. Therefore Israel shall blossom, and the world will be filled with his fruit, according to the argument already previously given. For he will not be slain, he says, as he himself slew, nor indeed will he be smitten in an equal manner, even if he himself, sharpened by savage wrath, smote the saints. What then is the measure of the movement against them? Fighting, he says, and rebuking he shall send them away; understanding "He shall send them away" instead of, He will send them away from intimacy with himself. This the Savior has done; for he has made Israel an outcast. Both fighting and rebuking, and we should take "Fighting" as "reprimanding." For reprimanding the Jews, and indeed rebuking them, the Savior said: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her; how often I wanted to gather your children together, in the way a bird gathers her young under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is left to you desolate." For this was nothing other than his insisting that his departure from them would not be long in coming. When this happened, Israel perished, although the remnant was saved, just as Isaiah himself says: "And if the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved." Were you not he who with a harsh spirit meditated to slay them with a spirit of wrath? See the prophet in these things, in a manner befitting a saint speaking with boldness, and convicting Israel that it had warred against holy ones; and it made it a practice, that is, using a spirit that was, as it were, harsh and savage to slay them, and to unleash an untamable mindset upon them. If, therefore, he says, I were to say that he himself slew, and he himself struck, from where would the matter be a falsehood? Rather, what has been said will be revealed as true. For were you not, O Israel, the one practicing, that is, accustomed to be called, as I said, harsh in spirit, and to attack like a beast those sent from God? And if you should deny it, he says, I will bring forward as a witness the judge of all things. For Christ said somewhere to them: "Which of the prophets did your fathers not kill? For it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem." Therefore the iniquity of Jacob shall be taken away, and this is his blessing, when I take away his sin, when they make all the stones of the altars broken in pieces like fine dust, and their trees shall not remain, and their idols are cut down like a distant forest. The blessed prophet, having rubbed in the midst of it the refutation against those who acted impiously toward the holy prophets, again takes up the sequence of thoughts, and says as from the person of God: Therefore the iniquity of Jacob will be removed. Therefore. What? For since he will not be slain as he himself slew, nor yet will he be struck as he himself struck, since the tranquility inherent in God always conquers human pettiness, and since He does not in every way and altogether bring judgments equal to the transgressions on earth, but rather tempers His anger with gentleness. For this reason he says: The iniquity of Jacob will be removed, that is, he will obtain loving-kindness, and at the proper times He will forgive him his accusations, and will deliver him even from the charges themselves; and this is his blessing. For He promised to Abraham, saying: "Indeed I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your seed." But the divine Abraham would not in truth have been blessed, nor would his seed have been multiplied, if those of his blood had demanded judgments analogous to their sins. But since, although they had done nothing good, but rather had descended to the uttermost impiety, they too have been enriched with forgiveness, the substance of the blessing has been kept and has passed on to them. When therefore, he says, I take away his sin, this will be the manner of the blessing for him. And he makes clear the time when he himself will also be free from his transgressions. For when, he says, those called through faith to the knowledge of the truly existing God campaign against the ancient error, when altars, and sacred precincts, and the swarm of idols are removed from the midst, when they consume with fire the temples crafted for lifeless idols; when they cut down their trees, and in addition to these the handmade things, just like a forest; then indeed, then God will forgive even those of Israel their transgressions. And this, I think, is what the divine Paul said clearly: "But when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved." For to completely burn down temples, and to cut down the groves planted beside them, and to add also the destruction of the statues themselves, would signify nothing other than this in every way, that for those who formerly wandered, and who worshipped the works of their own hands, there will be a change to the knowledge of truth, so that they come to such a love for God, as to even lay hands on what was formerly worshipped by them, and to cut down the gods of wood just like a forest. The inhabited flock shall be let loose, as a flock that is left behind, and for a long time it shall be for pasture, and there they shall rest, and after a time there shall not be in it anything green, because it has withered. He names Israel the inhabited flock because it had very many and good shepherds, and almost, and to have as cohabitants those who know how to direct them to everything that is praiseworthy. Therefore he was not in need of good shepherds, but it will be, he says, left to itself; and what "left to itself" is, he himself immediately clarified, saying: As a flock left behind, that is, bereft of every overseer and guardian. When this has happened, it will be laid out for long periods of time for pasture. For they will be pastured on by intelligible and most mighty beasts, that is, Satan and the evil powers with him and under him. For with no one scaring away from the human heart the attacks of evil demons, it will be easily captured, and will carelessly depart to whatever seems good to them. But if one must say something consistent with historical events, they have become pasture after the cross of the Savior, and of the Roman army. For it lodged and rested among them like a strong calf; but after a short time has passed, he says, there will not be anything green in it because it has dried up, that is, they will so devour the land that it will be revealed to be dry and no longer having pasture. And this is a clear proof that those who ravage it will not depart from their land before they have, so to speak, eaten everything useful in it, even down to the most exceedingly worthless things, and made it their own possession. The same argument would apply, even if someone chose to say that the unclean demons have pastured on the hearts of the Jews like calves; for they devoured them to such an extent that they were perhaps even at a loss for more pasture, because nothing good was left in them any longer, which is naturally consumed by them. Women coming from a sight, come hither. For it is not a people that has understanding. Therefore he who made them will not pity them, nor will he who formed them have mercy on them. Having said that the inhabited flock will be left to itself, and that it will become pasture, and will be set out for grazing, according to the arguments already given, since Israel was already outside the intimacy with God because of their impiety toward Christ and of the first covenant, and the customs according to the law had ceased, he commanded the holy women to announce the resurrection of our Savior, whom Matthew also mentions, saying thus: "Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake. And when they were very afraid, the blessed angel said to them: Do not be afraid. For I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified; he is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay, and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. And after the angel's words, behold, Jesus met them, saying: Greetings. And they came and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus says to them: Do not be afraid, go tell my disciples to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." Therefore, with Israel being cast off, you wise women, he says, come, and very swiftly announce the resurrection of him who killed death, and abolished corruption, and justifies sinners by faith, and frees from defilements those caught in them, of him who reshapes into newness of life those who approach him, of him who showed the new life to those on earth, that is, the evangelical life, and stopped the inactivity of the worship in the law, but illumined the truth, and made the way of worship in spirit and in truth clear to those who revere him. Come, therefore. For Israel has fallen from hope. For it is not a people that has understanding. For its heart has been hardened, and it has remained in darkness, and has been held by the mist of sin. For it was not willing to pay attention to Christ saying: "While you have the light, walk in the light, lest darkness overtake you." But I say it is necessary to marvel at the economy of the Savior, even in the case of these all-wise women. For someone might say, I think: Were there not holy disciples, for whom it was perhaps even better, since they were ministers of the divine doctrines, and before all others, to proclaim the resurrection? For why did not they rather first see Jesus paralyzing the power of death, but he appeared to women, and bestowing upon them the dignity of apostleship, commands them to go, and to tell the disciples that Christ was raised from the dead, and they were the first to see his glory? To such things we say that the only-begotten Word of God became man, in order to heal that which was sick, and to release man from the ancient accusations. It was necessary, therefore, it was necessary to grant to women to be the first to announce the good news of the resurrection. For since the first and more ancient woman led Adam astray into transgression, ministering to the voices of the serpent, and she became the agent of death, how was it not necessary to drive away the accusations of such terrible crimes through the apostleship? "For where sin increased," he says, "grace abounded all the more." The Gospel of salvation has been given to the woman who ministered death. For "Rejoice" was necessarily said to them by the one who imposed the curse in the beginning; for he said to her: "In pain you shall bring forth children." Therefore, the first things have been undone by the second, and that which was sick has been healed. Therefore, he commands them that they must preach the good news, since Christ has departed from his love for the Jews. For since they have remained senseless and ignorant, he says, he who made them would not have mercy on them, nor would they be worthy to be pitied. And it shall be in that day, the Lord will blockade from the channel of the river to Rhinokoroura. But you shall gather the sons of Israel one by one. When Christ had been raised, and had commanded the holy apostles: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit;" and indeed, when he had ascended into the heavens themselves, the things of wrath were brought upon those who had acted impiously against him, that is, wrath from above. For they were consumed by both iron and fire, when the hand of the Romans stirred up war against them, burning all their cities, and Jerusalem itself, and tearing down that famous temple. Therefore, the country of the Jews is bounded by the streams of the Euphrates as by east and south, and by what is called Rhinokoroura. And this is a city that borders both the land of the Egyptians and indeed that of the Palestinians. Therefore, having named for us the borders of Judea, he affirms that the Lord will blockade all things contained within, that is, all Judea. And he has put "will blockade" instead of "will besiege," and "will afflict," and "will bring into extreme distress." For the blockading, or the shutting up, would signify an inescapable ill-treatment or calamity. And you will understand "will blockade" in another way. For the mind of the Jews is as if shut up, so that they are in no way able to receive the light of the true vision of God, nor indeed to understand the mystery of Christ, just as the blessed Paul writes: "A hardening has come upon part of Israel, and to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart." And this, I think, is the blockading. And that this did not happen throughout the whole world under heaven, that is, to all the nations, but only to Judea and those in it, he showed clearly; not simply saying that the blockading happened, but "from the channel of the river to Rhinokoroura." And he says that these things will happen to the peoples of the Jews who have killed the prophets, and stoned those sent from God, and in addition have killed the Son himself. Then he changes the subject in the person of our Savior of all, Christ, who is discoursing and speaking to the holy apostles, that is, to all those who from time to time minister His Gospel, and are accustomed to initiate; You gather the sons of Israel one by one. That is, let not the word be much to those entrusted with teaching, even if Israel is not seen entering in multitude; but if anyone among them be wise, let him be called through faith, and let him come one by one, and as one chosen. For the remnant of Israel has been saved. And so the divine disciples have very often addressed them, just as, for instance, the divine Peter: "And now, brothers," he says, "I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. Repent therefore, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promises are to you, and to your children." And indeed a not insignificant multitude has been gathered in the net; however, those who came from the whole nation of the Jews were very few, and those who were saved were received as it were one by one, clearly through faith in Christ. And it shall be, in that day they will blow the great trumpet, and those who were perishing in the land of the Assyrians, and those who were perishing in Egypt will come, and they will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. It is a custom for the holy prophets to hide their word in some obscurity, and since those of Israel have become unbridled towards anger, to follow a middle path of thoughts, so that what is signified is often unclear. It says to sound the trumpet at that time, not others, as I think again, but the holy mystagogues, and to sound the trumpet not simply, but with the great trumpet, that is, using the evangelical proclamations to all but catechize and cry out something great and extraordinary to those on the earth. "For truly their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." For the great Moses also used a trumpet at times, but not the great one; for he was weak of voice and slow of speech, and the power of the legal proclamations was confined to the land of the Jews alone. But the divine and saving proclamation goes through every city and country, and as it were has thundered over the whole world under heaven. And something of this sort is also written in the books of Moses; "For the God of all descended in the form of fire upon Mount Sinai." And there were smoke and hailstones, and the ethereal body was blackened with a deep darkness; but also the voice, it says, of the trumpet sounded loudly. Then he adds to these, saying: And the sounds of the trumpet grew stronger and stronger. For in the beginning the law of the weak voice was proclaimed, but as time went on, the sounds of the trumpet became exceedingly strong. At that time, he says, therefore with the great trumpet, that is, they will proclaim the evangelical message, gathering those who have gone astray and those who have been ranked among the captives, and pulling those caught in the snares of idolatry out of the ancient deceit. For they will come, he says, those who were perishing in the land of the Assyrians, and those who were perishing in Egypt, and they will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. He has mentioned two lands as being more superstitious than the others, that of the Assyrians, I say, and that of the Egyptians. But those who were perishing in them, he says, will come, having been called through faith to the knowledge of the Lord who truly is, and God, and they will worship him, no longer in the polluted sanctuaries, but on the holy mountain, that is, the Church, which he also names Jerusalem; a mountain, because there is nothing at all low or cast to the ground in the Churches, but it is distinguished by high and lofty doctrines. And Jerusalem because it is truly a vision of peace. Woe to the crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, the flower that has fallen from the of glory on the top of the fat mountain, those who are drunk without wine. Having first declared that they will be called through faith to a knowledge of the truth, and that all who had perished, ensnared in the traps of idolatry, will worship the Lord, he transfers the discourse to the leaders of the Jews, who became the beginning and pretext of impiety against Christ for the peoples under their hand. For they did not bring them to a knowledge of the things long ago announced through both the law and the prophets, but rather, casting them into the pits of destruction, they excommunicated those who confessed that he is the Christ. For so says the divine John somewhere. Shaking, as it were, faith in him, and leading the mind of the common people away from the straight path, they called Jesus a Samaritan and a drunkard, and one born of fornication. And what is yet more impious than these things. They brought him to Pilate, and indeed they begged for him to be crucified, and they killed the author of life, as far as it was in their power, but he rose again, trampling down death; for he was life by nature as God, even though he was in the flesh. Woe therefore, he says, to the crown of pride. He calls them a crown. For they themselves were a crown, as it were, and glory of all Israel, being distinguished by the boasts of the priesthood, and having obtained the dignity of leadership. But they have not remained in the glories and pre-eminences assigned to them, but rather have fallen away, having become a crown of pride. For they are clothed with dishonor and blame, and having become liable to charges of impiety, they have withered like a flower. For they themselves have also become hired men of Ephraim. And by Ephraim he means Judas, because he was from the tribe of Ephraim. Therefore, the leaders of the synagogue of the Jews hired him to serve their own bloody deeds and to hand over the Teacher. Which indeed was done. Woe therefore to the crown of pride, he says, that is, to the leaders, who also hired Ephraim, that is, the one from the tribe of Ephraim. And for this reason they have become as a flower fallen from glory. For just as it is glory for flowers to be seen free from withering and in the beauty of their own nature, in this same way, I think, it might be understood also in our own case. For as long as we are in those things in which it is fitting for us to be, we guard very well the unharmed beauty of our own soul; but when our mind has been turned aside to what is not fitting, we shall be a flower fallen from its proper glory. This indeed is what the Scribes and Pharisees suffered, sharpening their judgment, and words, and undertakings, and everything outrageous against Christ. But where was the flower that fell from glory, and in what manner was it allotted? On the top of the fat mountain. And he calls Israel a fat mountain; fat, because it was fattened with good cheer; and a mountain, because it was set on high by God, in a glorious sense, I mean. For he himself says somewhere concerning those of Israel: "I have begotten and exalted a son." And it is a custom in the divine Scripture to sometimes compare the mother of the Jews, I mean Jerusalem, to a mountain. Therefore, they lay as a flower on the top of the mountain, that is, above all, and over all as leaders, having obtained rule over the others by the decrees of the law. And these were the ones who were drunk without wine. For their vine was of the vine of Sodom, and their shoot from Gomorrah; their grape is a grape of gall, a cluster of bitterness for them, and the incurable wrath of dragons. For they were made drunk, not by drinking this perceptible wine, but the drunkenness from unmixed wrath and madness, and introducing the darkness of diabolical perversity into their own minds. Behold, the wrath of the Lord is strong and harsh, like hail coming down, having no shelter, coming down with force, like a great flood of water dragging a country to the ground, he will make a resting place with his hands and feet, and the crown of pride, the hired men of Ephraim. In what way the terrible things will happen to them, and that they will pay the penalty for their impiety towards Christ, having fallen into the harsh and savage wrath of the one who judges justly, the prophetic word intimates to us through these things. For it will come, it will come, he says, the harsh and irresistible wrath of the Lord against you, and it will come in such a way as if hail were coming down upon those having no shelter, coming down with violence, that is, unbearably, but rather intensely and as if someone were slinging it down, and bringing it fiercely upon them. So it will come like hail, he says, or also like a great multitude of water dragging a country. And this too is irresistible. For of a river, let us say, or a torrent rushing down most violently, what will there be to stand against it, and to be able to hold out, and not to give way to the rush of the waters? So it will come then as water flooding the whole land, and it is clear that it means the land of the Jews. And the onslaught will be so harsh as to make a rest for the land. But what kind of rest, then, and what sort? For the hands and for the feet. And such will be the meaning of what has been said. For those who have practiced swimming, if perhaps the condition of the waters should be calm and, as it were, gentle, by drawing in and stretching out their feet and hands, and by laboring moderately, escape the danger of drowning. But when the rush of the waters has an altogether unapproachable assault, the one caught in it ceases from swimming altogether and completely, and seems to be released from labor, but is finally drowned, as by necessity and force, having become completely submerged. Therefore, the word in a way laughs and speaks ironically, saying that the water makes a rest for the land, and a rest for the hands and for the feet. For it is as if it might say, Let no one labor in vain to resist the calamity that is about to come against all. For it will come so violently, that the matter will be altogether unassailable and completely useless for those wishing to labor. For no one will swim through, but he will be carried down, even unwillingly, wherever the dragging water might carry him, that is, the most violent and unbreakable hand of the Roman army. Then indeed, then will be trampled, that is, the crown of insolence of those who have spoken will lie underfoot, the hirelings of Ephraim. And the flower that has fallen from the hope of glory shall be, on the top of the high mountain as the first-ripe fig, which he who sees it, before he takes it into his hand, will want to swallow it down. What the flower that has fallen from the hope of glory is, and what indeed this might signify, its lying and being seen on the top of the high mountain, has become known through what was said just now. For the flower, conspicuous as if on a mountain, you will very well understand to be either Israel, or rather those who were chosen to lead. But it will be, he says, as a first-ripe fig. For when the fruits on a fig tree are about to ripen, if one happens to ripen before the others, and becomes thus edible, the one who has seen it eagerly jumps at it, and is eager to swallow it down, and perhaps in his fiery impulses for this he even blames his hand for delaying to stretch out for the object of his appetite, and widening his mouth, he leaps at the branches. Thus, he says, will Israel be to those who seize him. For he has been swallowed, as I said, by the Romans, and has become sweet food for those who captured him. In that day the Lord of Sabaoth will be the crown of hope, the woven crown of glory for the remnant of my people. They will be left in a spirit of judgment for judgment, and strength hindering [a hindrance] to destroy. What and how it will happen to the Lord-slayers, the word has clarified for us in these things; and it now adds the explanation concerning those who have believed; for Israel has not been completely destroyed. But the remnant has been saved, according to the prophet's voice. For no small number has believed in Christ, of which the choir of the holy apostles has become a kind of beginning and first fruit. At that very time, therefore, he says, the Lord of Sabaoth will be the crown of hope, the woven crown of glory to my people who have been left. For the Lord of hosts himself will crown those who have believed with hope and glory, and with hope, clearly, of the good things to come, and with glory, because they will reign with him, and having come into possession of the highest rewards, they will be both objects of envy and gazed upon. For what will be equal in renown to those who hope to receive the crown of the kingdom in Christ? To these the prophet Isaiah himself says elsewhere: And you will be a crown of beauty, and a diadem of royalty in the hand of your God. For with unending glory Christ will crown those who believe in him, and he enriches them also with the richest hope. And my people who have been left, he says, will be partakers of such things, that is, the remnant from the Jews; the other people clearly being admitted along with them, that is, the gentiles who, having great thoughts on Christ, pray and have cried out to the Father and God in heaven: Lord, you have crowned us as with a shield of good will. For when God the Father was well-pleased, Christ was shown to be and became for us an unbreakable shield, setting himself forth against the darts of the evil one on our behalf, and he has kept his own people unwounded and unconquered by his depravities. Something of this sort, as I suppose, he indicates when speaking about the people who have been left, that is, those justified in faith: They will be left in a spirit of judgment for judgment, and preventing strength from being taken away. For of old, once and for all, so to speak, Satan destroyed the race on earth, having cast them into the pits of sin. "For there was none who did good, not even one, but all turned aside together, they became worthless," according to the voice of the Psalmist. But when the only-begotten Word of God became man, he judged our judgment, he has judged, as it were, between us and Satan who had taken advantage, and he has condemned him to destruction, and has removed him from those on earth as a destroyer and a manslayer, and thus has saved the lost, that is, us. Teaching this he says, Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. And yet he says clearly, "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him." How then does he say that it is the judgment of this world? For we are those who long ago cried out through the voice of the prophets: "Arise, Lord, and attend to my judgment, my God and my Lord, for my cause." Because a just judgment has been made for us, we say in thanksgiving, "I will give thanks to you, Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds, I will sing praise to your name, Most High." And for what reason? Because you have executed my judgment and my cause. You sat on the throne, judging with righteousness, you rebuked nations, and the ungodly perished; for the hosts of demons were rebuked, and with them the ungodly one perished, that is, Satan. They will be left, therefore, that is, they will be saved by a spirit of judgment; for he has judged and justified, as I said, for judgment and strength, that is, by right judgment and power, clearly that which is befitting of God, preventing those who believe in him from being destroyed. For these are led astray by wine; they went astray because of strong drink, priest and prophet are out of their minds because of wine; they have been shaken from the drunkenness of strong drink; they went astray. This is a vision. He points out in a certain way those who have slipped, and through such long disobedience have offended God. For such people, he says, have gone astray, having drunk wine and strong drink, not perceptible or bodily, but rather having chosen darkness in their mind, which the all-terrible dragon instills in those accustomed to be negligent. For the divine Paul writes that the god of this age has blinded the minds of the faithful, so that the light of the Gospel of the glory of God might not shine. Therefore, he quite rightly calls wine and strong drink the darkness instilled in the souls of men by the depravity of the devil. And And he is astonished, as it were, not because the most ignorant multitude of the common herd alone appears to have suffered this, but because, in addition to them, priest and prophet were driven out of their minds by wine. And again by "wine" he means the intoxicating drink from ignorance. And it is amazing that one might see a priest and a prophet having suffered this along with the others. For those whom it was fitting to be able to guide all the others toward the pursuit of what is advantageous and to show the path of salvation, these, perhaps even before the others, received the darkness, so as to be shaken, and to be carried about by every wind, and this from intelligible drunkenness. And one might say the matter has become like some vision, that is, amazement or astonishment. And by "prophet" in these matters he means not entirely the true one from God, but rather him who, as it were, fabricates for himself the prophetic reputation; concerning whom he says through the voice of Ezekiel: Woe, those who prophesy from their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord. And they are slandered also through the voice of Isaiah; for he says somewhere concerning Jerusalem, Her rulers judged for gifts, her prophets divined for silver. A curse will devour this counsel; for this counsel is for the sake of greed. Saying that priest and prophet alike have gone astray, and indeed have been driven from a sound mind by the wine from the vine of Sodom, and the intelligible intoxicating drink, and adding that this is a vision, that is, an astonishment, and a kind of amazement, he immediately shows both the cause of being astonished, and the accusations for the priests' ecstasy and drunkenness. For this reason, then, he says, A curse will devour this counsel. For the plot of the Jews has truly become accursed, I mean that against our Savior of all, Jesus Christ. For God the Father first sent the holy prophets, and they killed them. Then after them He sent the beloved to receive the fruits of His vineyard, according to the parable in the Gospels. But those in charge of the vineyard, the most ungrateful farmers, although understanding that he is the son and the master of the place, said, it says, among themselves: This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us have his inheritance for ourselves. Accursed, therefore, it says, is such a counsel. And the blessed David mentions this, saying at one time, that "Why did the nations rage, and the peoples meditate empty things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord, and against his Christ." And at another time again, concerning those who have committed such transgressions: You will cast them down, and you will not build them up, because they have turned evils against you, they devised a counsel, which they shall not be able to establish. For as far as the power of their attempts went, they killed the son, thinking that they themselves would possess the master's inheritance; but he came to life again as God, and he destroyed the evil men evilly, the wicked and ungrateful farmers, and he has given the place to others, clearly to the holy apostles and evangelists, and to the teachers of the holy Churches. Accursed, therefore, is the counsel of the Jews, for it has come about for the sake of greed. For it is truly greed for the servants to want to rise up against the master, and to have made their own inheritance that of which they had been appointed farmers, although having sufficient wages, the privileges of the priesthood, and the honors from being set over the others. To whom have we announced evils? and to whom have we announced a message? It is the custom for the holy prophets, and for all the God-inspired Scripture, through two things to press and impel man to choose to live rightly. For either with the terrors of punishment, as if shattering the hardened mind, they drive it toward what is better, or with the promises of rewards they make them bolder concerning the need to suffer patiently for the valiant deeds of piety; such as that through the voice of Isaiah to the Jews, "And if you are willing and you listen to me, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you are not willing, and do not listen to me, a sword will devour you. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.” Therefore, it virtually points out that unruly Israel dishonored the words of the holy prophets, saying: To whom have we announced a message? for behold, behold to whom? it says, instead of, we have ministered to a hard and disobedient and foolish people, and having conveyed the words from above from God, we announced to it evils, that is, the punishments, the threats, which will by all means and in every way be brought down upon the head of those accustomed to disobey. We announced a message, that is, we preached the good things prepared by God for those accustomed to do good. But stubborn Israel has benefited not at all, being fixed in transgression, and greatly afflicted with deafness. Therefore, when it says, "to whom?" it indicates one who is in no way worthy; for indeed, after such a clear prediction of the holy prophets, they were no less relentless and wicked, and having their heart full of all perversity. And they have become swift ministers of diabolical bitterness; for they handed over to the cross the Savior and Redeemer of all, I mean Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Discourse 17

Those weaned from milk, those drawn from the breast, expect tribulation upon tribulation, hope upon hope, yet a little while, yet a little while, through mockery of lips, through another tongue. Our first discourse ended with, "To whom have we announced evils? and to whom have we announced a message?" And interpreting the meaning of the aforementioned, we say that the person of the holy prophets was introduced, rebuking in a way those of the blood of Israel, as having encountered their words in vain, having benefited not at all, although both evils and, indeed, a message had been foretold to them. And we affirm that evils are the punishments prepared for those accustomed to transgress, and the message the honors upon good hopes. Since, therefore, those of the blood of Israel have benefited not at all, even though the prophets announced to them the things from God, I mean both threats and promises of good things to come, "To whom," it says, "have we announced evils? and to whom have we announced a message?" But with the holy prophets having fallen silent, as it were, and having brought their discourse to this point, God of all himself addresses the saints, saying: "Those weaned from milk, those drawn from the breast, expect tribulation upon tribulation, hope upon hope." For the unadmonished, it says, and those greatly afflicted with stubbornness, were justly cast out, and having become without a share of salvation in Christ, they will go to destruction. But you, for your part, who are called through faith to the knowledge of truth, who, like from some breast and milk, have been weaned from the pedagogy in the law; you who once received food fit for infants, and had a more unlearned mind, but have now advanced to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, and have passed over to the food fitting for the perfect, and have not remained unskilled in the word of righteousness, direct your own hearts to the reception of the new proclamation of the evangelical way of life of the ordinances through Christ. Be strong for endurance, and if frequent and successive tribulation should come upon you from the arising of temptations, and the cruelty of persecutors assails you, endure for a little while, and for a little while expect the tribulations, so that you may be rich in hope, I mean that which is beyond human understanding. "For eye, it says, has not known, and ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Then it shows what the first tribulation against them will be. For "through mockery," it says, "of lips, and through another tongue." And such is the meaning of the prophecy. For in the Acts of the holy apostles it is written that, "On the day of Pentecost they were all together gathered in the same place, and behold there came from heaven a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind." Then he says: "There appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them, and they began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." For Christ had commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, until they should be clothed with power from on high. Then having come down they were speaking to those from Israel, and to all those from other lands in the tongues given to them by God, "and they were amazed as they listened, and indeed they said, Are not all these who are speaking Judeans? And how is it that we each hear them speaking in our own language? But others were saying," he says, "that they are full of new wine," that is, they are drunk; this, I think, is the "contempt of lips, by another tongue." For they were speaking in other tongues, as the all-powerful God had also foretold this. For "with men of other tongues," he says, "and with the lips of others I will speak to this people, and not even so will they believe." But although they should have received the sign for full conviction, having considered the prophecy made about it by God, they did not do this, but reproaching them for being drunk, they remained in disobedience. That they will speak to this people, saying to it: This is the rest for the one who drinks, and this is the ruin, and they would not listen. Somewhere God, indignant at the madness of the Jews, said: Behold, I am bringing a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. And from east to west they will run to and fro seeking the word of the Lord, and they shall not find it. Therefore a spiritual famine has been brought upon those of Israel, and since they did not receive through faith the bread of life that came down from heaven and gives life to the world, for this very reason and quite fittingly they have come to be in want of the food given by God; "For man," he says, "shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." And they have acted insolently toward the Savior and Redeemer of all; but since He is good, even though they had acted impiously in an intolerable way, He called them to repentance through the holy apostles. For the blessed Peter addressed them, that indeed they denied the Holy and Righteous One, and killed the Author of life, and asked for a murderer to be granted to them. Yet he also added this, "And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. Repent therefore, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promises are for you, and for your children." Therefore, he says, those who have been weaned from the breast and from milk, those who have been called to apostleship. And having become ministers of the new proclamations, they will speak to this people, showing clearly what rest there will be for the one who drinks, and what sort of ruin, that is, what is profitable, and the opposite. And he would not listen. Whence, I think, one of the saints, being moved, said to them: "You stiff-necked and disobedient in heart, you always resist the Holy Spirit." For consider how, although they had acted impiously in an intolerable way, they had the holy apostles as teachers, bringing them to repentance and instilling in them the knowledge of what is profitable; but they were arrogant, and very much hardened, and had immoderately turned aside to the disobedient and intractable way. And the word of the Lord God will be to them, tribulation upon tribulation, hope upon hope. To whom will it be? To the holy apostles and evangelists, evidently, who, ministering the divine proclamation, went about under heaven, catching in their net those who had gone astray, bringing to Christ through faith those who formerly said to the wood, 'You are my father,' and to the stone, 'You gave me birth.' Yet not without sweat did they accomplish the course of their own mission, but being afflicted, being mistreated, and enduring the plots of the godless. Therefore the oracle of the Lord became for them affliction upon affliction, and not only this, but also hope upon hope. For having endured the struggles for piety towards Christ, they will have long, or rather even endless, hopes, and they will be crowned with the wreath of incorruptibility, reigning together with Christ. Yet a little while, yet a little while, that they may go, and fall backward, and be endangered, and be broken, and be taken. He sharpens them for courage, and anoints the holy mystagogues for endurance. For they proclaimed to those of Israel, and preached to them the word of salvation. But they leaped upon them like untamed beasts, they brought them into councils, and accusing them of the genuineness of their love for Christ as something utterly monstrous, they used bitter reproaches against them, and after torturing them and tearing them with lashes from whips, they would say: "Did we not strictly command you not to speak to anyone in this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching." And attacking them in other ways, and savagely plotting against them, they became the cause of their affliction and toils. Therefore the God of all weaves for them a lasting comfort, and reveals beforehand the imminent destruction of their persecutors, saying: Yet a little while, yet a little while. For the time will not be long, he says, for them to fall backward, and be broken, and be endangered, and indeed be captured and go to destruction. And these things, we say, happened to the peoples of the Jews both spiritually and bodily, that is, perceptibly. For they have been endangered and have perished in two ways, first being consumed by war and sieges. Second, having become sweet prey for Satan himself, and having drawn down upon their own heads destruction from their impiety. Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you afflicted men, and rulers of this people in Jerusalem, because you have said: We have made a covenant with hades, and compacts with death. If a rushing storm should pass by, it will not come to us; we have made falsehood our hope, and by falsehood we shall be protected. For since, he says, the things that will come upon you are unbearable, and a bitter and inescapable justice will await those who are said to be impious to the end; for this reason hear the word of the Lord. For it was possible to turn away from evil, by applying their minds to the apostolic proclamations, and by assenting without neglect to what Christ might say. Hear therefore the word of the Lord, you afflicted men, and rulers of this people in Jerusalem. And he calls those of Israel afflicted, because they were burdened by the condemning law. For the law brings about wrath, and anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Therefore also the most wise Paul writes to those who after the faith, clearly that in Christ, wish to return to the shadows of the law and says: "Our mouth is open to you, O Corinthians, our heart is enlarged, you are not restricted in us, but you are restricted in your own affections, but for the same reward I speak as to children, be enlarged yourselves, do not become unequally yoked with unbelievers." Therefore they would be afflicted who are still lying under the command of Moses and are oppressed in a certain way, having the burden of the law in their mind and heart. He has therefore addressed both rulers and peoples. Then he inserts in between a certain saying of the Jews, impiously devised by them out of madness and as it were out of desperation. And what this is, it is necessary for me to say: for the God of all, being long-suffering and patient, did not immediately bring punishment upon the offenders, but postponed his wrath, frightening them with terrors and by the foretelling of evils to come, sometimes driving them to repentance. In this way, indeed, we will often find him saying through the holy prophets, "Behold, it is coming," and, "yet a little while," Yet a little while, and the, ‘a very, very little while.’ But the insolent and arrogant, although it was necessary to correct their past faults with subsequent actions, made the Lord's gentleness a pretext for laughter. For as soon as they heard the prophet saying, 'Yet a little, yet a little, a very, very little while;' they immediately said to one another, 'Long times will lie between the prophet's words, and the manifestation of the things foretold. We will be dead, and the divine wrath will leap upon those after us.' And so God said to the prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, the sons of your people say: The vision that he sees is for many days, and he prophesies of times that are far off. Therefore say, As I live, says the Lord Adonai, none of my words which I shall speak shall be delayed any longer. For I will speak a word and I will do it, says the Lord Adonai." He reproaches, therefore, those of Israel, as being accustomed to despise, and all but saying: We have made a covenant with hades, and with death agreements. And what are these? When the rushing tempest passes by, it will not come upon us. For it is almost as if, he says, even if they do not say it with their voice, yet they have cried out by their actions, that 'We have made agreements with hades, for it will take us; and even if the storm should happen to come, that is, the danger threatened to be against us, it will not come upon us. For we have made a lie our hope, and by a lie we will be hidden.' For those who fashioned for themselves what seemed good to them, and say that 'We will die before the storm,' that is, before the calamities, how did they not make a lie their hope? For it was not in their power to be able to escape and to precede by death the assault of the things threatened, but rather it lay in the authority of the divine and ineffable power and pre-eminence. Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I am laying in the foundations of Zion a precious stone, a chosen, cornerstone, honored, for its foundations; and he who believes in him shall not be put to shame. And I will make judgment for a hope, and my mercy for a balance. These things must be connected to the preceding, casting aside the things inserted in between; For therefore, he says, hear the word of the Lord, you afflicted men, and rulers of this people in Jerusalem. And what indeed has he commanded them to hear? Behold, I am laying in the foundations of Zion a precious stone, a chosen, cornerstone, honored, for its foundations, and he who believes in him shall not be put to shame. He calls, therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ a chosen, precious and honored stone, excelling in the glory and pre-eminence of his divinity. And that he himself has become the foundation and support and unshaken base for the spiritual Zion, that is, the Church, he makes clear by saying that he was cast into the foundations by the Father. And he says he is a cornerstone, as through one faith binding together for spiritual unity the two peoples, the one from Israel, I say, and indeed the one from the gentiles; for in some way in the corners of buildings two walls always come together, and being fitted together with one another are bound together into unity. But he who believes, he says, in him, shall not be put to shame. But see how he in a way releases those who are pressed, and for the afflicted he makes wide the freedom of the evangelical way of life. For, O afflicted ones, he says, behold, I place the chosen stone in the foundations of Zion. And what is the benefit from this? He who believes in him will not be put to shame. And through this he persuades them to release their neck from the burden of the law, and to depart from the foolish and powerless shadow, and rather to choose the grace that is through faith, and to seize the righteousness in Christ which has no toil. And I will place, he says, judgment for a hope, and my mercy for a balance. For as the Savior himself says: "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father." Understanding this, the blessed Paul writes and says that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive each one according to the things done in the body, whether good or bad." We expect, therefore, that the judgment will be, and that we will be shown mercy as is fitting for each one, and clearly in proportion to what has been rightly accomplished. For this, I think, is what is meant by mercy coming from our judge by measures, that is, according to the standard of justice, and as it were a reckoning that balances with good works. And you who trust in vain, you liars, that a tempest will not pass over you, lest it take away your covenant with death, and your hope with Hades, will it not remain? If a rushing tempest should come, you will be for it to be trampled underfoot. When it passes by, it will take you. Early, early it will pass by in the morning, and at night there will be a wicked hope. I said that when the holy prophets foretold the future to those of the blood of Israel, and pointed out to them the divine wrath as if it were all but present already, being puffed up into strange follies they both reasoned and said, that even if these things should happen, nevertheless it will be a postponement of times, and the end of the things foretold will not be present immediately, but the time of our life will be spent, and the terrible things will be after us. And saying and thinking these things, they seemed to be making covenants, so to speak, with death, and a sort of hope with Hades. For this reason he says to them: You who trust in vain, you liars, that a tempest will not pass you by. Fear lest it also take away your covenant with death, and your hope with Hades not remain. For the Creator of all things knows, he knows hearts and minds, and the power of the movements in the mind. When therefore having such a hope it says: Lest perhaps, having known what is in you, he may take away from you this covenant with death? And in what way will he take it away? For if the things from wrath should come, that is, the tempest, not some others after you, but you yourselves will become a thing to be trampled. And it will take you early, early, that is, not in the distant future, but as it were at dawn and tomorrow. There will be no rest from evils at all, but by day and by night there will be a wicked hope, that is, you will be consumed at all times by the expectation of terrible things. For when God wishes to inflict evil, who will turn aside the assault of calamity? or who will fight against the divine wrath? Learn to hear, you who are in distress: We are not able to fight. And we ourselves are weak, for us to be gathered together. As a mountain of the impious he shall rise up, and he shall be in the valley of Gibeon. With wrath he will do his works, a work of bitterness; and he will use wrath strangely, and his bitterness is strange. Being exceedingly good, the God of all wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For this reason, admonishing the weak and bringing back to a straight and unerring path those who have neglected their own soul, he comes through every manner and word. For sometimes he terrifies them beforehand toward what is better with threats of punishments and with fears from his wrath, and sometimes he lures them toward what is profitable with promises of good things. Having threatened, therefore, and having foretold both that they will in every way and altogether be captured by the tempest, that is, by the calamity that is all but upon them, and that at all times they will be in wicked hopes, he graciously gives a word of exhortation and does not permit them to despair. Just like one of the most wise and skillful physicians, who treat the ailing members of the body, sometimes with a harsh medicine, and with exceedingly strong remedies they check the advance of the passions toward what is worse, and sometimes with moderate and, as it were, very gentle ones, enchanting them, so to speak, they soothe them very well. Having threatened, therefore, he admonishes, and commands them to submit their mind to the evangelical proclamations, saying: Learn to hear, you who are in distress. Then, he says, We are not able to fight. And he also recalls the things that happened from time to time in the valley of Gibeon. And the rendering of the words has been made very obscurely, and the very composition itself the style. And I think it necessary to tell the things from history. For in this way what is being shown will become clear to those who love learning. When, then, Joshua the son of Nun was general and leader of those from Israel, and was descending intolerably upon the lands of the nations, and very many had perished, those from Gibeon, fearing to suffer the same things—this was one of the cities of the foreigners—ran to him, and speaking falsely they were at first undetected, and so they were received. But when after this it was known who they were and from where, they became water-carriers and wood-cutters for the congregation. When the kings of the nations learned this—and there were five of them—they marched against Gibeon, accusing them because they had fled to those from Israel. And since those from Gibeon were in dire straits, and considered resistance impossible for themselves, they begged to be saved by the hand of Joshua. And he, helping those who had once come under his power, set himself against the generals of the foreigners. Then what happened at that time by the hand of God, the Holy Scripture will teach. For it is as follows: "And Joshua came upon them suddenly, for he had marched all day from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into a panic before the sons of Israel, and He crushed them with a great crushing at Gibeon, and they pursued them on the road of the ascent of Beth-horon, and they struck them down as far as Azekah and as far as Makkedah. And as they fled from before the sons of Israel on the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord cast down hailstones upon them from heaven as far as Azekah; and more died from the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword in the war." It receives, therefore, from what happened to the ancients, an image and type of the future help from Israel from God who knows how to save, if they should choose to obey the words of our Savior. For you, he says, who are in distress, that is, who have passed through much pain, who are, as it were, afflicted by losses and by fears of things to come, learn to listen, you too call upon Jesus for help, say just as those from Gibeon indeed said: We cannot fight, and we are too weak to gather, clearly, for resistance against the approaching enemies. And what, they say, will this be? You will know, he says, that even if an attack of impious men should be brought against you like a mountain, what happened in the valley of Gibeon will happen to them. For against those who war against you He will do His works with wrath, and works of bitterness, that is, of anger. And who then, if not clearly God who defends? And his wrath he will use in a strange way, and his bitterness will be strange. For a strange and unaccustomed wrath, he says, marches against those who persecute you. And heaven will war against them from on high and from above, pouring down like some hail the things from unmitigated wrath. He says something like this also through the voice of the psalmist: "If my people had listened to me, if Israel had walked in my ways, I would soon have humbled their enemies, and laid my hand on those who afflict them." And you, be not glad, nor let your bonds be strong; because I have heard from the Lord of Sabaoth of things finished and decided, which he will do upon all the earth. Again the person of the blessed prophet is introduced, enjoining and saying to the leaders of the Jews, that it will be entirely and in every way necessary for them neither to rejoice, that is, not to exult in their audacious acts against Christ, but rather to be gloomy, and to weep over their own impieties, nor indeed to tighten the bonds of the law upon the peoples under their hand, but rather to allow those who believe in Christ to be outside the ancient commandment, and having left behind the things in shadows and types, to accept worship in spirit and in truth. For God is spirit, and He must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. But that the law was like a bond, justifying no one; for it perfected nothing; against- binding, as if for punishment, those who were weak, and had been convicted of being guilty of transgressions, one would not doubt. Whence I think also that the blessed prophet David very rightly advises those of Israel to come swiftly to the grace that is through faith, saying: "Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yoke from us." For the teachers of the Jews were, they were, wickedly burdening those yoked under them, and placing upon them a yoke hard to bear, that is, clearly, the yoke of the legal commandments, and binding them as if with certain unbreakable chains. For this reason the prophet says to them: Let not your bonds be strong, because I have heard from the Lord Sabaoth things that are finished and cut short, which he will do upon all the earth. And what are these things that are finished and cut short? The evangelical proclamation, the grace through faith, the justification in Christ, the sanctification through the Spirit. For the law was not cut short, nor was it finished. For it perfected, as I said, nothing. But the teachings in it were as if in cycles, and in long periods of the letter. But the saving proclamation has a most perfect and shortened way; for it brings one through faith to righteousness and sanctification. And the law was given only to those of Israel, with Moses ministering. But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, and no longer only to those of Israel, but to those throughout the whole world under heaven. For the divine Moses addressed those of Israel, saying thus: Hear, O Israel; but our Lord Jesus Christ through the lyre of the psalmist: "Hear," he says, "these things, all you nations; give ear, all you who dwell in the world." Give ear, and hear my voice; attend, and hear my words. In these things again the person of the Savior himself is introduced, as it were charming those of Israel, and persuading them very clearly to accept the word of the evangelical proclamations, and his voices, not to cast them aside after the commandment through Moses. And that one must not approach the divine and evangelical things carelessly, nor indeed negligently, he shows by saying: Attend, and hear my words. For there is need of attention, and indeed of obedience for those who have come to this point of good reasonings, so as to seek to fill the breadth of their own mind with the instruction that is beyond the law, that is, clearly, the one through Christ. For that, once he was revealed, for some to lay claim to the worship according to the law is precarious and harmful, Paul will confirm by speaking to those who, after faith in him and the cleansing through holy baptism, out of very great folly returned to the things of Moses, that is, the things in the law: "You who are justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For we through faith await the hope of righteousness." But it is likely that something else is also hinted at by Christ's saying: Attend and hear my words. For if indeed you wish, he says, to apply a keen mind to the shadows of the law, and to deem the types worthy of due attention, you will certainly hear my words. For I am written in types, and the power of my oracles has introduced nothing foreign, if indeed the law is understood spiritually. "For if you believed," he says, "Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me." Does the one who plows intend to plow all day? Or to prepare seed before working the earth? Is it not when he has leveled its surface, that he then sows a little black cumin and cumin? And again he sows wheat and barley, and spelt in your borders. The riddle is very deep, and the meaning of the things set forth is altogether hard to see; but I will speak as I am able, and as far as is possible. The wretched Jews were rejecting the word of the Savior, and their pretext was that they loved to hold fast to the commandment through Moses. For they thought that they are perhaps also pious, pretending to be of those in types, but scorning as it were the beauty of the truth. For this reason they also persecuted Jesus, as one who was diverting the power of the legal commandment somewhere else, and leading them away to another worship, I mean, the evangelical one. He takes, therefore, the example from the agriculture they had at hand, and says: Will he that ploweth plow all day? And what he wants to show, is of this sort. The hearts of the idolaters are hard and unyielding, and like some wild fallow land. They need, therefore, like a plow, the word that opens them up, that is, of catechesis; so that they might receive the seed from above and from heaven; and so at last they might bear fruit for God, the desire and readiness for everything that is good. Something like this happened to those from Israel. For they were in Egypt worshiping the gods there, but they were called through the all-wise Moses; and a law was also given to them, able to cut through their constricted hearts like a plow, and their fallow mind. But it was necessary not only for them to be called to the beginnings of spiritual agriculture, but, when our Savior of all, Christ, had already shone forth, to bear fruit for God also the power of worship in the spirit. Therefore, since, as I said, they were rejecting the word through Christ, preferring the things of Moses, for this reason and very appropriately he changes them from this way of thinking, saying: Will he that ploweth plow all day? Or when opening up, he says, the unplowed, wild, and thorn-bearing land, so that it might be ready for the reception of seeds, does he plow forever? But he who wishes to work the land, he says, will he prepare seed before he takes this to mind? Is it not when he has smoothed its surface that he then sows a little black cumin, and cumin? And again he sows wheat, and barley and spelt in your borders. For it was necessary, it was necessary, he says, for the heart of those being instructed to be smoothed beforehand through the commandment in types , and for its surface to be prepared like some piece of land, so that it might be seen to be most ready to be able at last to be suitable for bearing fruit. But the farmer, he says, even if he levels the surface of the land, does not immediately or at first make the sowing of the harder seeds, but whatever are for the time being small, and weak, that is, black cumin and cumin; and when the land has already been trained for fruit-bearing, then indeed then he sows, he says, also wheat and barley and spelt. For this is the way of skilled farming in your borders. The law, therefore, became for all almost a smoother-beforehand and like a most skillful farmer, sowing among those being instructed, as it were, black cumin and cumin, the small things and those as in shadows, and whatever seeds, by and of themselves alone, are by no means edible, but seek in every way combination with others, in order that they might be seen as useful also. For if indeed it should be added to wheat and barley, that is, to breads of wheat or barley, then it seems somehow to be also most useful. Of such a kind somehow is also the power of the worship according to the law. For if it did not seem to be brought together through spiritual interpretation with the more solid food, that is, the evangelical, alone and by itself it would have nothing beneficial. And you will be disciplined by the judgment of God, and you will rejoice. For the black cumin is not cleansed with harshness, nor does a cart wheel turn over the cumin, but the black cumin is beaten out with a rod, and the cumin will be eaten with bread; for I will not be angry with you forever, nor will the voice of my bitterness trample you down. And these wonders came forth from God Sabaoth. Since the law is powerless, he says, for the cleansing of sins, the shadow has been removed, the things in types have been shown to be useless, and a judgment that gives life, and is truly most beneficial, has been brought in. And what is this? For since it was not possible for man to be justified in the law, he has appeared to us who the only-begotten Word of God, having proposed a perfected and abbreviated matter, that is, justification by faith. You therefore, he says, O Israel, having placed your obedient neck under Christ, the Savior of all, you will be instructed by the judgment from Him, that is, to learn the way of salvation from Him. For thus you will be in gladness. And since He has once made His statement about the black cumin and the cumin, He takes something useful from them, and says: The black cumin is not cleaned with harshness, and so forth. For Israel was guilty of transgressions, and was found to have been negligent in the observance of the law itself. For God of all said: "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Would he not then have paid the penalty, and quite rightly, for negligence concerning the law? Yes, he says. But the purpose of the lawgiver is philanthropic. For just as the black cumin, he says, is not cleaned harshly, nor does a wagon wheel turn upon the cumin, threshing, that is, and grinding it, as is indeed done with wheat, but is rather cleaned or beaten out with a rod; so will the lawgiver deal with those who have sinned against the law, not demanding harsh punishments, but rather with a rod, and with measured movements cleansing them. And adding that the cumin will be eaten with bread, he has shown that the outward appearance of the legal worship by itself alone is useless for profit. But it will be useful and necessary if it is joined to the solid food, that is, to the gospel decrees. Indeed, interpreting the riddle, I mean, concerning the cumin and the black cumin; and what he would mean by indicating that the black cumin is beaten out with a rod, he adds and says: For I will not be angry with you forever, nor will the voice of my bitterness trample you. For I will not be implacably wrathful, he says, nor will I pronounce the ultimate sentence against you, nor will I render a bitter judgment upon you, so that it becomes a trampling by the things that happen from wrath. And that He has come to the height of forbearance, even in this, again the God of all appears, He further demonstrates by saying: And these wonders came forth from the Lord of Sabaoth. For it is truly a wonder, and no unmarvelous sign, that Israel, being in so many faults, is pitied, and obtains forgiveness for innumerable charges, as God takes pity. Take counsel, exalt a vain exhortation. Promising them amnesty for the things in which they have acted insolently, and having stated very well that He will not be too bitter towards them, He commands them to take up good counsel; but He accuses them, because, thinking a vain exhortation to be something great and lofty, they are carried beyond what is reasonable. And what is this exhortation, considered great among them, but which is futile? That one, surely. For they were saying, We will make a covenant with Hades and agreements with death; if an overwhelming tempest comes, it will not come to us; we have made falsehood our hope, and by falsehood we shall be covered. But those who were pondering these things, and having a vain hope, and thinking that they would die before the terrible things, heard clearly: If an overwhelming tempest comes, you will be a trampling for it. When it passes, it will take you. Woe to the city of Ariel, which David fought. Gather produce year after year. For you will eat with Moab; for I will afflict Ariel, and her strength, and her wealth, will be, And I will surround you, as David did; and I will cast a rampart about you, and I will set up towers about you, and your words will be brought low to the earth, and your words will sink into the earth. And your voice will be like those who speak from the earth, and your voice will grow faint to the ground. He takes something of the things that historically happened in the time of the reign of the blessed David, and he does this almost for the purpose of showing the things dared against Christ by the synagogue of the Jews. For types of the the things that happened to the more ancient ones as in shadows are of true things. Therefore the present Jerusalem was once called Jebus. The blessed David besieged it. And for what reason, we shall know from the Holy Scriptures themselves. For it is thus, in the second of the books of Kings: "And David and all his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusite who inhabited the land, and it was said to David, 'David shall not enter here;' because the blind and the lame rose up, saying, 'He shall not enter here.' And David captured the stronghold of Zion. This is the city of David. And David said on that day, 'Whoever strikes a Jebusite, let him attack with the dagger the blind and the lame who war against the soul of David.' " Therefore, the blind and the lame from Jerusalem, that is, from Jebus, resisted the blessed David, and having done this they perished miserably. For he captured it; but the inhabitants of Jerusalem, lame and blind, resisted the Savior of all, Christ, at the time of His advent; for they did not know how to walk uprightly. But neither did they receive the divine light into their mind, those not accepting the faith, especially the scribes and Pharisees. And so He said through the voice of David: "Strange children lied to me, strange children grew old and went lame from their paths." And Paul also writes to them, saying: "Therefore lift up the drooping hands and the weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed." And that they were also blind, the Savior himself will confirm, saying: "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." For the Gentiles received their sight, although they once did not see. But the peoples of the Jews have been blinded, although they saw the mystery of Christ, which came to them in the initiation through the Law. He therefore laments for Jerusalem, and says: Woe to the city Ariel, against which David warred. And he calls it Ariel, using the name that was customary among the people. For Ariel is interpreted, lion of God. And since Jerusalem made irresistible assaults against all other regions and nations, conquering through God, and, in the manner of a lion, seizing and tearing to pieces those who rose up against her, she obtained such a name. Woe, therefore, he says, O wretched city; which once like a lioness roared against the nations, but after this fell into such bitter and incurable misfortunes. For David warred against it long ago, and the one born of his seed after him, that is, Christ. Then he says to them: Gather produce year after year; for you will eat with Moab. For in two whole years, traveling throughout all Judea, our Lord Jesus Christ used all-wise teachings, and set before them the divine and evangelical proclamation. Therefore, he says, since the time is at hand, and grants the ability to gather spiritual food, and to store it up as in a storeroom, into your mind and heart, do not be sluggish about this. But rather, having cast aside all hesitation, gather eagerly. For you will eat with Moab; the land of the Moabites was once most superstitious, and there was no one at all in it who was willing to worship the God who is by nature and truly is. Therefore, under the name of one idolatrous country he includes the whole company of those who are in error, and says, that "For you shall eat with Moab." For the Gentiles have also been called in, and the evangelical and saving proclamation has become a common food both for those of the blood of Israel, and for those themselves who were once in error. Then he adds and says, "For I will afflict Ariel," and you will connect this with the first part. For he said, "Woe, city of Ariel." Then, having inserted in the middle matters of counsel, he returns to his subject, and says: I said, "Woe, city of Ariel"; for I will afflict it, and its strength and its wealth will be for me, that is, I all her wealth, and all her strength I will take; and this you will understand both perceptibly and spiritually. For their earthly wealth has been emptied out, clearly seized by those besieging her. Her once great and renowned strength has also been shattered, for they have been conquered by the hand of the Romans. And in addition to this they have become stripped of the boasts that come from virtue, and being sick with a poverty of every good thing, they have cast away along with the others also the wealth of the wisdom in the law. But I say that "I will surround you with a rampart, I will set up towers against you," indicates the siege that took place against Jerusalem after the Savior's cross. But since the Pharisees became boasters, and uttered terrible and arrogant words against Christ. For they were saying: "We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he is from." For this reason he says, that Your words will be brought low to the ground. And it is not the words themselves that will in truth suffer this, but those who dared to speak them will be cast down, who were formerly accustomed to speaking burdensome and arrogant things, having been subjected to the evils of the war. They will have a small and very weak voice, and they will speak thus, just like those who speak from the earth, that is, the necromancers, who whenever they pretend to bring up a soul, they whisper something faint and chirping with difficulty, as if the soul itself were speaking gently and from the earth. And the wealth of the ungodly shall be as dust from a wheel, and as chaff carried away, and it shall be as a moment, suddenly, from the Lord of Sabaoth. He calls ungodly those who acted insolently toward Christ, and handed the Redeemer over to the cross, and dared to subject the author of salvation to death, even if He came to life again as God in the flesh. He says that this wealth will depart like dust, and will fly away like chaff from a wheel; and not over a long period of time, but in a short one, and as it were in a moment. And that the event will happen from the Lord of Sabaoth, he has necessarily indicated, so that no empty hope might delude them into expecting that they will also escape. For there will be a visitation with thunder and earthquake, and a great voice; a rushing tempest, and a flame of devouring fire. What "From the Lord of Sabaoth" might mean, he makes clear by saying that there will be a certain visitation upon them. For God the Father will in no way overlook the charges of impiety against the Son. But He will bring on, he says, the assault of the war like some thunder, and earthquake, tempest, and a flame of devouring fire. And the wealth of all the nations shall be as one who dreams in sleep, as many as have campaigned against Jerusalem, and all who have been gathered against her, and who afflict her; and they will be as those in a sleep who are hungry and eating, and upon waking their dream is vain. And as a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking and upon waking is still thirsty, and his soul hoped in vain, so shall be the wealth of all the nations, as many as have campaigned against Mount Zion. By saying that the wealth of the ungodly will be as dust, and as chaff from a wheel, obviously of those who acted insolently toward Christ, he insists that it will not become a safe and sure possession even for those who plundered it. For they will be thus enriched, he says, as if some who in a night vision thought they had become very rich, but had gained absolutely nothing. For upon becoming awake, they will recognize the deceit of their dreams, and what they had considered to be true, this they will surely find to be a shadow, and an illusion. One can see something of this sort happen also in the case of those possessed perhaps by hunger or by thirst; for the nature of the body necessarily desires its own things; and when sleep has at some time charmed the mind, nature is no less in desires for what it might wish for. From this, I suppose, like some vapors and subtle phantoms of the thing run around the mind, but the illusion will be completely vain and unprofitable, when sleep finally from the eyes of his return. So let it be, he says, the wealth of all the nations, as many as have campaigned against Mount Zion. But when or how these things came to pass, let it be omitted to say. Be ye faint, and be ye astonished, and be drunk, but not with strong drink, nor with wine, because the Lord has given you to drink a spirit of deep sleep, and he will close their eyes, and of their prophets, and of their rulers, who see the carved things. He speaks again to the despisers of the divine ordinances, and to those who have made it a practice to count for nothing the divine and heavenly proclamation, I mean the evangelical one. For although it was possible for them, and very readily, to profit from the grace of salvation through Christ, they lead on the well-reined neck of their mind. Therefore, the wretched ones did not do this, but being stubborn and thinking great things of themselves, they openly said: "We are disciples of Moses; we know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he is from." But they heard Christ saying clearly: "I am the light of the world." And again: "While you have the light, walk in the light, so that the darkness does not overtake you." But since, although hearing such venerable words, they became in no way better or wiser than themselves; but they were henceforth found to be hard and unbending. Then indeed, at that time and very fittingly, they were overtaken by the darkness, and they have been enfeebled in a way, and have been driven out of their right mind, and as if drunk from wine, they have been easily shaken towards anything whatever that is out of place. Signifying something of this sort, he says to them: Be ye faint, and be ye astonished, and be drunk, but not with strong drink, nor with wine. For he knows, he knows how to intoxicate the mind, not in every way and entirely the perceptible wine, that is, the intoxicating mixture, that is, strong drink. But calamities do this more vigorously, and a certain hardening from divine wrath happening to the mind, for this, I think, he teaches by saying: And he will close their eyes, and of their prophets, and of their rulers who see the carved things. For those of old, he says, who were made wise through the instruction of the law, and who still contemplated the beauty of the truth as in dim shadows, and who understood in part the words of the holy prophets, will be deprived of this very thing. For he will close the eyes of their mind, although they formerly saw the carved things [venerable, hidden, now carved]. And this will be suffered, he says, by ruler and prophet, that is, by leader and priest. For they called prophets those who were busy with the things of the holy prophets, the things of the prophets. And there were some among the Jews, instructors and teachers having a reputation for knowledge of the law, such as Gamaliel, of course, about whom there was much talk among them. And all these words will be to you as the words of this sealed book, which if they give it to a man who knows letters, saying: Read this, he will say: I cannot read, for it is sealed. And this book will be given into the hands of a man who does not know letters, and one will say to him: Read this, and he will say: I do not know letters. Somewhere our Lord Jesus Christ said to the Jews: "You search the Scriptures, because in them you think you have eternal life. And these are they which testify of me, and you are not willing to come to me, that you may have life." Therefore, those of Israel have labored in vain, up and down, always reciting the commandment through Moses and pretending indeed to gather from the legal writings into their mind and heart a not ignoble understanding, yet not seeking Christ, although the law speaks His mystery. for again: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me." Therefore, since the word of the law was not of much account among them, or rather, they have killed the one proclaimed beforehand through it, and having disregarded the honor due to Moses, it was sealed in a way by God, just as the divinely-inspired Scripture is one book. For the whole is one and has been spoken by the one Holy Spirit; but in what way has it been sealed? For neither are those who are able to read and who know letters able to understand any of the things in it, nor indeed if one does not know letters will he know any of the things hidden in it; but the law will be sealed for all in a like manner, so that the power of its concepts is altogether incomprehensible, even to those who know the letter. And this was then what was sung through the voice of David to God; "Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their back always." And the Lord said: This people draws near to me with their mouth, and with their lips they honor me, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men. For the Jews, pretending to see the depth of the legal commandments, and having on their tongue the command long ago ordained for the fathers, have measured the power of their worship of God by this alone. For they did nothing at all of what was decreed, but having dishonored as it were the will of the lawgiver, they turned to the teaching and commandments of men. For innovating for themselves some vain traditions, they thought they were both lovers of God and good, but they were convicted by the facts themselves of having foolishly leapt away from the love of God. Therefore, as far as having the law on their tongue, they considered themselves to be near God, but by not enduring to fulfill it, they were convicted of departing, and of being somewhere outside of it. For that they were more attached to the commandments of men, would become quite clear from this; "For the Scribes and the Pharisees once approached the Savior, saying: Why do your disciples transgress the commandment of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. And to this the Lord said: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God? For God said: Honor your father and your mother; and he who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say: Whoever says to his father or mother, It is a gift, by which you might be profited by me, he shall not honor his father or his mother; and you have made void the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition." And he added to this the saying before you; for he said that, "You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people honors me with their lips." Therefore, since having dishonored the tutor, and having considered the law from God of no account, they turned to the teachings and commandments of men, for this very reason, and quite rightly, the book of divinely-inspired Scripture was sealed. For it was not fitting to enrich with understanding through the divinely-inspired Scripture those who despised it. Therefore, behold, I will proceed to remove this people, and I will remove them, and I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will hide the understanding of the prudent. For the people of the Jews were removed, as it were, in many ways, I think. For it was called God's inheritance, both his portion and his measuring-line; but it was, as it were, removed. For it is no longer called his inheritance, but has become a portion for foxes, and has been given to Satan and to the unclean spirits for food, and it was removed also from thinking rightly, to a reprobate mind, from glory to dishonor, from strength to weakness, from being wise to extreme foolishness. For I will destroy, he says, the wisdom of the wise, and I will hide the understanding of the prudent. For the Scribes and the Pharisees seemed to be wise and very learned, having the reputation of legal learning, but the understanding of the wise has been hidden by God, and well-nigh restrained, that is, the law, or rather the divinely-inspired Scripture. Woe to those who make a plan deeply, and not by the Lord; who make a plan in secret, and their works will be in the dark, and they will say: Who has seen us? and who will know us or what we do? When penalty and justice the God of all defines certain things, he immediately brings forward the causes of the matter, and makes clear the accusations of those who have suffered, so that he might be seen as just, punishing all things in justice. He said, therefore, that the peoples of the Jews will be completely without understanding, with the law being sealed and all understanding among them removed, to remain blind, spiritually, that is. What, therefore, are the accusations, and for what reasons it happened that they stumbled in this, he makes clear at once. For very many were their plots against Christ, and displeasing to God. For this, I think, is the meaning of, not by the Lord; and indeed they thought they were plotting secretly among themselves, and undertaking bitter enterprises, so as to say, perhaps, Who has seen us, or who will know what we are doing? But they were ignorant that a plan, and a bitter thought of man, and the power of enterprises could not escape the divine and pure mind, even if one were to do anything in darkness and secretly. For they hired the traitor Judas, practically saying: Let us bind the just one, because he is useless to us. And indeed they delivered him to the cross, and as far as it was in their power, they killed the author of life; but when he was raised again from the dead, they wickedly attacked him and secretly did things out of an unholy and envious mind. For knowing that he had been raised, they gave sufficient silver to the soldiers who were guards of the tomb, so that they would say that his disciples came by night secretly and stole him. Woe, therefore, he says, to those who are accustomed to make such plans, not by the Lord, but rather as in Beelzebul. Will you not be regarded as the potter's clay? Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it: You did not form me? or the thing made to him who made it, You did not make me with understanding? Having said that I will remove this people, he shows in these words that he will accomplish the matter in every way and entirely and very effortlessly, saying that they will be remolded into whatever the creator wishes, just as, indeed, things crafted by the hands of a potter. The prophet Jeremiah was also taught something similar again; "Arise, he says, and go down to the potter's house, and there you will hear my words. And I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was doing a work on the stones, and the vessel which he was making fell from his hands; and he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good in his sight to make it, and the Lord said to me: Am I not able to do to you as this potter, O house of Israel? Behold, as the potter's clay you are in my hands." For the craftsman and creator of all things easily remolds what has been made by him, to whatever he may choose. Is it not yet a little while, and Lebanon will be changed into Carmel, and Carmel will be regarded as a forest? Saying that they will be like potter's clay, and will be remolded for the worse; because of the very great sin that is in them, he shows clearly in what way the matter will be, and in a way clarifies what seems to have been said obscurely. Lebanon is a mountain of Phoenicia, and all the people who lived in it and around it were among the most superstitious, and similarly Carmel was a very large mountain in the land of the Jews, in which it is said that Elijah the Tishbite also dwelt. Therefore, by the mountains, or the regions in which the mountains are, he wishes to signify those who dwell in them, and he says that Lebanon will be removed, that is, it will be changed, and it will be as Mount Carmel. And Mount Carmel as Lebanon, that is, those who once worshipped idols will recognize the God who is worshipped in Judea, and will be counted in the rank of the firstborn Israel. But those of the seed of Israel will become like those who inhabit Lebanon and were once in error. For Israel has been cast out from intimacy with God because of their impiety toward Christ. But the nations were received and sanctified through the Spirit of the divine na- of... have become partakers. Therefore, Lebanon, he says, will be transformed like Mount Carmel, and Mount Carmel will be reckoned as a forest, that is, as a material of wild woods, whose end is for burning. Or also in another way. For those who devastated it have become like woodcutters to those from Israel, and this, I think, the prophet Zechariah shows by saying: "Open, O Lebanon, your doors, and let fire devour your cedars. Let the pine wail, because the cedar has fallen. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down." See then, that he also compares Judea to Lebanon, as differing in nothing from those who were formerly in it, that is, from the wanderers. And he calls the pine and the cedar, and indeed also the oak, those who have fallen in it. For being high, and lifted up, they have been consumed as by the fire of divine wrath. And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of the darkness, and out of the mist. The eyes of the blind shall see, and the poor shall rejoice through the Lord in gladness, and the hopeless of the nations shall be filled with gladness. It shows most clearly the calling of the nations through what is set before us. And it is possible to see the nature of things happening as if by inversion. For he said that the book of the law would be sealed, that is, of all the divinely inspired Scripture, and the knowledge of the divine oracles would be hidden from the mind of the Jews; so that the one who knows letters would say, I cannot read it, for it is sealed, and the one who does not know letters would say, I do not know letters, but that the nations will be called to the knowledge of God and will receive the light of the evangelical preachings into their mind and heart, and they will also understand the law through Moses, although they were once deaf and unable to hear, and living as it were in mist and darkness, which makes it clear that they were in ignorance and error. And he says they will rejoice, not in any other things of this life, but in the Lord, that is, in Christ. For being poor, and having no good things in mind, but being in want of every virtue, and having no hope; for they were without God in the world, according to what is written; they will be filled with gladness. For they will be free from sin and full of holiness, and superior to death, and full of the hopes from God, partakers of everlasting gladness. The lawless one has failed, and the proud one has perished, and those who transgress for evil have been utterly destroyed, and those who make men sin by a word; and they will make a stumbling block for all who reprove in the gates, and they turned aside the just for unjust things. As those from Israel were removed from the midst, and cast out from fellowship with God, even if not entirely; for the remnant was saved according to the prophet's voice; he says that the lawless and the proud one have failed. For they were lawless as not having kept the law itself, but turning rather to the teachings and commandments of men. And exceedingly proud and terribly arrogant, as having dishonored Christ. For at one time they said: "Is not this the carpenter's son, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say that he has come down from heaven?" And at another time: "Abraham died, and the prophets died, and you say, If anyone hears my word, he shall never see death. Who do you make yourself to be?" And indeed elsewhere one might see the Scribes and Pharisees saying most impiously: "He has a demon and is mad; why do you listen to him?" Therefore, those who always transgressed were utterly destroyed on account of their great evil and the magnitude of the perversity that was in them. These were the ones who made men sin by a word; for by leading the people under their hand away from reverence for the law, as I said, they prepared them to sin, persuading them to keep their own word, that is, their own commandments; and preparing them to consider these things as law; and what is yet more than these more unholily, they made those who reproved them in the gates a stumbling block. For the holy prophets, conveying the words from above and from God, at times reproved those of Israel, and this with boldness and not secretly, but as it were in the gates. But those who were appointed to lead the flocks under their hand, and who were obliged to instruct in everything useful those who were straying from the right and blameless path, made the beneficial reproofs a stumbling block, calling them perhaps deceivers and false speakers. For their aim was always to pervert the power of the just in unjust matters. For this, I think, is what is meant by, They perverted the just in unjust things, as for instance the law saying, "Honor your father and your mother," and, "He who speaks evil of father, or mother, let him be put to death." They themselves taught those born of them to say to their parents: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift. And if they should say this, he shall not honor his father, or his mother. Let it be lawful, he says, not to honor a father, or a mother. For Christ reproached them for this, saying: You have made void the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition. Therefore thus says the Lord, concerning the house of Jacob, whom he set apart from Abraham: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall Israel now change his countenance; but when their children see my works, for my sake they shall sanctify my name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. Everywhere in the prophecy the word becomes sober, and foresees the wickedness of those accustomed to finding fault. For he said, that the lawless man has failed, the proud man has perished; they who act lawlessly for wickedness have been destroyed. But since it was likely that some, out of excessive ignorance, would think that God had spoken falsely, since Israel had not utterly perished, but, as I said, the remnant had been saved; for this reason he also very usefully remembers the hope preserved for Israel in the last times of the age. They too shall be called through the faith in Christ, and shall run after the nations. For when, he says, the fullness of the nations has come in, then all Israel will be saved. What then does he say: Therefore thus says the Lord, concerning the house of Jacob whom he set apart from Abraham? For Israel was chosen from all the nations, and like a special inheritance for God, the race of Abraham and Jacob was reckoned. But not now will they be ashamed, he says, nor will they now change their countenance, that is, they will not immediately, when they have acted impiously toward Christ, having come to the knowledge of their own sin, be ashamed and, as it were, depart, so as to no longer be seen as such. For this, I think, is what it means to change one's countenance; but as time goes on, when those born of them see my works, that is, when they behold the whole world under heaven called, and those throughout all the earth believing in me; when they see the power of the devil shaken, that ancient and profane error having been clearly destroyed, and the precincts of idols burned at the same time, then they will sanctify my name, that is, they too will consider me holy; and they will sanctify as being in truth the Holy One of Jacob, and the God of Israel. For so they will fear me. And the fear of God is always somehow the path to salvation. For it is written, that "The fear of the Lord makes life." And those who are wandering in spirit shall know understanding, and the murmurers shall learn to obey, and the stammering tongues shall learn to speak peace. For having sanctified the name of the Savior of us all, Christ, and having firmly believed that he is the Holy One of Jacob and the God of Israel, they will know understanding; although they were once held by a spirit of error, and had the law sealed up; and those who always murmur will learn to obey. For the Jewish crowds murmured against Christ, at one time saying: "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?" and at another time in addition to this, not refraining from persecuting him" and to writing down the truth for him as the substance of the charge. For the Savior of all called himself the Son of God the Father, and showing the shadow of the law to be nothing, he set forth the beauty of worship in spirit. But they persecuted him, Not only, it says, because he broke the Sabbath, but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. Those therefore who murmur will learn to obey, it says, and the stammering tongues will learn to speak peace. For the tongues of those accustomed to not speaking correctly about Christ were stammering, but they will learn, it says, to speak his things and to utter things for peace rather, no longer turning away to their former arrogance, but rather submitting to him the neck of their mind. To speak peace to Jesus is if one says, The Lord is our God, possess us, besides you we know no other, we name your name. Woe, apostate children, thus says the Lord You have made a plan not through me, and covenants not through my spirit, to add sin to sins; you who proceed to go down into Egypt; but you did not ask me, to be helped by Pharaoh, and to be sheltered by the Egyptians. For the shelter of Pharaoh will be a shame to you, and a reproach to those who trust in Egypt, because there are rulers in Tanis, wicked messengers; in vain will they labor for a people who will not profit them, neither for help, nor for benefit, but for shame and reproach. He again bewails those of Israel as having become lovers of sin and apostates, being exceedingly wicked and devising bitter things, not through God. For it is not lawful to take counsel with God, for those who wish to agree on any wicked matter. But everyone who is pious and good, and a lover of righteousness, will take counsel with God and will proceed to what must be done. For it is written, that The thoughts of the righteous are judgments. He therefore accuses the outcast Israel, as having introduced a mind discordant with God against Christ. For they were deliberating while meeting in council, and indeed they said: What are we doing, because this man does many signs? If we let him go on like this, the Romans will come and take away both your city and your country. But another one of those ranked among the leaders said, You know nothing, that it is expedient that one man should die, and that the whole nation should not perish. The Lord teaches this very thing more clearly, saying in the Gospel parables, that The householder who planted the vineyard sent his servants to collect the fruits, but the husbandmen killed them. And the charges of their impiety did not stop there; for having also seen the son sent by the father after the servants, they said, it says, among themselves, This is the heir, come, let us kill him, and let us have his inheritance for ourselves. Apostates, therefore, are the introducers of such bitter and unholy counsels, who add sin to sins; for they killed, as I said, holy prophets; then also after them the heir himself, that is, the son. That their mind has long since been inclined toward apostasy from God, he tries to confirm, saying: Those who proceed to go down into Egypt; but they did not ask me, to be helped by Pharaoh, and to be sheltered by the Egyptians, he interjected the phrase, But they did not ask me. And the sequence of the thoughts is in this manner: Woe, he says, to those who go down into Egypt to be helped by Pharaoh, and to find shelter from the Egyptians. For when war and battle had been announced to them and the king of Assyria had moved his arms against the land of the Jews, they ran ahead to the Egyptians, and called for their aid, although they should have been propitiating God, and rubbing away by their conversion to better things, the offenses by which they had stumbled against him. For being rich in his benevolence, they would not have been subjected to those of the with the feet of those warring, the experience of those who have already arrived will confirm. For whom have they not conquered? whom have they not overcome through God? But considering it as nothing to be saved by him, but rather determining that the omnipotent right hand was unable to save some, they sought aid from men. But this matter, he says, will be to them for shame and reproach. For there are in Tanis, he says, leaders, evil messengers. For those from Israel went down to Egypt, and they thought, as I just said, that the aid of the leaders in Tanis, that is, the kings, would suffice for them. But some came even there, reporting to the rulers of the country evil and unbearable things, for the Assyrian had advanced against the Egyptians, after the war against the Tyrians. Therefore in vain, he says, will those from Israel labor, running down to a people, who will in no way be able to help them. For it will be for them neither sufficient for aid, nor indeed able to deliver from the impending evils, but for shame, and reproach. For it always follows for those who have turned their own heart away from hope in God, that they completely and in every way fall into every evil. And the blessed David speaks truly, saying: "It is good to hope in the Lord, rather than to trust in man. He hides and delivers from every evil those who love him, and are zealous to cleave to him."

Discourse 18

As one who has seen some of the things that will be at times in the land of the Jews. And now the prophet makes the narration to us. But I say that we must again call to mind the history, upon which his word came. For thus the meaning of the things set forth will be clear as in a mirror to those who read. Therefore, when Jechoniah the son of Eliakim was reigning over the land of the Jews; then Israel having much inclined toward apostasy from God, and being devoted to the worship of idols; and greatly provoking against itself the God of all; very many were the words to them through the voice of Jeremiah calling them to repentance, and advising them very prudently, to wipe away the blame from having gone astray, but rather to thrust off the charges of extreme impiety by turning to what is better, and returning to the truth. But they were hard and unadmonishable, and shaking off the words of the holy prophets, they prepared them to experience events. Therefore, God, who is all-powerful, being sharpened against them, raised up Nebuchadnezzar, who both took Judea, and having burned down the cities and villages in it, he also appointed Zedekiah. And when he too rebelled, the Assyrian, being grieved, campaigned again against Jerusalem; and indeed, having taken it, and having burned down the divine temple itself, he returned to his own land. Then indeed, therefore, those who were left behind, and saved, and able to escape the sword of the Babylonians, went down with their whole households into Egypt; although God did not permit them to do this, but said most clearly through the voice of Jeremiah: Do not go down to Egypt. But since they remained no less disobedient, they perished in Egypt. For Nebuchadnezzar took it also, and along with those from Israel he destroyed the Egyptians. This, then, is the cause and occasion of the vision, and as it were, the whole circumstance. But it is necessary, I think, for us to go through each point, as far as possible. In affliction, and in distress a lion, and a lion's cub from there, and asps and the offspring of flying asps, who carried their wealth on donkeys and camels to a nation that will not profit them for help, but for shame, and reproach. Will the Egyptians help you with vain and empty things? Announce to them, that your comfort is in vain. this. The divine Jesus, that is, the son of Nave, bequeathed the land of the promise to those of the blood of Israel. They say that the tribe of Judah especially was allotted the parts of the land of the Jews toward the east and the south, with the desert lying beside them, which transports those who wish to the land of the Egyptians. Therefore, in a time of affliction and distress, that is, when Nebuchadnezzar was besieging, pressing upon, and oppressing the cities of Judea: a lion and a lion's cub from there. And perhaps he calls lions those who were allotted to lead, and who were most powerful, and were in weaknesses against the others that were not small. And cubs, perhaps, those from them; and again, an asp and offspring of asps, others who were bitter and venomous, and reared in unmitigated evil. And if he should say, of flying ones, you will understand those who proceed easily and swiftly to anything whatsoever that is out of place. Confessedly all are wicked and exceedingly bitter who have departed from the love for God, and who say to the wood, 'You are my father,' and to the stone, 'You have begotten me;' and who attach reverence to the works of their own hands; these therefore, by donkeys and camels, were carrying away the wealth that remained to them to a nation that will not help them for assistance, but for shame and reproach. For the thing was completely unprofitable to them, and the exhortation became vain, that is, what they thought to be a comfort to them. For they perished along with, as I said, those of the Egyptians who inhabit the country, since Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed it by force. Therefore, it is a terrible thing to offend God, even if he brings wrath upon some. For every thought of theirs is rash. But He will save the whole; in no way those against whom it should happen. "For who will turn back the high hand?" according to what is written. Now therefore sit down and write these things on a tablet, and in a book, that these things shall be for days of times, and forever. That it is a disobedient people, false sons, who did not wish to hear the law of God; who say to the prophets, 'Do not report to us,' and to those who see visions, 'Do not speak to us, but speak to us and report to us another deceit, and turn us away from this way; take from us this path, and take from us the oracle of the Holy One of Israel.' Since the events were to happen at the proper times, he commanded them to be written, and he orders them to be noted down. For it will happen, he says, in days of times; and they will be deemed worthy of remembrance forever. And the word is true. For there will always be characteristics of prophets, even until the very consummation of the present age. 'Therefore, one must note it down,' he says, 'for they are a disobedient people.' Indeed, the matter will be for their benefit. For if they should disobey the holy prophets who would be at that time, it is very likely that they would be shamed by the fact that these things were foretold also through you. But he calls them false, as I think, again, because they did not keep for God what is genuine in regard to piety, but falsified the promise which they had made at the times when God, who rules over all of us, was defining laws for them through Moses on Mount Sinai. For we shall find that they clearly said, 'All that the Lord God has said, we will do, and we will hear.' Therefore, when the law enjoined and said, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. And you shall not make for yourself an idol," they made the commandment of no account; for they have worshipped idols. For this reason he very rightly calls them false sons. And somewhere David also sings and says, "The enemies of the Lord have lied to him;" and indeed also as from the person of Christ, "Alien sons," he says, "have lied to me." But the cause of such a disease for them was that they neither deemed the law worthy of any respect, but also dishonored the very words of the holy prophets. And this he teaches, saying, 'Who did not wish to hear the law of God; who say to the prophets, "Do not report to us," and to those who see visions' they see: Do not speak to us, speak other things to us, and announce to us another delusion, and turn us away from this way, and take away from us the oracle of the Holy One of Israel. For against many and very many holy prophets, bitter men rose up, shouting and saying these things, those from Israel. One could see it very clearly, when Jeremiah was exhorting them, "do not go down to Egypt," to this they themselves said falsely, "The Lord has not sent you, but the son of Neriah sets you against us," and so on. Because you have disobeyed these words, and hoped in falsehood, and because you murmured, and trusted in this word; therefore this sin will be to you like a wall falling immediately of a strong city that has been captured, whose fall has immediately come; and its fall will be like the shattering of an earthenware vessel, from pottery into fine pieces so that you cannot find among them a sherd in which you might carry fire, and in which you might draw a little water. That in every way and altogether it will result for them in a very difficult end to choose to disobey the admonitions of the holy prophets; and to place their hope in falsehood, and to attempt to thoughtlessly hold fast to what comes into their mind, he attempts to teach. For since you have rebuked the words of the prophets, calling them a delusion, and saying impiously: "Take away from us the oracle of the Lord," for this very reason this sin will fall upon us like the wall of a captured city, and this immediately, that is, not in the distant future; and I speak of a city so shattered, as if even an earthenware vessel were to be broken into fine pieces, so that each of the fragments is completely useless, so that no one can carry fire anywhere in it, nor indeed gather a small collection of water. And through these things he intimates, that so great a punishment will come upon those who have disobeyed and disaster will leap upon them, as to bring them down to the utmost misery. And that there is found among them absolutely no one who has remained outside of reaching the very end of evils. Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel: When you turn and groan, then you will be saved, and you will know where you were, because you trusted in vain things. Having threatened them with the utmost punishment of all, and having usefully terrified them beforehand with the terrors of things to come, he immediately shows both the cause of His wrath itself, and the way of salvation. For the Creator is good and loves mankind, and as he himself somewhere says through the voice of Ezekiel, "He does not desire the death of him who dies, as much as that he should turn from his wicked way, and live." Therefore Israel is punished as having completely fled from the love of God, and having been added to the worship of idols, yet he allows one who chooses to repent, to be brought out of evil. For when, he says, you turn away as from a corrupt and defiled way, I mean, from the necessity of worshipping creation, and of offering reverence to wood and stone, then you will be saved, and in addition to this you will learn then what state of mind you were in, or rather, of ignorance, trusting in vain things. For if they are not able to help themselves, how could they grant assistance to others? For what is more inert than an idol? For they are lifeless matter, and nothing else; the gods of those who are led astray. Your strength became vain, and you were not willing to hear. but you said: "We will flee on horses;" for this reason you will flee, "and we will be on swift riders;" for this reason those who pursue you will be swift. At the voice of one, a thousand will flee, and at the voice of many, many will flee, until you are left like a mast on a mountain, and as one bearing a standard on a hill. For although through experience you have found it unprofitable, the hope, I say, in those thought to be gods, and seeing their strength to be vain, you have remained no less disobedient, he says. For hearing not to go down into Egypt, but to honor with faith the one promising to save, you were not willing to hear, but you said, "We will flee on horses, and we will be on swift riders." For you thought, that it is sufficient for your salvation to flee from Judaea. But Light, he says, will be those who pursue you, that is, winged and swift, and so terrible and fearful in your eyes, and to this point of cowardice will the mind of the disobedient go, that when only one of the enemy shouts, a thousand will be turned to flight. And if indeed even five should overtake the phalanx of the Jews, many will flee; and they will endure their suffering so conspicuously, as to become a spectacle, and by no one at all unknown, but seen just as if one were to raise a mast upon a mountain, or even a banner on a hill. He says a banner and a mast are a piece of wood raised on the hills or mounds bearing certain signs, by which those chosen to lead signify to the armies either that they have conquered, and that the affairs of battle are going well for them perhaps, or that they should gather to them, in order that they might hear some of the holy things. And again God will wait to have compassion on you; and for this reason he will be exalted to have mercy on you, because the Lord your God is a judge. And where will you leave your glory? Again he has kept hope for those of Israel. For the remnant has been saved. For not root and branch, he says, will the beloved go to destruction, nor will God forget to have compassion, as the blessed David says, but his name will be glorified and exalted, when he has mercy on you. But you will say, that ‘And yet how was it not the part of a good person to not inflict punishment at all?’ But it is consequent to understand that, in addition to being good, he is also a judge. And it is the work of one who judges rightly and impartially to measure out punishments in proportion to the faults of each. And it is again the part of a good person to also refashion with a gentle nod for the better those who have been punished. But you, he says, where will you leave your glory? But instead of, you will leave, it says, it will be left. For at times the divinely-inspired Scripture is indifferent about the words. Therefore it reproaches them because they have made of no account their own glory, which is to be and to be called of God, for they were his inheritance. For they have abandoned it, falling into what is more shameful, and worshiping the works of their own hands, and disobeying the holy prophets, and despising even salvation from God itself, and having honored a false and senseless hope placed in men. For they have gone down, as I said, into that of the Egyptians. Blessed are all they that abide in him, because a holy people will dwell in Zion, and Jerusalem wept with weeping: Have mercy on me. He will have mercy on you; when he saw the voice of your cry, he heard you. Having named the Savior God of all the glory of Israel, he shows that not willing to depart from him, but rather to be attached to him through obedience and submission in everything whatsoever, renders them in every way and altogether blessed. And that at the time of the coming of our Savior, many of the blood of Abraham will repent, and being justified by faith, and freed from all sin , they will be enriched with sanctification through the Spirit, he teaches by saying, that a holy people will dwell in Zion. For with weeping, he says, Jerusalem wept, Have mercy on me. And since the God of all knows to be eager for philanthropy and most ready to pity, He will have mercy on you, he says, and he will be an observer of your cry; for at the same time he is seen repenting, and he has without delay granted the grace of forgetting injuries. Therefore, as far as it depended on the will of the Master of all, all would have been saved through faith in Christ. But since they did not accept the Redeemer, for this reason they have been given over to destruction. For they themselves chose this rather. And the Lord will give you the bread of affliction and scant water, and those who lead you astray will no longer approach you; for your eyes will see those who lead you astray, and your ears will hear the words of those who led you astray from behind, who say: This is the way, let us walk in it, whether to the right, or to the left. Our Lord Jesus Christ has become for us the power of the bread of life. For he said clearly: "I am the bread that came down from heaven, and gives life to the world. But let it be and water, not sensible and material, but rather divine and spiritual. For it is called a river of peace, and a torrent of delight, and we say this as the blessed David sings and says to God the Father concerning those justified in faith: that "With you is the fountain of life, and you will give them to drink of the torrent of your delight." Christ, therefore, is the life-giving bread and water; but he is found with sweat, and with labor. For indeed, the great and excellent good things would not become attainable to those who recline and live in luxury, but if to those who are accustomed to regard as nothing the sweats and labors for this very thing he so sought to learn the mystery of Christ. And the divine David singing and saying: "If I go up on the couch of my bed, if I give sleep to my eyes, and slumber to my eyelids, and rest to my temples, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the God of Jacob. Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah, we found it in the fields of the wood." For Emmanuel was born in Bethlehem, which is Ephrathah. The God of all therefore promises to those from Israel returning to him to give bread of affliction, and scant water, that is, he will grant the life in Christ and the knowledge concerning him, which anyone might gather and lock away in the treasuries of his own mind, not reclining into luxuries, not having a dissolute conduct of life, nor indeed walking the wide and spacious road, but rather entering through the narrow gate that leads to life. Therefore, he says, if you should take this bread, then you will also be secure, not easily led into error, nor readily carried away by the words of those who deceive. For you will see them, and you will hear their words. For formerly, being unable to discern the things from them, he was placed on a level with those who do not see at all, nor indeed hear the words of those accustomed to deceive; but having taken the bread you will surely see them, and you will understand very well what sort of character they have; how they simply differ, and say: This is the way, let us walk in it, whether to the right, or to the left; for there was no distinction of the one who is naturally unjust and of the one who is not so, but, as it were, the words of all carried one away unreflectingly to anything whatsoever. And you will remove the idols covered with silver, and covered with gold; you will make them fine, and winnow them as the water of a menstruous woman, and you will cast them out as dung. It would be fitting, I think, for this also to be accomplished, for both those called from the nations through faith to the knowledge of truth, and also for those of the blood of Israel. It does no harm to apply the saying also to those who come from Hellenic error, "The Lord will give you bread of affliction and scant water; and those who lead you astray will no longer come near you." The wretched Jews had wicked teachers, I mean the Scribes and Pharisees, who wished to carry them off to anything whatsoever that seemed good to them, leading them away from the commandment of Moses, and persuading them to heed the teachings and commandments of men. And besides these things, Israel was condemned as having gone into such madness as to choose to worship lifeless idols. But the children of the Hellenes had unholy teachers, who, having a sensual and demonic wisdom, proclaimed to the world a countless crowd of demons, and to worship the creation, rather than the creator. So then, having received the bread of life and the life-giving water, both these and those were freed from their ancient teachers, or rather from those who led them astray, and having condemned the deceit they took away the idols. For they have been justified through faith, having all but said farewell to Satan and the unclean spirits, and loathing and fleeing those formerly considered high among them, I mean the falsely-named gods, as something utterly hated and ending in extreme impurity. For what could be more abominable than dung and the water of a menstruous woman? Then there will be rain for the to the seed of your land, and the bread of the produce of your land will be abundance and rich. And your cattle will be fed on that day in a fat and spacious place. Your bulls and your oxen and those who work the land will eat mixed chaff with winnowed barley. The saying is fashioned as from those who are accustomed to farm, who whenever they are enriched by the abundant supply of waters poured down from above and from heaven, then they certainly have much fruitfulness, and for a life-giving breadth, and they cut the grass itself from the field for the cattle; but the meaning of the things set forth is again transformed from sensible things into a spiritual contemplation. For when, he says, the bread of affliction and the scant water should be given to you by God, when you see those who deceive you, and turn your mind away from them, when you take away the idols, and receive the illumination of the true knowledge of God, then you will also be in spiritual fruitfulness. For there will be rain for the seed of your land. And by rain he means the spiritual comfort through the Spirit, which enriches the hearts of those who worship God, and indeed makes them fruitful. For David sings concerning those justified in the faith in Christ: "You will set apart, O God, a willing rain for your inheritance," that is, the evangelical and saving proclamation, and the comfort through the Holy Spirit, as I said. And somewhere the prophet Isaiah also said, as from the person of God, concerning those of Israel, which was a vineyard: And I will command the clouds not to rain rain upon it. Therefore there will be rain, he says, for the seed of your land. But also the bread of the produce of your land will be abundance and rich, that is, the fruit of your works will be for a benefit. For it will be brought to fruition, and will be fat and much. For Malachi the prophet addressed those of Israel who had apostatized, saying: "Because your calf, Samaria, was a deceiver, because they sowed what is wind-blasted, and their ruin shall receive them." A handful having no strength to make flour. But again another of the saints rebukes some and says: And you did not remember the Lord your helper; for this reason you will plant an unfaithful plant. For the fruit of the unholy is fruitless, and their labors are useless, and the outcome of their undertakings has nothing beneficial. Yet indeed the fruits are dear to God, for which the divine Paul very rightly prays, saying: "May the God of righteousness increase your seed and multiply the produce of your righteousness." And to these things the prophet adds, that the cattle also will be allotted a fat and spacious place; and by cattle I think he perhaps means those of little understanding, and the more simple, who are slow in mind, but having been once called to the knowledge of God through faith will find spiritual food, and will be allotted to a fat place, that is, the divinely inspired Scripture, which is truly spaciousness. For it is broad and great and running toward piety. But the bulls, or the oxen that work the land, he says will eat mixed chaff with winnowed barley, that is, they will be in spiritual abundance. And being filled with solid teachings they will work the land. And by bulls, as I think, he means in these things those who minister the divine proclamation and preach the gospel with much power. And the all-wise Paul will again confirm this for us, having understood the legal command spiritually. For he said, that "It is written, You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing." And he adds, "Is it for oxen that God is concerned?" Or does he say it entirely for our sake? Therefore as from the best food of calves he shapes spiritual things, and allows us to understand, that for the chosen, and those who render the worshipers of Christ as a kind of fruitful earth, the all-good and solid food will be set before them. For it was necessary, it was necessary for the leaders of the peoples to have first enjoyed the good things through the spirit, so that they might be able to benefit the ones yoked under - And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill, flowing water in that day, when many shall perish, and when towers shall fall. And you will understand this spiritually. For he calls the holy evangelists and apostles hills and mountains, and all the others who after them have become caretakers of the holy Churches, and celebrants of the divine mysteries, who think of nothing earthly, but are as if lifted up on high. For it is written that the mighty ones of God of the earth have been greatly exalted, and they pour forth the divine and heavenly word from their own mind as from a spring, having themselves been first enriched from above with grace. And this water is abundant, for the mountains are many, and the hills just as many, and the stream from them is sweet and plentiful everywhere. But in that day, he says, this also shall be. And he again calls the time of the coming of our Savior "a day"; in which those of whom the account speaks were revealed, but many have perished and towers have been cast down, that is, the leaders of the Jews, both Scribes and Pharisees. For though they were exalted above all others through the glory of the priesthood, and the dignity of leadership, they have acted impiously toward Christ, and have killed the one who made them high, and in addition to this have led astray the peoples under their hand. And other towers have also fallen, the arrogant hordes of unholy spirits. And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, in the day when the Lord shall heal the affliction of his people, and he shall heal the pain of your wound. Some of the exegetes wish that the meaning of the preceding words should be applied to the time of the consummation of the age. For then, they say, with an increase of light, the elements themselves, which are by nature luminous, will be so. But we will find the holy Scripture saying, that "Then the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." And the stars also will fall as leaves fall from a fig tree. Therefore, setting aside the need to understand it thus, we rather say this. For he does not say that there will be an addition of light to the elements. But rather he calls "moon" those who live in the light of the moon, and are, as it were, spuriously and moderately illuminated. These would be those who are accustomed to live according to human nature, by innate and our own unaided reason, not yet having been enriched with illumination from above, such as those who have not yet known the God who exists by nature and in truth, but who remain as in night, yet having a moderate ray of light, which God implanted in human nature from its very constitution. These, having received the light of the true knowledge of God, no longer remain as in night, having a small and lunar light, but from then on see the sun's ray as in the day. But those who are as in the day and as if illumined by the sun, because they know the God who is by nature, will receive a manifold illumination upon this. Such were the experts in the law, having as it were in their mind the reflection of a solar ray, I mean, in respect to knowing the Creator and Lord of all. The Lord your God, the Lord is one. Yet they did not accurately understand the law. But when Christ shone upon them, their knowledge progressing for the better, and the law henceforth being contemplated spiritually, the light of the sun that was in them will be almost sevenfold. For the sun of righteousness, being the God of all and understood as such, is also all wisdom itself. And he shone through the law upon those of Israel. For he brought them out as from an ancient mist of the error in Egypt. And he prepared them to understand and confess that he alone is the God and Lord of all. But these things will be, he says, when the Lord heals the affliction of his people, and will heal the pain of your error. For we were afflicted, and in the pain of a wound; for the fear of being punished hung over both Greeks and Jews; Christ will heal. And we were in a way some with our minds paralyzed, and our intellect inactive and weakened for the works of righteousness. But we have not remained in these things. For the God of all granted the cure, and He has shown us to be freed from the ancient disease and exceedingly strong for every one of His pleasing works, and justified by faith in Christ; through whom and with whom to God the Father be glory with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Discourse 19

Behold, the name of the Lord comes after a long time, burning is his wrath with glory; the word of his lips, a word full of wrath; and the wrath of his anger will devour like fire. And his spirit like rushing water in a ravine will come up to the neck, and it will be divided to trouble the nations with vain delusion, and vain delusion will pursue them, and it will seize them by their face. Having said very well that the light of the sun will be sevenfold for those who believe in Christ, at that time, when he will heal the affliction of his people, he usefully adds that the divine wrath will also be against Satan who afflicted them, and the demons with him. For their tyranny against us was not to come unceasingly, nor their strength unshaken, especially when Christ, the Savior of all, shone upon the human race. But the word of the prophecy has become not, as it were, naked and unclothed, but rather overshadowed and profound. For it is framed as concerning the Assyrians, who sacked Jerusalem, and took all of Judea, and holding beloved Israel captive, they returned to their own land, all but gloating over the divine glory, and thinking that they had conquered those who worship Him even against God’s will. And so the Rabshakeh addressed those on the wall, saying, "Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying, 'The God of Israel will deliver you from my hand.' [Did the gods of the nations, each delivering his own country, deliver it from my hand?]" Therefore, having boasted and babbled much against the ineffable glory, those of whom the discourse speaks would be caught. And when Israel had completed the seventieth year in captivity and in slavery among them, the God of all delivered and saved them again. For He brought them back to Judea, led at that time by Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, who was from the tribe of Judah, and indeed also by Jesus the high priest. Therefore, the power of the prophecy seems in a way to make mention of that which pertains to the manifest events that happened to the Chaldeans and to Babylon. But the true meanings of what was said have come to be about the spiritual Assyrian, that is, Satan, to whom it was said by God: As a garment stained with blood will not be clean, so you also will not be clean, because you have destroyed my land, and you have killed my people, you will not remain for eternal time, you evil seed. Prepare your children to be slaughtered for the sins of your father, so that they may not rise up and inherit the land and fill the land with war, and I will rise up against them, says the Lord of Sabaoth, and I will destroy their name, and remnant, and seed. Therefore, after a long time the name of the Lord will come, he says. And if one should choose to understand it historically, after seventy years God had mercy on Israel. But if indeed one should travel the inner and hidden path of the meanings, he will receive in his mind that the inventor of sin has spent a very long time placing the yoke of his own wickedness on all those on the earth, so as to make them his own worshippers and to bind them in the snares of sin. But after a long time the only-begotten Word of God appeared to us, and has become the burning wrath with glory, and the oracle of his lips an oracle full of anger. For Cyrus, son of Cambyses, with God urging him on and rousing him to battle, marched against the land of the Chaldeans, and took by force the land of the Babylonians, and he became like anger and fire to them, for he, as it were, devoured all, and having an unbearable assault, he appeared to those there like water dragging through a ravine, and filled all the nations of the Chaldeans with tumult and confusion, justly condemned for vain deceit. For they thought, as I said, that they had prevailed over Judea even with God unwilling. Therefore the vain deceit overtook them. For things from unmixed wrath were brought upon them from God, and they perished by their own impieties; one might see the primeval-evil dragon having suffered this very thing. For the oracle of the Lord became to him an oracle full of anger. For they were commanded to depart into the abyss, both he and the evil powers with him. And they have been consumed as if by fire, and as if dragged down by much water by the power of the spirit into the lowest recesses. For these also were thrown into confusion by vain deceit. For he said, "I will seize the whole inhabited earth in my hand as a nest, and as abandoned eggs I will take them up, and there is no one who will escape me or speak against me." And he thought that he was truly God, and having transferred to himself the glory fitting only for the Creator of all, he thought he could perpetually rule over those on the earth. Therefore they were confounded, condemned for vain deceit, and were overtaken by it. For judgment, and wrath, and punishment were brought upon them, and for this reason. Must you always rejoice and always enter my holy places as if celebrating a feast, and as if rejoicing enter with a flute to the mountain of the Lord, to the God of Israel? I said that having conquered the land of the Jews, the Babylonians danced over the captives, and perhaps mocking the divine temple itself, they behaved most unholily. But they themselves were also captured; and in what manner, is not unclear. O Assyrians, therefore, he says, must you not rejoice at all times over my worshippers, and make it an occasion for a festival, with no one preventing you from entering my holy places, and with flute and lyre? And this, indeed, historically. But if it should be said with respect to Satan and those who think his thoughts, you will understand something of this sort: For long ages he rejoiced, exalting himself over the ineffable glory, and crushing saints, and savagely opposing the workers of righteousness, and attempting, as it were, to defile the holy things of God, making the matter both a feast and a delight, and gloating over those who were oppressed. But the wretch has fallen from such things, with Christ having pushed him down beyond expectation, and having driven away his tyranny over us. Therefore all his delight and gladness has ceased; he has stopped his dance against us, and the nature of things has changed to the complete opposite. For we on the one hand have made our delight and enjoyment the salvation through Christ, and the justification in faith, and the sanctification through the Spirit. But he who has failed to rule is in unceasing despair, and laments the overthrow of his own dominion. For by the voice of the Lord the Assyrians will be defeated, by the blow with which he might strike them. And it will be for him round about from whence was their hope of help, on which he himself relied; they will fight him with flutes and lyres out of a reversal. The phrase, 'by the voice of the Lord,' he says, means 'at the Lord's command.' For indeed the Assyrians were defeated, and they came under the blow brought upon them, with Cyrus and the Persians and Medes ravaging, as I said, and having taken them by force and by the will of God. But before these things, they had in them * the hope of being able to succeed in easily overpowering whatever lands and peoples they might choose. Therefore, he says, those very ones, on whom the Babylonians had the hope of assistance, their affairs having undergone almost a change, and a reversal to the complete opposite, with lyre and flutes, that is, both rejoicing and celebrating they will war against him. This would be seen to have happened in the case of Satan and the herd of unclean spirits. For they had in this world countless, or rather even innumerable worshippers, but through the voice of the Lord, that is, through the preaching of Christ, they have come under a blow and have been defeated, and those whom they expected to have as helpers for themselves, these unexpectedly having undergone the change to the complete opposite. For they have been called through faith and have made war on them. For temples have been torn down, hills have been shaken, and a multitude of unclean demons have been consumed by fire, and having condemned the one who formerly held power, they have acknowledged God who is by nature and truly King and Lord. And they have made it of great importance to practice the truly approved and excellent life through all virtue, casting living in wickedness as far away as possible. For will you not be required before many days? Has it been prepared for you also to reign? A deep ravine, wood lying ready, fire, and much wood. The wrath of the Lord, like a ravine burning with brimstone. Saying that the Assyrian will be warred against by those from whom it was likely to expect to be helped rather, and that he will suffer things beyond all evil, he necessarily adds these things as well. For since He is seen to have been forbearing with them for a long time, and with difficulty has inflicted the punishments on those who have committed unbearable sins, he makes a defense, in a way, and says: For will you not be required before many days? For the God of all is forbearing, and lavishes his goodness on those who sin, if perhaps somehow their minds might be changed toward better things, and having chosen to repent, they might escape the punishment owed to them. But with none of these things having happened, finally He brings the things from wrath, not doing this before many days, but as finally at the right time and as it were when it has come to its measure, which is most fitting to the serenity and love for mankind of the God who rules all. Therefore, O Assyrian, he says, I have been good to you, and long-suffering. For will you not be required before many days? And it is clear that he means the punishments for which you have acted insolently against my people. Such is that which was said to the blessed Abraham: "For the sins of the Amorites are not yet filled up until now." But also the blessed prophet Zechariah says that he saw women, winged like a hoopoe, carrying away the measure, and sin sitting in the middle as in the form of a woman. For the lawgiver measures out the punishments in proportion to the sins of each one. But you thought, O Assyrian, he says, that it was prepared for you also to reign perpetually, that is, to be able to rule and to have unshakeable dominion over all? But you were mistaken about the truth; for you will rather inherit a deep ravine, and wood lying ready, and fire. For thus will the wrath of the Lord be upon you and upon your people. And I would say, that these things would be most fittingly said also to Satan himself. For he had taken advantage of the whole earth * Christ shone forth. But when God and Lord appeared to us, he was driven away like some very fierce beast from the flock of the faithful, and he departed also to Hades, there to inherit fire and flames. For the wrath of the Lord will be for him like a ravine burning with brimstone. Therefore he was not called to account before many days, but with the time finally calling him to this; for it was not prepared for him also to reign perpetually, just as indeed it was for the Savior of all, Christ; to whom indeed before you it would be fitting that what was said through the voice of David be said: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom." Woe, to those who go down to Egypt for help, who trust in horses, and chariots; for they are many and upon horses, a very great multitude. And they were not trusting in the Holy One of Israel, and they did not seek God. And He himself wisely brought evils upon them, and his word shall not be set at nought, and he will rise up against the houses of evil men, and against their vain hope. An Egyptian man and not God, flesh of horses, and there is no help. The prophet, having learned what was going to happen to the Assyrians from time to time, and that when the Persians and Medes were ravaging their country they would be utterly destroyed, God obviously having raised up Cyrus against them, comes to the remembrance of the disobedience of those from Israel. For the Babylonian took Judea, and the holy city itself, I mean Jerusalem, and carried Israel away captive, and then God gave mercy to those who were left behind in Judea. But since they wished to migrate to the Egyptians, fearing lest perhaps war from the Assyrians might be brought upon them again, he who is able to save commanded, through the voice of Jeremiah, that they should not go down to Egypt. But since they were disobedient even after this, and thought that the help of men would rather save them, they have fallen in Egypt, and all have utterly perished. Therefore the prophet pronounces them wretched; For woe, he says, to those who go down to Egypt for help. For they did not rather trust in the all-powerful God, but in horses and chariots; for there were very many in Egypt. But the God of all, being wise, brought evils upon them, and his word shall not be set at nought. For he said through the voice of Jeremiah to them the things that are written below. Therefore they will rise up against the houses of evil men, obviously of those who have fled to Egypt, and against their vain hope. For they chose as a helper, he says, an Egyptian man, and not God, the flesh of horses. But the prophet speaks most emphatically, convicting the ignorance of those from Israel. For what is a horse but only flesh? And what is the power of flesh, which is so weak and subject to corruption? The prophet Jeremiah says something like this: "Cursed is he who has his hope in man, and will make the flesh of his arm his strength, and his heart departs from the Lord." "For it is truly good to hope in the Lord, rather than to hope in man." And the Lord will bring his hand upon them; and the helpers will grow weary, and all will perish together. For since the Egyptians, raising their boastful and arrogant brow, received those from Israel, and thought that the power of their falsely-named gods was superior to the God of the Hebrews, they themselves also have been given over to the Babylonians; for they have taken possession of the country, and those from Israel who were caught there have perished together with its inhabitants. For this reason he says the Lord will bring his hand upon them, and that they will utterly and completely grow weary, that is, they will grow weak, those who promise them invincible help, and all will perish together. For thus the Lord said to me: In the way that a lion roars, or a lion's cub over the prey which it has taken, and cries out over it, until the mountains are filled with its voice, and they were defeated, and the multitude was terrified by its wrath; so will the Lord come down to wage war upon Mount Zion, upon its mountains. As flying birds, so will the Lord defend Jerusalem, and he will deliver, and preserve, and save. The prophet has interjected the rebuke in between, the one, I say, against those who go down to Egypt, and indeed against those who chose to have an Egyptian man as a helper, and not God. And he said that they will perish together with those who promise to defend them. Then again he brings the discourse back to the beginning; for having said that the Assyrians will inherit a deep ravine, he clearly relates beforehand that God will also help those who worship him, and will contend for those throughout Judea, and he will thus leap upon those who wish to wrong her, just as a lion indeed over its prey, roaring something great and extraordinary at those who resist. For they say that this beast, when hunger rouses it to necessity, leaps upon either herds of cattle, or other livestock, terrifying them beforehand with a dreadful and most fearsome roar, and an unbearable to make the attack upon the shepherds. Thus, it says, the Lord will descend to make war against Mount Zion, that is, Jerusalem, against its mountains. As birds flying, so will the Lord defend Jerusalem. For birds hatch their young in the mountains, and build nests in the thickets of plants. But if another bird or a serpent should wish to snatch away the young, their mother fights terribly for them, and makes clear the power of her innate affection, flying around and chirping and, so to speak, making the greatest possible overthrow of the one wishing to harm them. Thus, it says, the Lord of all will defend Jerusalem, and will deliver, and will preserve, and will save. These things happened when Babylon was sacked, and when Cyrus released Israel from captivity. For they returned, while Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, who was of the tribe of Judah, was administering the kingdom among them, and Jesus the son of Jozadak, the high priest, was serving as priest. And when they wished to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, some of their neighbors rose up, wanting to prevent them; but no one prevailed, as God strengthened Israel. Such also has been for us the power of the help of our Savior. For he who was considered to be the god of this age took all as captives; but Christ sprang upon him like a lion, or a lion's whelp, and destroyed him with the word of his power. He is the Lord of Sabaoth. And he campaigned against Mount Zion, that is, he championed the spiritual Zion, which is the Church of the living God, and has strongly saved it as his own nest. For the father of sin said with exceeding great arrogance: I will seize the whole world in my hand as a nest; and I will take it as abandoned eggs, and there is no one who will escape me, or speak against me. But the Savior and Lord of all gathered those who believed in him, in the way a bird gathers its young under its wings, and has placed them beyond all plotting. For he delivered, and made the whole earth his own, and has saved the world under heaven. Return, you who devise a deep and lawless plan. As God says that he will campaign against Mount Zion, and will leap upon those who wrong Israel, that is, those who believe in him, in the manner of a most mighty lion, and adding that he will also defend, and will preserve, and will save; again the prophet cries out against those who do not endure to believe, that the right hand of God is all-powerful, and will easily save those whom he would choose from their enemies. Therefore, he says, O you who are sick with such a shameful and most abominable unbelief, who have abandoned the God of all, and unwisely collect help from men, and have honored, I know not how, the lawless and ridiculous thought concerning this, return to God, devise better things, and you too say: "Lord, the God of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in you." For in that day men will cast away their handmade silver and gold things, which their hands made, and Assyria will fall. Not the sword of a hero, nor the sword of a man shall devour him, and he will flee, but not from the face of the sword. And the young men will be for defeat, for they will be surrounded by a rock, as by a palisade, and will be defeated; and he who flees will be captured. And now the discourse returns to its proposed purpose. For, it says, the Lord will defend Jerusalem, that is, he will champion his own Church, which is his city. And he will deliver those who believe in him, and will make them his own, and will count them as his own inheritance, and in addition to this will also save them. In what way? For they will rid themselves of profane and abominable idolatry, and will no longer worship the works of their own hands, whether they be gold and silver, or have been sumptuously made in some other way. For before the [coming] of the Savior of a sojourn, the human race was terrified concerning these things, and some have worshipped creation, and to the elements of the world they have assigned the glory due to God, just as the prophet says: Their silver, and their gold they have made for themselves idols. But when Christ shone forth, the whole earth became free from such shameful and abominable crimes. For sacred precincts, and altars, and things made by hand have been taken down, and the ancient error of Satan, which defiled the whole earth, has been put out of the way. Therefore, with the things made by hand having been destroyed, he says, the inventor of this error will also be destroyed along with it, that is, Satan, the spiritual Assur, or the Assyrian. For he shall fall, not struck by the sword of a man, and he shall be wretched, for he shall depart to Hades together with the other evil powers. For this he hints to us, saying: But the young men shall be for a defeat, that is, The strong and those who rule by greed over those on earth, shall be defeated and shall fall. How or in what way? For they shall be encompassed by a rock as by a rampart. By "rock" in these words he names for us the unbreakable and indestructible power of the Savior. Therefore, being taken by the divine power, as by some rock, and as by a rampart, or an entrenchment, and enclosure, they will yield the victory, and no one of them could escape. For he will be captured in every way and entirely, even if one should choose to do this. For this, I think, is what is signified by, He who flees will be captured. Who then of them, therefore, will be saved, if they are to be encompassed by the rock as by a rampart, and absolutely no place for flight will be given to them? And the power of the Savior has accomplished these things, having overthrown Assur, that is, Satan, and having brought down with him the evil powers with him, and having encompassed them as with a rampart, and rendered them ineffective, and imprisoned them in the recesses of Hades to be punished. Thus says the Lord: Blessed is he who has seed in Zion, and kindred in Jerusalem. For behold, a righteous king shall reign, and rulers shall rule with judgment. And the man shall be hiding his words; and he shall be hidden as when water is borne along, and he shall appear in Zion, as a glorious river borne along, in a thirsty land. Openly in these words the blessed prophet proclaims the mystery of the economy of the Only-begotten in the flesh. For he says that those who at that time inhabited Zion will be blessed; it is clear, however, that he means the spiritual Zion, which is the Church of the living God. For they are truly blessed, and concerning this the Savior himself will assure us, saying to those who believed in him: "Amen, amen, I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. Therefore, those who have, he says, an intimacy through the spirit with our Lord Jesus Christ, and have borne fruit in the spiritual Zion, and have had kindred in Jerusalem—and this is no other than Zion—have become thrice-blessed and in every good thing. And we too have had kindred, that is, according to the spirit, the holy mystagogues. For behold, a righteous king shall reign, and rulers shall rule with judgment. For Christ has reigned over us, who is righteous and blameless, and the arbiter of all righteousness, and the introducer of things beyond the law. And rulers also ruled with judgment. But the phrase, with judgment, he says, means secretly. And yet the righteous king will be a man and a brother in all things to those on the earth; for he is truly God. For the Word became flesh, according to the Scriptures. And he shall be hiding his words. For our Lord Jesus Christ spoke very many things in parables, who also through the voice of David had cried out beforehand this very thing, saying: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation." And he says not only this, but also he will be hidden, as from rushing water. Again, it is the custom in the sacred Writings to compare the assault of temptations to rushing water, or to river streams pouring violently over the land. Therefore, when temptations rise up against them, he says, and are like rushing water, he himself will be hidden, that is, he will be proof against the plots of those who tempt him. And David also said somewhere concerning him, that "An enemy shall not prevail against him, and a son of iniquity shall not continue to afflict him." For the Jewish people plotted many times, incited to this by those who were then their appointed leaders, I mean the Scribes and Pharisees. But it was not possible for Christ to suffer unwillingly any of the things that are accustomed to cause pain. For they were stoning him, but he, as the blessed evangelist says, passed through their midst, and so went away, that is, without being concerned. And he will be to those in Zion like a glorious rushing river in a thirsty land. For to those from the Gentiles who have been called to the knowledge of him, being thirsty, and not having the word that knows how to save, he has become like a river pouring forth with a rich stream, and in addition to this, glorious, that is, renowned. For many others have also been called rivers. And indeed the blessed David, comparing to rivers the holy mystagogues and those who from above, from heaven, give the word to drink to those who accept the faith, said: "The rivers have lifted up, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices." For the voices of the holy apostles were heard afar. But none of them is so glorious as, of course, the torrent of delight, that is, Christ. For we say that from him has been given to all the others the aptitude to be able to initiate into the mysteries and to send the life-giving word of God into the souls of the believers. And they will no longer trust in men, but they will give their ears to hear; and the heart of the weak will pay attention to hear, and the stammering tongues will quickly learn to speak peace, and your servants will no longer say, Be silent. For the fool will speak foolish things, and his heart will understand vain things, to accomplish iniquities, and to speak error against the Lord, to corrupt hungry souls, and to make thirsty souls empty, For the counsel of the wicked will devise iniquities, and to destroy the humble with unjust words, and to scatter the words of the humble in judgment. But the pious have devised prudent things, and this counsel abides. The meaning of the preceding would fit very well both those called from the Gentiles through faith, and those from the blood of Israel. For the ones who had worshipped falsely named gods, having put their trust in men who had among them a reputation for seeming wisdom, and the assumption of the highest renown, were carried away into a strange and counterfeit mind. For they have been led astray and have said to the wood, 'You are my father,' and to the stone, 'You have begotten me'; and they inscribed as gods those who are not gods. The Jews, on the other hand, paying attention to their appointed leaders, did not accept the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. For those who were experts in the sacred Writings thought that what they themselves had planned was better, and they were not ignorant of what was pleasing to God and what was most beneficial to the people under their charge. Therefore, they will no longer, he says, be trusting in men, but they will offer their ears to the necessity of hearkening to the word of the Savior, and the heart of the weak, having at last been strengthened for understanding, will pay attention to hear, and the stammering tongues, that is, those that once did not know how to speak correctly; for stammering is, as it were, the inability to speak anything for the glory of God, but to spend words on the praise of the falsely named; they will learn, he says, to speak peace. To speak peace is nothing other than to have Christ and his things on the tongue; for he himself is our peace according to the Scriptures. And stammering for those of Israel is the not enduring to speak the mystery of Christ, but to always be speaking of the law, and the shadows in it, and * of teachers. But these too will cease, he says, and all their speech will be about Christ. That they will not endure the ancient teachers, he has indicated by saying: And they will no longer say to the fool, "Rule." For admittedly, the wise among the Greeks are fools; for the wisdom of the world has been made foolish. Fools also are the guides and teachers of the Jews, not having recognized what was described through the shadow in the law, and not understanding the words of the holy prophets. Therefore they will no longer say to the fool, "Rule," nor indeed will the servants of the fools say to those taught by them, "Be silent." For the wise in the world have spoken by Beelzebul, and have become inventors of perverse, and cold, and in addition to this, also unholy doctrines. But if anyone should choose to oppose their nonsense, and, as having become absurd, to reject them as counterfeit, some of those accustomed to serve them jump up, and shout to be silent, wishing their voices to be uncontradicted. For they say that when the disciples of Pythagoras spoke things at times both cold and ridiculous, and which were disbelieved by many, it was their custom to say this: "He himself said it," that is, "Be silent, and give faith to the founder of the dogma even without examination." Therefore, your servants will no longer say, he says, "Be silent." For the fool will surely speak foolish things, and his heart will understand vain things, having one purpose, to accomplish lawless things, and to speak error against the Lord. For it is error and nothing else, the myths among the Greeks composed against the glory of God, to corrupt hungry souls, and to make thirsty souls empty. For sometimes some become disciples, then approaching them without examination they profit absolutely nothing, but are shown rather, although having hungered and thirsted, that what is surely necessary for them to learn is useful for the salvation of the soul; but the counsel, he says, of the wicked will devise lawless things, and it looks to this, to destroy souls with unjust words, and to scatter the words of the humble in judgment. For the lovers of worldly wisdom, and the champions of perverted doctrines, campaign against the teaching of the holy mystagogues, whom he also names humble, and they make every effort to scatter their words, although they have come about in judgment, that is, not carelessly, but rather with discernment, and in wisdom from above, and from God. For this, I think, he teaches by adding, But the pious have devised wise things, and this counsel remains. For the elegant babbling of the wise in the world has ceased. For the counsel of the pious has prevailed, that is, the learning, or the preaching. And we say that the pious are those who minister the divine and evangelical word to those throughout all the earth. Rich women, arise, and hear my voice; daughters, in hope hear my words, Remember the days of a year in pain with hope. It is the custom of the divine and God-inspired Scripture to apply the persona of women very often to either cities, or even to villages, and also, when one is a metropolis, to call the others her daughters, just as, indeed, the divine David says concerning both Zion, that is Jerusalem, and the surrounding regions: "Zion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judea rejoiced;" for in some way the smaller cities under her are always about the mother who is leader of all. Therefore, in these things the person of the Savior Himself is brought before us, counseling the cities of Judea and saying: Rich women, arise, and hear my voice. Therefore, he exhorts them to choose to honor obedience, and to accept the words from him, that is, clearly, the saving and evangelical preaching; but he calls them rich now most usefully, since they were still populous, and had a countless multitude of inhabitants, except that they would not for long be desolate and most poor, as far as having none of the inhabitants, unless by his chose to submit the neck of their own mind to the divine decrees. O women, therefore, he says, O daughters, hear my words in hope, that is, not without reward rather, but in bright hope. What then is commanded? Remember, he says, the days of a year in which Christ appeared, and preached clearly in the cities and villages throughout all Judea. For He Himself said through the voice of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are bruised, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Arise therefore, he says, that is, be watchful, and having taken up a good hope in your mind, remember the days of the year in which, as I said, the proclamation from the Savior of us all, Christ, was made. He commands them to do this not feebly nor yet carelessly, but as with haste and with care; for in this way good things are achieved. The vintage has perished, the seedtime has ceased, it shall no longer come. Be amazed, be grieved, you who are confident; strip yourselves, be naked, gird your loins, and beat upon your breasts. For the desirable field, and for the fruit of the vine, thorn and grass shall come up on the land of my people, and from every house gladness shall be taken away. A rich city, forsaken houses, they will abandon the wealth of the city and the desirable houses. And the villages shall be caves forever, a gladness for wild donkeys, and pastures for shepherds. He shows in these words that for those of Israel it would not be without penalty, but rather would be the cause of all torment and disaster, not to be willing to accept the word from Christ. For the cities throughout all Judea were about to be devastated, as the Roman hand burned them all, so that they were seen empty of men, and the choicest of the fields were laid waste, and those who had barely been able to escape went into exile, and fell from home and wealth, and the once populous city or village became a haunt for wild beasts. But if anyone should wish also to accept a spiritual interpretation of the preceding, he will understand this: Vintage, as I think, and seedtime he calls the power of spiritual fruitfulness, by which we are well-pleasing to God, not producing the manifold sin as a thorn, but being honored by God as rich and fruitful earth. The wretched Jews, therefore, have fallen from spiritual fruitfulness; and the spiritual vineyard has become thorn-bearing earth. "For he waited, he says, for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns." And it was also said through the voice of the prophet concerning Israel, that they sowed what was wind-blasted, and their destruction will await it. "A stalk having no strength to make meal." The vintage, therefore, he says, has perished, that is, You will no longer be called a vineyard. For none of the ripe fruits is yours. The seedtime has ceased; you will not be a land bearing fair offspring nor a nurse of cultivated fruits. For this reason and very fittingly, be amazed, that is, be astonished and wonder. Be grieved, you who are confident. For you who formerly were high-minded, he says, in God, when you see your heart destitute of all good, then indeed, then be grieved. Strip yourselves, be naked, gird your loins, and beat upon your breasts. For the desirable field and the fruit of the vine. The cause of the lamentation, he says, is the perishing and complete disappearance of a desirable field and a wondrous vineyard. And through this he signifies Israel. And he also makes it clear in another way, and says, that On the land of my people thorn and grass shall come up. For, as I said, Israel was laid waste. For He gave up his vineyard, and commanded the clouds not to rain upon it. And it has become a gladness for wild donkeys, and pastures for evil shepherds, that is, of unclean spirits. Thus also the blessed David, fashioning his words as about the vineyard of Israel to the Savior and God of all; "You brought a vine, he says, out of Egypt, you cast out the nations, and planted it." Then he adds, saying; Why have you broken down its hedge, and all who pass by the way pluck it? The boar from the wood has wasted it, and a solitary wild beast has devoured it. For just as owners neglect uncultivated lands, and they have no care, even if every kind of harm is brought upon them; so also our virtue-loving God abandons a soul, and shows it bare of all care, if it should become barren of fruits for good works. Until a Spirit from on high comes upon you. And Chermel shall be a desert, and Chermel shall be reckoned as a forest. And judgment will rest in the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in Carmel. And the works of righteousness will be peace, and righteousness will hold fast rest, and they will be confident forever; and his people will dwell in a city of peace, and will live in confidence, and will rest with riches. He also makes clear the time, during which the disobedient race from Israel will be barren of spiritual fruitfulness. For he transfers the word to, I say, those who have honored our Lord Jesus Christ with obedience, and have been cleansed through faith in him, and have come to be in participation of the Holy Spirit. For, he says, the things foretold will come to pass, and Israel will be laid waste because of its unruliness, until a Spirit from on high comes upon you. For as we have read in the Acts of the holy apostles; "They were all gathered together in one place, around the days of holy Pentecost. And behold, suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were gathered; and there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and they sat upon each one of them, and they began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." When, therefore, he says, the Spirit of God from above and from on high comes upon you who believe, then Chermel will be desolate. But Chermel, or Carmel, is a very large mountain in Judea, and covered with thick woods. He therefore compares both Jerusalem itself, and all the surrounding country to Chermel, as it has an innumerable multitude of inhabitants. But it will be, he says, desolate and will be reckoned as a forest. And by forest he means the wild wood, which is useful for burning. For the untamed trees are cut down, and they are food for the flame. When Chermel is cut down, and reckoned as wild wood, judgment will rest in the wilderness. And he enigmatically calls the land of the nations "wilderness," which the prophet Isaiah himself mentions elsewhere, saying; "Be glad, you thirsty wilderness. Let the wilderness rejoice, and blossom as the lily." But it is compared to a wilderness because of being fruitless and, as it were, stripped bare, and there being absolutely nothing standing in it. But this too has become rich. It has also appeared most fruitful with trees spiritually, because Christ dwelt in it. And so he spoke again through the voice of the prophet Isaiah; "And I will make water in the wilderness, I will put rivers, in the dry land, the cedar, and box-tree, and myrtle, and cypress, and white poplar." For by these are signified the souls that are well-pleasing through faith in him, and are raised to the height that comes from various and manifold virtue. Judgment, therefore, he says, will rest in the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in Carmel, which is to say, good will be practiced in both the wilderness and in Carmel. But Chermel and Carmel are not one thing and another, but one mountain is signified by both. How then will it be desolate and be reckoned as a forest, and righteousness will dwell in it? We say that Israel has not completely fallen from its kinship with God, but the remnant has been saved, and those from them who have believed are gathered together with those from the nations. And Christ has dwelt in these and in those, who is righteousness and judgment. For we have been justified in him, with sin being abolished and Satan being destroyed by a just and right judgment. What then will Christ, who is righteousness, accomplish by dwelling in the desert? He makes it clear, saying: And the works of righteousness will be peace. "For our Lord Jesus Christ, having come," as Paul says, "preached peace to those who are far off, and peace to those who are near," that is, to both Greeks and Jews; and righteousness has established rest among us. For having made peace with God, and having destroyed the enmity, we are in cities of rest, and of delight for ages. And we have become trusting in him forever, and we have dwelt in the city of peace, that is, the Church of the living God. For in it dwells Christ, who is peace, and we have rested with wealth. For those who were formerly in want of every good thing and of all virtue, who were without God in the world and had no hope, are now rich through Christ, and we shall be even more so, having received a most abundant increase of the gifts from above and from God. But if the hail comes down, it will not come upon you. And those who dwell in the thickets will be as confident as those in the plain. Since the Jews had acted impiously toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and had killed him with a power that reached unholy reasonings and undertakings, a most violent hail, that is, the things from divine wrath, was brought down upon the whole land. For it was given over to desolation, was captured, and was sacked, and they were scattered to every wind according to the voice of the prophet. When, therefore, the hail is brought down, he says, that is, the things from divine wrath, it will not come upon you who have believed and who dwell in the city of peace, nor will it destroy the fruits of our righteousness, nor will it ruin our good labors, but those who dwell in the thickets and those in the plain will be trusting in equal measure; and what is this? For the land adorned with thick woods is somehow rough and not easy to plow. But the level and smooth land is suitable for those accustomed to farm, for the generation of edible seeds. Therefore, with God's assent, all things will be in fruitfulness, and the land that was formerly rough will be shown to be a nurse of cultivated seeds. For all things bear fruit through Christ, that is, intelligibly and spiritually. And no one sows on thorns. But having broken new ground according to the voice of the prophet, let us sow for righteousness, living no longer according to the flesh and love of pleasure, but rather conducting our lives according to the gospel. Blessed are those who sow beside all waters, where the ox and the donkey tread. The discourse having been diverted to the works of farming and the fruitfulness in the fields, he persists in the metaphor, and calls blessed those who sow beside water, where the ox and the donkey tread. For the divinely-inspired Scripture calls water the divine and heavenly word for us, and the mystagogue of the saints. For they too speak in the Spirit. And the Savior himself will confirm it, saying: "It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." For since the word of God is life-giving, for this reason it is also very fittingly compared to water. For water is life-giving, and the cause of all fruitfulness. Having therefore the intelligible supply of such waters, we are accustomed to cultivate the things that lead to virtue. And we are eager to sweat at the labors of piety; in these waters the ox and donkey tread; that is, both the people from the Jews, and indeed also from the Gentiles. For God has justified the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. And as Paul says: "Having broken down the middle wall of the partition, and having abolished the law of commandments in ordinances, he created the two into one new man, making peace. And he reconciled them to God, having placed one yoke on both, and having joined them in one mind, through faith and love and sanctification." And he compares that from the Jews to an ox nation; for the ox is a clean animal according to the Law; and it was offered up as a fragrant aroma to God. But the donkey is unclean. And so, having commanded the firstborn of the beasts to be offered to God; "For you shall sanctify to me, he says, every firstborn that opens the womb... ...... "of a donkey you shall exchange for a sheep;" nevertheless, even if the people from the nations were unclean, perhaps because they had gone astray, they were still sanctified through faith. For in Christ he has been justified, he has washed off the filth of ancient accusations through holy baptism, and mixed, as I said, with those from Israel, he has been brought under the yokes of our Savior. Woe to those who afflict you; but no one makes you afflicted, and he who rejects you does not reject. Those who reject will be captured, and handed over, and as a moth on a garment, so they will be defeated. He calls blessed those who sow beside all waters, where the ox and the donkey tread. And we were saying that by these are signified both those from the Jews, and indeed those from the nations called through faith to the knowledge of Christ. But it was likely for some to reason, and indeed to say: Then how are such ones blessed, when those who mind the things of the world persecute them, and always surround them with unbearable circumstances, and often bring them even to death itself? Therefore the discourse sobers up for the exhortation of those who have believed and says: Woe to those who afflict you, but no one makes you afflicted. For to suffer for Christ's sake is glorious for the saints, but for those who inflict the persecutions, the matter is a cause of destruction. They therefore show themselves to be afflicted, and not rather those who have suffered, if indeed those who suffer with him will also reign with Christ. But even if someone should reject you, he says, this one also rejects himself. For those accustomed to doing this will be captured, that is, they will not escape the things from divine wrath; and they will be, by the judgments brought upon them, as if for consumption, just as surely as a garment by a moth. Therefore, the labor for the saints, as I said, is a cause of eternal good things. But to choose to harm those who are dedicated to God is not without penalty for those who do this. Rather, it will be a pretext for the last judgment of all. Lord, have mercy on us, for in you we have trusted. The seed of the disobedient has come to destruction. But our salvation is in a time of affliction. When God has addressed the saints: Woe to those who afflict you; but no one makes you afflicted; they themselves, out of exceeding great joy, almost leaping, say: that every labor of those who choose to disobey will be useless, and that, suffering from great barrenness, they will proceed to destruction, but the manifestation of the salvation to be given to them will certainly be at the proper times. For all their power is in Christ. And even if they should seem to be weak at all at any time, I mean, in being persecuted by enemies, yet then indeed especially He who knows how to save shows the magnitude of His gentleness towards them, and of His help from above. Therefore, in a time of affliction is the salvation for the holy mystagogues especially. And the all-wise Paul will show this by writing: "For when I am weak, then I am strong." And indeed, the Savior of all also [said] to him: "My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness." Through the voice of your fear the peoples were driven out. From your fear and from your exaltation they were scattered among the nations; But now your spoils shall be gathered, of small and great. In the way that one gathers locusts, so shall they mock you. That for those from Israel who choose completely and in every way to disobey, and do not accept faith in Christ, it will come to pass that they suffer the most shameful things of all; and so on the one hand the Law through Moses cried out, but no less do the words through the holy prophets also make it plain. And indeed Christ himself also said: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will say to the mountains: Cover us, and to the hills: Fall on us." Through the voice, therefore, he says, of your fear, that is, the voice that terrifies into fear, peoples were astonished, and the phrase, they were astonished, is instead of, they were amazed, he says. And they have suffered amazement. In what way? From, I think, the greatness of the calamity. For the unbearable of evils puts one out of his mind, and renders the one who has suffered it, as it were, senseless. But if someone should choose to understand the phrase, they were astonished, also in another way, the word would signify, instead of, they have gone outside of the land that bore them. And so they were scattered into all the nations. And up to this point is the voice of the holy prophets, but the person of God is introduced immediately saying to them, that is to those who are amazed and scattered, that Now your spoils shall be gathered, of the small and the great. For not for long, he says, will you be delivered to your enemies, nor will what is threatened be delayed. But rather you will be plundered at once, small and great. And those who ravage you will gather you, as if someone in the fields should gather a multitude of locusts, not accomplishing the task with labor, but rather without toil, and as if in sport. And one might say that Israel has suffered this very thing, being spiritually delivered to Satan, and to the unclean spirits, as to certain enemies for plunder, and to be mocked like locusts. Holy is God who dwells in the heights. Zion was filled with judgment and righteousness. In the law they will be delivered up, in treasures is our salvation, there is wisdom, and knowledge, and piety towards the Lord; these are the treasures of righteousness. The saints cry out again, and with fitting doxologies they hasten to honor the Savior of all, God, who dwells in the heights, that is, either in the heavens, or also in rational creatures whose style it might be, as in an intelligible magnitude of manifold virtue. Therefore, they glorify God, amazed at Zion, that is, the Church of Christ, seeing it filled with judgment and righteousness. For the earthly Jerusalem is deprived of so glorious a renown. For it in no way accepted the righteousness from God the Father, that is, Christ. But the Church from the nations, the intelligible and truer Zion, has become full of judgment and righteousness; and judgment in these things denotes the righteous judgment upon each matter. For it is the custom for the saints to live rationally, and lawfully, and to be gladdened by the evangelical ordinances. Then they marvel at those from Israel, as having the law, although it was given by God for assistance, yet having perished through it. For as the blessed Paul writes, "Not knowing the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." For the law was in shadows, established until the time of reformation. But when the new preaching shone forth, and the truth was brought in, it was necessary, surely, for the types to cease, and for the shadow to become ineffective, but contentious Israel, although wishing to agree with the law, and insisting on the commandments of Moses, and thinking to be pious through this, has been delivered to its enemies. For it was not right to dishonor the truth with such long-standing disobediences. Therefore, in the law they will be delivered up. But for us who from the nations have believed, even the law spoken long ago through angels with Moses as mediator was found a treasure of salvation. For there, that is, in it is both wisdom and knowledge, and piety towards the Lord. For the law of Moses has proclaimed the mystery of Christ, and we will find the power of the evangelical way of life as in shadows, directing our slender understanding to what has been written. And indeed the Savior said to the people of the Jews, "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me." Therefore the law is a treasure of righteousness for those who do not pay attention to the shadow, but rather look through it, and are eager to investigate the beauty of the truth. Behold, in your fear they themselves will be afraid; those whom you feared will be afraid of you; angels will be sent asking for peace, bitterly weeping, begging for peace. For their ways will be made desolate, the fear of the nations has ceased, and the covenant with them is taken away, and you will not reckon them as men. Again in these things, the Lord of hosts is seen encouraging the holy mystagogues; and freeing them from all fear, and revealing beforehand the breadth of the good things that will be theirs. For the wretched Jews were persecuting the holy apostles; on the one hand summoning them to the council, and on the other beating them with rods, and counting as a written and powerful indictment against them their piety toward Christ, and their zeal and eagerness for the divine proclamation. For they were saying, "We strictly charged you not to speak to anyone in this name. And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching." And we will find the holy apostles themselves fearing the assault of the Jews, but falling down before the all-holy God, and saying: "And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness." Behold therefore, he says, they will rather fear you, and not you them; those whom you feared will be afraid of you. And in due time they will send angels asking for peace, and weeping bitterly. For their ways will be made desolate, that is, they will not prosper, having chosen to fight against God, and resisting the Lord's commands. For long ago Israel, I mean at the beginnings of the divine proclamation, was unbearable to the holy mystagogues. But when the multitude of the believers became beyond number, in every city and country their folly was then conquered, and they are under the feet of the believers, defeated and weeping, and considering it sufficient for their contentment to be thought worthy of at least peace with them. This, I think, is the meaning of the prophecy. For, he says, the fear of the nations, that is, of the Jews, has ceased, and the covenant with them is taken away. For they have become strangers to intimacy with God, and aliens to the promises; because "Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel, nor are they all children because they are Abraham's seed; but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as seed," that is, those of the faith in Christ. For the forefather Abraham was justified through faith. The covenant with them having been taken away, therefore, he says, you will not reckon them as men, that is, you will consider them worthy of no account. The land mourned, Lebanon was ashamed, Sharon became a marsh. Galilee and Carmel will be manifest. Lebanon is a mountain in Phoenicia, among the most conspicuous, very well covered with cedars and other kinds of trees. It is the custom in the divinely-inspired Scripture to compare the synagogue of the Jews to this mountain, since it has a multitude of inhabitants beyond number, just as indeed it says to it through the voice of another prophet. Open, O Lebanon, your gates. Therefore the land mourned, and not simply all of it, but only the land of the Jews, which suffered devastation by the Romans. Perhaps also being forsaken by God, and banished from his good pleasure. And Lebanon was ashamed, that is, Jerusalem. For she who was once illustrious and renowned, and fortified by favors from above, and having an invincible strength against all, has fallen under the feet of enemies, has been burned, and laid waste, and has been deprived of the mercy from God, Sharon has become a marsh. There is a place in Judea, whose name is Saronas, having indeed well-plowed fields, and being exceedingly suitable for the need of farming. But the land, he says, so fruitful and most fertile has become a marsh, that is, overgrown with a great abundance of thorns having sprung up in it. And again, from the likeness of the more manifest things, it admits a spiritual contemplation. For Israel was laid waste, as it were; and she who was once the nurse of cultivated fruits, and like a good and rich land, that is, that of the The synagogue of the Jews has become thorn-bearing. "For I waited, he says, to make grapes, but it made thorns." But these things will happen to the Jews, for they have acted impiously toward Christ. But Galilee, and Carmel will be manifest, that is, apparent, and conspicuous to all everywhere. And by Galilee he means the land of the nations, that is, the nations. And perhaps the Church from the nations, which he also deems worthy to compare to Carmel. For Carmel is a mountain both thick with woods and high. And such in a way is the Church of Christ. For very many who have been nourished in her have a God-loving mind, and full of every good, raised on high, and removed from earthly affairs. For it is written that the mighty ones of the earth of God were greatly exalted. And it is a custom for the divinely-inspired Scripture to compare the Church to mountains. Now I will arise, says the Lord, now I will be glorified, now I will be exalted. Now you will see, now you will perceive; the strength of your spirit will be in vain, fire will consume you; and the nations will be burned, as a thorn in a field thrown down, and burned. The only-begotten Word of God, existing in the form and equality of God the Father, as from Him by nature, and ineffably begotten, emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and having been made in the likeness of men, humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross. But since, after enduring the cross for the life of all, He came to life again as God, then indeed He inflicted the fitting penalty on those who had driven to this point of impiety, so as not only to disobey Him, though He was calling them to life, but also to dare to surround Him with insults and torments, and even with death itself. For they also perished badly there, with their cities being burned. And when the land was completely ravaged, then indeed they learned the glory of the one who had suffered, and having slipped into such terrible and inescapable misfortunes, they barely knew that their impious acts were not unholily committed against one of the prophets, but against the Savior and Redeemer of all. Since the divine wrath was about to fall upon them very soon: Now I will arise, he says, says the Lord. For having borne evils as God before the precious cross, having already suffered the things upon it, He all but rises up against His enemies. And He was glorified and exalted, having delivered to destruction those who had fought against Him to the end, and having called the nations through faith, and having illumined with intellectual and divine light those formerly in darkness; and having the mist from ignorance in their mind, and heart. Now therefore I will be glorified, now you will see, now you will perceive, for the strength of your spirit will be in vain, that is, it will come to nothing. For I will overcome you, even against your will, and you will be food for fire, just as a thorn in a field burned, and thrown down. For they were consumed, as I said, having fallen into the movements of divine wrath, all but an all-consuming flame. For as the blessed Moses says: "Our God is a consuming fire." Those who are far off will hear what I have done, those who are near will know my strength. The lawless in Zion have departed, for trembling will seize the impious. Our Lord Jesus Christ was sent from God the Father to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. For theirs were the promises, the lawgiving, and the covenant, and the fathers, and He continued making Himself manifest to those throughout all Judaea; both by using teachings that were beyond the law, and by astounding them with signs from God that were beyond reason. But the matter became completely unprofitable for the Jews on account of the great awkwardness of their mind. For the Lord was teaching; but the Scribes and Pharisees, rebuking those who were listening, would say: "He has a demon, and is mad; why do you listen to him?" He rebuked wicked and unclean spirits, and this with authority, as God; but they, truly slandering such a supernatural and ineffable power, dared to say: This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons. Therefore they have been rejected, and very rightly so, having no share in the hope in him. But the nations have been initiated, and they have received the saving and evangelical proclamation. This, I think, he teaches by saying: Those from afar shall hear what I have done. For insofar as it pertains to being instructed in the law, Israel was near; but the nations had stood aloof from intimacy with God, clearly a spiritual intimacy, having worshipped creation rather than the Creator; But these, he says, shall hear what I have done, since Israel was unwilling to hear. Those who are near shall know my strength. For Israel has not utterly perished; indeed, very many of them have believed, being, as it were, near to God. Because they had already received instruction in the law, they have come to know the strength of Christ. For they have believed that he has worked wonders as God. But these, he says, shall know. But the lawless in Zion have apostatized and have become entirely outside the hope of the saints. Trembling will also seize them, although they are exceedingly impious. For the experience of the calamities brought upon them will be sufficient for them to be afraid, and to dread hereafter the insolence from them. Who will tell you that a fire is burning? Who will tell you of the eternal place? In these things, he shows that those who are impious toward Christ will fall into a harsh and inescapable punishment, becoming food for fire at the time of judgment. For he himself also said somewhere: "Truly, I say to you, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." Therefore, he says, to those who are hard-hearted and have chosen to disobey, he will announce the eternal place, and that a fire has been prepared and is kindled, and this continuously. For as the prophet himself says again somewhere concerning those who have died in their own trespasses: "Their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and they will be a sight for all flesh." Walking in righteousness, speaking the straight way, hating lawlessness and injustice, and shaking his hands from bribes, making his ears heavy so that he does not hear a judgment of blood, shutting his eyes so that he does not see injustice; he will dwell in a high cave of a strong rock; bread will be given to him, and his water will be sure. You will see a king with glory, and your eyes will see a land far off, your soul will meditate on fear. That some, therefore, fortified by their impieties against Christ, will go down to Hades to be punished and will fall into the unquenchable flame, he has very well declared. And he usefully adds, by which he makes it clear, who would be the ones who ought to partake of eternal life, and who will delight in due season in the gifts from him, which are clearly divine and spiritual. For the one, he says, who walks in righteousness, that is, the one who has honored the works of righteousness and has practiced an excellent life, and the one who speaks the straight way, that is, the one who has on his tongue everything that leads to what is straight, and the one who hates injustice, and anyone who is above the love of money and an enemy of bribery, and who turns his hearing away from a judgment of blood, and turns away his eyes so that he might not see any unjust things, he will dwell in a high cave of a strong rock. For he will be in safety, he says, and as if having an unshakeable dwelling in a rock, he will find permanence in all desirable things. And it is likely, indeed, that through these things the Lord our Jesus Christ has been named a rock for us, in whom the Church is understood as a kind of cave or sheepfold, having a safe and unshakable permanence in well-being; "For you are Peter," says the Savior, "and on this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." To the one, therefore, he says, who dwells in such a rock, bread will be given, and sure water will be supplied. For to those who dwell in the Church, the bread of life is given, Christ, from God the Father, and indeed also faithful water, that of holy baptism, clearly making faithful and steadfast those who are deemed worthy of it. For the grace of holy baptism is given to those who have been cleansed through holy baptism. But you who have received a king with glory, you will see, he says, that is, Christ. And you will see a land from afar, for you have not yet seen the land about which the Savior says: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." With the eyes of the mind we behold it as if still from afar. For this reason indeed we are accustomed to meditate on the fear of God, so that we may be in it and together with the other saints, being filled with the gifts through Christ, we glorify him. Where are the scholars? Where are the counselors? where is he who counts the people assembling, small and great? Whom they did not counsel, nor did he know a deep-voiced one, so that a despised people might not hear; and there is no understanding for the one who hears. Having set forth clearly the rewards of those who have chosen to be pious, he turns again to the need to grieve, rightly reproaching the teachers of the Jews as having sinned out of folly, when they could have prospered through grace from above, and had a God-loving zeal for virtue by accepting the faith; but the wretched ones did not do this, but rather slipping, they were caught in more shameful things in many ways. And yet, though they were accustomed to speak the law, and to busy themselves with the voices of the holy prophets, thus, to know the God-Logos who had appeared to them in human form, and had shone upon those on earth, they were ignorant of him, or perhaps, having understood the mystery, they became bitter. For when they recognized the Son sent from God the Father after the servants, they said: "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us have his inheritance for ourselves." And indeed they did kill him, as far as their undertakings had power, even if he was not held by the gates of Hades. Inciting against him the people under their hand, who cried out to Pilate himself, saying: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" And for this reason, being guilty of the highest impieties, and weighed down by the charge of deicide, they became strangers to the hope in Christ, and lost their intimacy with God and slipped into incurable calamities. Therefore he says to them: Where are the scholars? instead of, In what evils have they ended up? And by scholars he means the scribes. Where are the counselors? And who might these be? Again, those appointed for sacred ministry about whom the law of Moses says, that "The lips of a priest shall keep judgment, and they shall seek the law from his mouth." For by the admonitions of the priests, the people under their hand are instructed. Where then are the counselors? Where is he who counts the people assembling, small and great? Here, consider it signified to me again scribes and priests, or rather Pharisees, who heaped up against Christ the people under their hand, and made a conspiracy of peoples small and great; who also, surrounding Pilate's praetorium, demanded, he says, that the murderer Barabbas be released to them, but that the one condemned for no wrongdoing at all be crucified, I mean, Christ. For he committed no sin. Matthew and Mark, the blessed evangelists, remember this. For when Pilate said that they should rather release to them at the feast Jesus, who had committed no offense, Matthew says that the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas, but to destroy Jesus. And Mark himself, as I said, says this very clearly. Where then is he who counts the people assembling, small and great, whom they did not counsel, nor did he know a deep-voiced one, so that a despised people might not hear, and there is no understanding for the one who hears. And the arrangement of the words is indeed very difficult, and the meaning in them is difficult to behold. But I will speak as is possible. For where, he says, is he who numbers the gathered people, small and great, which people they did not advise? For the great populace, it seems, was ignorant that the one cried against was Christ, the Son of God, and they did this because those who knew, that is, the leaders, did not rather advise it to embrace faith in him. For the people, he says, did not know the deep-voiced one, that is, Christ. And he calls him deep-voiced, because his words were hidden, and as in riddles and parables. And so he is introduced through the lyre of the psalmist, saying thus: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world." And he also spoke to the Jews in parables. Therefore they did not advise the people, he says, nor did they know the deep-voiced one. But they did not advise, so that a depraved people would not listen. For if they had advised, a depraved people would not have listened. But rather, blessed are those who have recognized the Redeemer. But there was not, he says, understanding in the one who heard. For the Jews, being without understanding, did not test the voices of their leaders, nor did they discern whether they were ever advising good things, or doing the opposite. Behold Zion the city, our Salvation, your eyes shall see Jerusalem, a rich city, tents which shall not be shaken, the stakes of its tent for all time, nor shall its ropes be broken, for the name of the Lord is great for you. A place shall be yours, rivers and canals broad, and spacious. Between the words of God which he has made against the foolish Jewish scribes and those giving unholy counsel, the persona of the lovers of truth is again introduced, who have recognized the appearance of Christ and are saying: Either the Church on earth, or that is, the beautiful city above in the heavens, the nurse of the saints. So whether one should name the Church on earth, or should receive that other one into the mind, the thing signified by both will be one. For those who have been in the one below will, in due time, also be in that one above and in the heavens. Therefore, since out of great joy they, so to speak, leap for joy, having recognized Zion, in which is our salvation, that is, Christ, and point it out to one another, immediately the divine word takes up their voices, and says: Your eyes shall see Jerusalem, a rich city; and it speaks as from the likeness of the ancient tent in the wilderness. And it calls Zion rich, and that the tent will be unshakable. For it affirms this, having unbreakable ropes, and stakes fixed forever. For the Church is founded, and has an unshakable permanence for well-being; "For the gates of Hades," he says, "will not prevail against it." And it gives the reason why it will be such, and says to those who have believed in Christ, that the name of the Lord is great for you. For to those who have not embraced the faith, the name of Christ is not great and glorified. But among us who have believed, it is great and exalted. For we worship him as God, as truly the Son of the Father, as the Word become man for the salvation of all things. This ever-abiding tent, therefore, he says, shall be a place for you. For we have made the Church of Christ a city, as it were, a type of the one above. And in it there will be rivers and canals broad and spacious. And by these he signifies the holy evangelists, the apostles, those who from time to time are leaders of the Churches, who, like a river's stream, water the minds of the faithful, overflowing them with the words from God, and sending upon them abundant consolation, that is, clearly, the consolation through the Holy Spirit. But all these rivers and canals receive the one from on high, that is, clearly, Christ, concerning whom it is written: "The streams of the river make glad the city of God." And somewhere he also says He Himself through the voice of a prophet concerning His own worshippers: "Behold, I will turn toward them like a river of peace, and like a torrent overflowing with the glory of the nations." You shall not go this way, nor shall a galley with oars pass by. For my God is great. The Lord will not pass me by. The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler; He will save us. The discourse has again shifted to the person of the believers. For since he made mention of rivers and canals, for this reason, and very appropriately, he speaks as if about a ship. And what then this means, I will try to make clear. For before the coming of our Savior, Satan plundered the inhabited world, with no one rebuking him. But since we have been redeemed through Christ, and dwelling in the holy tabernacle, I mean the Church, we luxuriate in the evangelical and apostolic words, we have grown bold against him who was formerly strong in oppressing, and that Christ will keep our hearts, not allowing the inventor of lawlessness to trample upon them; wherefore we who have believed say to him: You shall not go this way, nor shall a galley with oars pass by, that is, we shall no longer be accessible to your oppressions; nor will you be found in these rivers, like some galley with oars. But perhaps someone might say: From where have you taken courage to say this? Yes, he says, we have courage. For my God is great, and He will not pass me by; that is, he will not pass through me, as Satan formerly did. I will not be subject to his feet; For the Lord is our judge. The Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king, the Lord Himself will save us. For of old, he himself was that most perverse and cruel ruler of ours. But since we have submitted to the evangelical and saving yoke, we have had as judge, ruler, king, and Lord, the Son, and He will save us. But the prophet Isaiah himself teaches this in another way, speaking both about the Church of God, and about those who have been justified in the faith that is in Christ: There will be a clean way, and it will be called a holy way, and there will be no unclean way there, nor will there be a lion there, nor any of the evil beasts, nor shall any go up there. But the redeemed by the Lord will walk in it. Your ropes were broken, because he did not prevail. Your mast has leaned over, it will not slacken the sails, it will not raise a sign, until it be given up for plunder. Having mentioned a ship, and having named a tabernacle, he again takes up the divine digression; and he says, as if to the Synagogue of the Jews, that is, the tabernacle, that Your ropes were broken, because he did not prevail. For of Zion, the rich city, he says the ropes will not be broken for all time. For our Lord Jesus Christ has founded, as I said, His own Church upon a rock; but the ropes of the Jewish tabernacle were broken, as it were, for they did not prevail. And just as when a violent wind pours down, the sails of a ship are stretched tight, and are by no means slackened because the wind does not permit it, but it suffers shipwreck; so, he says, your mast has also leaned over, and will not slacken the sails. Therefore he makes the declaration of what has happened to the Synagogue of the Jews from the image of those who are sailing. But neither will it raise a sign, he says. But it will remain thus until it be given up for plunder. Behold, he uses this example also, signifying to us in many ways the things that have happened to them. For it is the custom for those who have been victorious in war to raise a sign, that is, to set up a trophy. But those who are defeated do not raise a sign. Therefore, he says, it will not raise a sign, that is, it will not overcome its enemies, but will rather be weak, until it be given up for plunder. And through all these things he signifies that it will both lie under the feet of Satan, and will suffer shipwreck, and will never overcome his perversity, unlike those who inhabit the unshakable tabernacle; but it will rather be for plunder for him. Therefore many who are lame will take spoil, and he will not say: I am weary, the people who dwell in them; for their sin has been forgiven them. Jews indeed for, although they had obtained the ability to walk upright from the tutelage in the law, they have been given as spoil to Satan. But those from the gentiles, although having a lame mind, for they had been led astray and did not know how to go on straight paths, will make spoil. For they will gain the things from God, conquering Satan. And that also having sent away the grievous burden of sin, they will have spiritual rest, he makes clear, saying: The people dwelling in them shall not say, I am weary; for their sin has been forgiven them. For those of the blood of Israel, since their sin was indeed laid upon them; for they in no way accepted the justifying grace, are reasonably given as spoil, and as it were captives to the inventor of sin. But those who have become better than to be accused on account of sin, for it has been taken away by Christ who cleanses, will be within all gladness, and they will be freed from all toil, having sent away what causes grief. The blessed David also mentions these things, saying: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Although the one accustomed to sin says that, "My iniquities are gone over my head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me." And it was unbearable and lawless [ρυμφρ. λεγιτ ὁ νόμος] . And so Christ said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Draw near, nations, and listen, rulers. Let the earth hear, and those in it; the inhabited world, and the people in it. Because the wrath of the Lord is upon all the nations, and his anger upon their number, to destroy them, and to deliver them to the slaughter. And their wounded will be cast out? and the dead, and their stench will ascend, and the mountains will be soaked with their blood. And the heaven will be rolled up like a scroll, and all the stars will fall like leaves from a vine, and as figs fall from a fig tree. My sword has been made drunk in heaven. Having spoken very well of the Synagogue of the Jews falling into shipwreck, and that it will be delivered to those who ravage it for spoil and capture; and having added to these the calling of the gentiles; For many lame, he says, will make spoil; he makes the instruction necessary for those who once had a lame mind, but have learned to walk upright through faith in Christ. He therefore calls to mind the coming judgment upon all, both small and great. For this reason he says to the nations as though they were still standing far off: Draw near, nations, and listen, rulers. And he has put "draw near" instead of "approach". For as long as they are perchance in error, and worship creation rather than the creator, they stand somewhere far from God. But when the cause is removed, on account of which they are said to be far off, they are brought near to God, and are considered to be near, having become partakers of him, through the partaking of the Holy Spirit. Approach, therefore, he says, both nations and rulers. And let the earth also hear, and those in it, the inhabited world, and the people in it. And what is it that is being indicated? For wrath, he says, is hanging over all those in it, and not simply or indiscriminately; but it will come rather upon those, who have had their sin unforgiven, and the filth from sin ingrained in their own souls. And that they will perish, and will be delivered, as it were, to destruction and slaughter, and will defile the whole place, as in the case of destroyed bodies, he forms the figure of speech. For the mountains, he says, will be soaked with their blood. Then, making the time of this clear, he brings the consummation of the world into the midst, and says, The heaven will be rolled up like a scroll, and the stars will fall like leaves. For as the Savior's disciple said concerning the last day: "Because in it the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements, being scorched, will be dissolved, the earth and the works in it will all be burned up. And new heavens, and a new earth according to the promises we await Him." Therefore, that the heaven will be rolled up, and that the stars will fall, would signify the renewal of this universe. That creation will be set free, the divine Paul also said, from the slavery of corruption, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Adding that, "My sword has been made drunk in heaven," he gives us to understand that the assault of divine wrath will not come only against those on earth, but will indeed run against the unclean spirits themselves, whom it is the custom of the Holy Writings to name "world-rulers of darkness," and "spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." For they will be punished and, as it were, they will satisfy with the justice they undergo, the sword of God, having tyrannized for long ages, and having destroyed, as far as was in their power, the whole world under heaven; and paying the penalties for such terrible impieties. Behold, it will come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of destruction with judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made thick with the fat of lambs, and with the fat of bulls, and of rams. From the universal judgment he brings the discourse down to the punishment brought upon the Idumeans, on account of their impiety toward Christ. Yet he calls Judea "Idumea"; having altered it slightly, so that he might seem also to be mocking it. For Esau, who was born of Isaac, having sold his birthright for a single meal, is rightly called Edom, that is, earthly; for such was the mindset in him. From him, then, those from him are called, that is, Idumeans. For they too are earthly, they might be thought to have an earthy mindset, as I say from the interpretation of the name. Therefore he calls Judea Idumea, as not knowing how to mind the things above, but rather having settled in earthly matters, and having a carnal mindset. Behold, therefore, the sword made drunk in heaven, he says, will now come down upon Judea, or Idumea, and upon the people of destruction, yet with judgment. What other people of destruction could there be but Israel? For it was unwilling to honor the Redeemer by faith. Yet the sword is with judgment, that is, with righteous judgment; for not simply, or indiscriminately, and as it were utterly, has Israel perished, but the remnant has been saved through faith, that is, faith in Christ. For not a few from Judea have also been called, and have believed in Christ. But upon those who have disobeyed the sword of the Lord was filled with blood, that is, the wrath, all but slaughtering, and striking down, as it were, certain rams, and stout and fat bulls, to whom it might fittingly be said by us: "Come now, you rich, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming upon you." And we will add to these words this: "You have lived in luxury and self-indulgence on the earth; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter." For such have the leaders of the Jews become, grazing, as it were, in a fat and spacious place on the fruit-offerings from the people; and being fattened, as it were, by the honors from all. But like rams and bulls they have fallen, the wretches, having fallen upon the sword of the Lord. For there is a sacrifice for the Lord in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in Idumea; and the stout ones will fall with them, and the rams, and the bulls, and the earth will be made drunk with blood, and will be filled with their fat. Bozrah is interpreted as distress, and fortification, and good news, and indeed also flesh. Therefore he names Idumea also Bozrah, so that you may understand it as fleshly, or as distressed, that is, besieged; or good news, for Christ preached the good news in it. And I would add, that it is also a fortification; for the Lord was round about it, and round about his people, as it is written. But in this, he says, is a sacrifice to the Lord. For they have been sacrificed by the swords of the besiegers, and not ascending to God as a fragrant aroma, but to the satisfaction of the sword that strikes them. That not only in Idumea will be spent multitude, but indeed also of the notables among them, a very great and pitiful fall will occur, he hints enigmatically, saying, that the stout ones, and the rams, and the bulls will fall with them, and that the earth will be drunk with their blood, and will be filled with their fat. For as in the case of bulls and rams thrown to the ground, and sending forth a great pouring of blood from being consumed, and all but watering it, he says such things. For it is the day of the Lord's judgment, and the year of the retribution of the judgment of Zion. And its ravines shall be turned into pitch, and its land into brimstone; and its land shall be burning, like pitch, night and day, and it shall not be quenched for eternal time, and its smoke shall go up. It shall be desolate for generations, and birds and hedgehogs, and ibises, and ravens shall dwell in it. And a measuring line of a desolate geometry shall be cast over it, and onocentaurs shall dwell in it. More clearly in these things he allows to be understood what he said through riddles. For he names Zion, for which he says a day of judgment and a year of retribution have come, during which, their whole land having been, so to speak, sprinkled with pitch and brimstone, they will be consumed by a savage fire, and will have unquenchable flames; and by the rising smoke, perhaps, it is consistent to understand the report, as it were, of the suffering, signifying even to those far off the magnitude of the disaster brought upon them. He says it will be desolate for generations, and he speaks of the things that happen to desolate cities. For he says that birds, and hedgehogs, and ibises and ravens will make their lairs in it, and indeed that it will be measured out as a desert, with onocentaurs dwelling in it. By onocentaurs he means the wild asses, for whom it is a favorite pastime to make their dwelling in completely desolate places. And by hedgehogs he means those of the mice that are clothed in spines. But if someone should choose to receive also the innermost interpretation of these things, we say that desolate and, as it were, isolated minds of men, because the God of all does not dwell in them through the Spirit, will be apportioned to the evil beasts, and the unclean spirits will lodge in them, in the form, I say, of the named hedgehogs and ravens and wild asses. Her princes shall be no more, for her kings, and her rulers, and her great ones, shall be for destruction. By saying "stout ones" and "rams" and "bulls" in the preceding, [he means] the leaders of the Jews, that is, those who had obtained conspicuous glory, either in the manner of the priesthood, or by being in great wealth and distinction; he names them "rulers" in these verses, making the declaration concerning them clearer. Those, therefore, who once were their kings, he says, and the rulers and the great ones shall be no more. For they will no longer revel in powers over all, nor indeed will they raise a haughty brow, indulging in such exalted honors; but they will be thrust from the thrones of authority; and having slipped from royalty, as it were, and been cast out from ruling, they will go away to destruction, together with the others destroyed by them. For they became an occasion for destruction for those under their hand. And the God of all will teach this, saying: "Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have polluted my portion." They have made my desirable portion a trackless wilderness. It has become a ruin of destruction. And thorny plants shall spring up in their cities, and in its strongholds; and it shall be a habitation of sirens, and a court for ostriches. And demons shall meet with onocentaurs, and they shall cry one to another; there onocentaurs will rest. For they have found rest for themselves; there the hedgehog has made its nest. Again in another way he attempts to make clear for us the things that happen in deserts. For as long as the cities are populous, none of the wild plants grows in them; and the... that rejoice in deserts also depart of wild beasts. But when they become depopulated and deprived of their inhabitants, then the land will be found like some wasteland, full of thorns, a dwelling place for sparrows, especially for sirens. By sirens he means those winged creatures that send forth a mournful voice at night, and all but wail aloud, which are quiet during the day, and dwell in the desolate places of the lands; but they make their flights mostly in darkness, like the owl, and similar creatures. And by demons and onocentaurs meeting one another, and indeed crying out, one to another, he hints at the, as it were, unmitigated desolation of the cities. For evil spirits are said to inhabit quiet places. And those wild beasts that make much of being away from humans, and are trained to wildness by natural laws, also take up their lodging there most gladly. And the earth saved her children with safety; there hinds met, and saw one another's faces. They passed by in number, and not one of them perished; another did not seek her companion, because the Lord commanded them, and his spirit gathered them. And he will cast lots for them, and his hand has divided it for them to pasture; you shall inherit it for eternal time, for generations of generations they will rest upon it. Saying that the land of the Jews would be given over to utter desolation, and be completely deprived of the mercy from above and from God; and of love, he again remembers those who were saved in it. And these would be the remnant, that is, those through faith. And concerning them he says here, that "The earth has saved her children with safety." For the believers from Israel have become sons of the land of the Jews, having found safety and, as it were, an unshakable tower for help in our Lord Jesus Christ. And from the children who have been saved, the divine disciples have become in a way hinds. And they are compared to hinds very fittingly. For this animal is a snake-killer, and is accustomed to frequent springs of water. And such are all who are raised to the lot of piety towards God, being well-suited for the destruction of the spiritual dragon, by overthrowing his glory and rendering the son of his inherent wickedness inert and ineffective. But they also indulge in the spiritual springs of waters, that is, in the provisions of spiritual goods, which all but water the mind, rendering it fruitful for God. There therefore, he says, that is, among those who were saved, hinds met one another. They marveled at one another. For this, I think, is what "They saw one another's faces" means. And not one of them was in danger, for this again is what "They passed by in number, and not one of them perished, one did not seek the other" means. Who then is the one who saved them? "The Lord commanded them, and his spirit gathered them," and he commanded to make disciples of all nations; and to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. "And he will cast lots for them, and his hand has divided for them to pasture for eternal time." For lots, as it were, have been assigned to the holy apostles, among whom each was to preach. And so the divine Peter was appointed to the circumcision. And the Spirit declared, saying: "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them; and they became apostles of the Gentiles." Therefore his hand divided lots for them, so that they might pasture for eternal time. For since he made mention of hinds, he necessarily added "to pasture"; for they all but fed upon the lands, delighting in those called through faith to the knowledge of truth, and this is their lot. And so the divine Paul addressed those saved through him, saying: "My joy and crown." And that their boast in these things will be kept for them unendingly by God, he makes clear by saying, "They will rest upon it." Upon what? Clearly, upon the inheritance assigned to them by God. But to commemorate one must also [hear] the blessed David singing about them, that "The voice of the Lord strengthens the hinds, and will lay bare the thickets." For the multitude of the nations, greater than number, were shown by God as thickets, as it were, for spiritual hinds, which they browsed spiritually, luxuriating in the gentleness of the believers. Be glad, O thirsty desert; let the desert rejoice, and blossom as a lily. The deserts of the Jordan shall blossom and be glad; and the glory of Lebanon is given to it, and the honor of Carmel, and my people shall see the glory of the Lord, and the majesty of our God. It is the custom of the divinely-inspired Scripture to call the Church of the gentiles desert and barren, which once was in this state, having neither the spiritual bridegroom from heaven, I mean Christ, but also being in want of every good thing, and being as it were a nurse of thorns, both thirsty and waterless. But since Christ has been in her; (for He was received through faith and she has been enriched with the divine stream from Him; for He is a fountain of life, and a torrent of delight; and He it was who said through one of the holy prophets: "Behold, I am turning upon them like a river of peace, and like a torrent flooding the glory of the gentiles;") she is no longer barren and desolate; but rather she has many children and is under a bridegroom, and spiritually flourishing. Let the one who was formerly thirsty, then, rejoice, he says; and let her blossom like a lily, having at once both a flourishing and a fragrant quality. For she has become the fragrance of Christ, and Paul will confirm it, writing that "We are the sweet aroma of Christ to God." But 'the deserts of the Jordan,' he says, means the desert around it. For not to the disobedient of Israel, but to us from the gentiles, or also to those of them who have believed, has the stream of the Jordan been given, and it is with us; for we are baptized in it, and, as I said, the holy spring has become ours. To this desert, therefore, he says, which was once thirsty, but has now obtained the renowned Jordan, has been given the glory of Lebanon, and the honor of Carmel. But Lebanon and Carmel are very often said to be Jerusalem, and the divine temple itself. But the glory formerly befitting the holy city and the divine temple has been given to the Church of the gentiles, and in her we have beheld the glory of the Lord, and the majesty of God. The Jews for their part approached the Lord as a mere man, and as one having no advantage over others; but we have beheld the height of his glory. For we know Him to be God, who for our sake became man according to the economy, and thus is God. Be strong, you weak hands and feeble knees. Comfort those of faint heart; be strong, do not be afraid. Behold, our God renders judgment and will repay. He himself will come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be clear. A fitting mystagogy, and a spiritual exhortation for those of the gentiles called to the knowledge of Christ, is the saying, Be strong, you weak hands and feeble knees. For to those still wandering, the hands are idle, and the knees are feeble. And he does not say such things entirely about the parts of the body, but we shall find those in deceit and error to be spiritually sick. For neither is a work of piety to be found among them, nor strength of knees, that is, of mind, for those traveling the pure way of righteousness. But be strong, he says, so that they might also be able to run to God. But you, as ones appointed to the sacred ministry of the divine preaching, comfort the weak, say clearly to the faint-hearted: Be strong, do not be afraid. For the mind is not strong in those who do not know God; for they fear, as it were, the assaults of the passions, and Satan who long tyrannized over them, and in addition to this, death. But behold, he says, God, that is, the Savior is not far off, who will repay with judgment. For he will condemn the ruler of this age, and will deliver the oppressed from slavery under him. For he will come, he will come and save us. What then? He will come then to those upon the earth, the eyes of the blind will be opened. For those who once worshipped the creation rather than the Creator, will make that very creation, which once led them astray, a certain guide, as it were, leading them well to the knowledge of the Maker. For from the beauty of created things, their author is contemplated by analogy; and as Paul says, "For his invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, both his eternal power and divinity." Therefore the eyes of those who were once blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will hear. For those who once shook off the words about God, and strove to make the sacred instruction of the saints unacceptable, will gladly receive it. And the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the stammerers will be clear. For those of old, he says, not knowing how to walk straight, but having their minds, as it were, paralyzed, will leap up like deer, that is, they will be swift of foot and of good repute; spiritually, that is, and in addition to this, also serpent-slayers, and knowing how to speak well. For they will speak the things of God rather, no longer saying to the wood: "You are my father; and to the stone: You gave me birth." But it should be known that Christ also fulfilled these things physically, astounding Judea with his ineffable divine signs. Because water has broken out in the desert, and a ravine in the thirsty land. And the waterless land will become marshes, and in the thirsty land, a spring of water; there will be the joy of birds, a haunt of reeds, and marshes. He has commanded the thirsty desert to rejoice; then he immediately adds the cause of the joy. For water has broken out in it, he says. And the word, has broken out, is well-used, so that the abundance of the supply might be signified by it. And he says ravine, instead of river; and when this has happened, what was once waterless will then be turned into marshes. And it will have a spring of water, either the holy Jordan, or rather Christ himself, the Savior of all; for he is a spring of life, and a well of living water. Upon them has come the gathering and joy of birds. And by birds in these things he means those who have flown up from earthly affairs, and who have become lofty through virtue, choosing to think on things above; these rejoice in Christ as in a spring, who made the desert a haunt of reeds, and marshes. For the well-wooded places are always wont to be crowned with marshes. But the Church from the nations, having been enriched by the stream from heaven, and watered by the divine gifts, and having reveled in the teachings of the saints, is a nurse of marshes, and of reeds, that is, of those who have flourished in Christ unto a blameless life through sanctification. There shall be a clean way, and it shall be called a holy way, and no unclean person shall pass over it, nor shall there be an unclean way there; but the dispersed shall walk on it, and they shall not go astray. And there shall be no lion there, nor shall any of the evil beasts go up on it, nor shall it be found there, but the redeemed through the Lord shall walk on it, and the gathered shall return, and they shall come from Zion with joy, and everlasting joy shall be over their head. For on their head shall be praise and exultation, and joy shall overtake them, pain and groaning and grief have fled away. He calls the power of the evangelical way of life a clean way, or in other words, the purification through the Spirit. For it wipes away the stain ingrained in the souls of men, and frees them from transgressions, and shows them to be superior to all filth. Therefore it has rightly been called a holy and clean way, but inaccessible to those not yet purified. For no one lives according to the Gospel without first having been enriched with the purification through holy baptism; therefore, none of the unbelievers. For these unclean ones will walk, he says, on it. But rather the dispersed will walk, that is, those whom Satan scattered, and it refers to the nations, and they will not go astray. For long ago they were led astray, having worshipped wood and stones, and going on crooked paths. But now they will learn the straight and pure path that leads to a holy life. And that, having become free from the rapacity of the devil, they will live such a glorious life, he clarifies, saying that ‘Neither lion, nor indeed any other of the evil beasts will be there,’ that is, on the pure way. For of old, like some savage beast, the inventor of sin, along with the unholy spirits, leaped upon those on earth; but he was weakened in Christ, and has been driven away from the flock of believers, and by Christ was scared away from his rapacity against them. Therefore, on this pure way, those redeemed through Christ, and gathered together through faith into one accord, will walk, and leaving the old path, they will turn away and come to Zion, that is, the Church, having unutterable gladness on earth and in heaven. For they will glorify the God who saved them. Exultation and gladness, and every form of delight in Christ, will overtake them, and they will be completely without taste of sorrow and groaning. For those who are called with such glorious hopes, who will be heirs of eternal life, and who are about to be enriched with the boasts of glory from above, and who expect to reign with Christ himself, what sorrow will they share? or what groan will they admit? the God of all; the evil beasts will be consumed and will perish. For they will rejoice rather, as being in every way and entirely in all that is good.

Discourse 20

And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came up against the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. And the king of the Assyrians sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to king Hezekiah, with a great force, and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller's field. The account of the history is clear to all who are more eager to learn; nevertheless I will speak, summarizing as much as possible. When Ahaz was reigning in Jerusalem, and then Pekah son of Remaliah, and Rezin the king of Syria were besieging Judah, and had determined to lay their hand upon Jerusalem itself, the aforementioned [king], being weak for resistance, sent an embassy, and indeed called for aid Tiglath-Pileser king of the Assyrians, and with many gifts persuades him to come to his aid and to check the aggressions of the kings who had conspired against him, I mean, of Samaria and of Syria. When this was done, his enemies perished. For the Assyrian took both Damascus and Syria, and from then on, Ahaz came under his hand, and under tribute and taxes. He was one of the very worst. For he was an idolater and God-hated, and had perhaps surpassed all others in his perversities against God. When Ahaz had ended his human life, Hezekiah reigned in his place, being his son, but a God-loving man, and one who embraced the boasts of the highest righteousness and piety. This one, it says, rebelled against the king of the Assyrians. For he did not endure to allow his own kingdom to be under tribute, as Ahaz had indeed. For this reason Sennacherib the king of the Assyrians, as one who was owed to have all of Judah under tribute, and their very kingdom, was kindled to anger, and having ravaged Samaria, he set his army against the cities throughout Judah, and having taken many, he then sends Rabshakeh against Jerusalem itself, not for the present to move weapons in the manner of war, but rather with threats and promises of clemency to entice the common people. And there went out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Somnas the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. And Rabshakeh said to them: Say to Hezekiah: Thus says the king, the great king of the Assyrians: Is battle array made by counsel or by words of the lips? And now in whom do you trust, that you disobey me? Behold, you trust in this broken reed of a staff, in Egypt, upon which if anyone should lean, it will go into his hand. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt, and all who trust in him. The gates being evidently shut, and the most warlike people standing by the walls, performing the duty of ambassadors, the chosen men of the king, and the leaders among the priests, went out to Rabshakeh. But he, being of Persian cruelty, and having a mouth speaking great things, according to what is written, acted insolently against the glory of God. And he names Hezekiah by a bare title, not adding king; nor any other of the things that are most fitting for such eminences. But the king of the Assyrians, he does not simply say this, but even calls him great. And he says that, Is battle array made by counsel or by words of the lips? For since the Jews, having the law through Moses, were considered wiser than the other nations; and indeed they said, Blessed are we, O Israel, for the things that are pleasing to the Lord are known to us; Rabshakeh brings this boast to nothing, saying that in the face of imminent war and battle, it would be completely useless to help them, both the knowledge of laws, and prudence and mere counsels, and that which is, as it were, skillful in words. And since some of those who had reigned in Judea had called on the hand of the Egyptians for aid, although doing this wrongly, the Assyrian thought that now too Hezekiah did not trust in God, but in certain others, or rather in those of the Egyptians who held the land. For this reason he calls it a reed staff. For the hope in them is somehow fragile, he says, and always easily broken, and it harms rather than having the strength to help those who use it; just as a reed staff, upon which if one should rest, he will surely break it, and it will injure the one who trusted in it. But if you say: 'We trust in the Lord our God,' now make a wager with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to set riders on them. And how can you turn away the face of one governor? Again he speaks rashly, and lifts up his horn on high, and speaks injustice against God. For if indeed, he says, you trust in him, make a wager with my Lord, that is, arm yourselves and stand for battle. And I will add two thousand horses for you, and this will suffice, he says, as proof that you will overcome the hand of the Assyrians if you find men to ride them or who even know how to ride horses in battles at all. Then how, when you are not able to fulfill even this, will you overcome one governor? For the rule of the Assyrians is divided, and it has subject kings under the one greater than all, who were also named governors. Servants are they who trust in the Egyptians, for horse, and for rider. And now have we come up without the Lord against this land to war against it? The Lord said to me: Go up against this land, and destroy it. He completely cuts off the hope in the Egyptians, all but saying that those who trust in it are already ranked among servants. For they will be easily captured, he says, having trusted in horse and rider. Then he utters something bitter and, as it were, from his inherent wickedness, affirming that the battle against Judea is not undertaken without the Lord. For if indeed, he says, as you yourselves say, the God among you is great and most mighty, and champions the land, how have we come up against it? For if we have overcome the strength of the defender, he is not great, but rather small and weak. But if he is great and powerful, we are not hindered wishing to ravage Judea; we did not come up against it without the Lord. And Eliakim, and Somnas the scribe, and Joah said to him: Speak to your servants in Syriac, for we hear; and do not speak to us in Judean. And why do you speak in the ears of the people on the wall? And Rabshakeh said to them: Has my lord sent me to your master, or to you, to speak these words? Is it not to the men sitting on the wall, so that they may also eat? The common folk are always somehow easily terrified, and far too ready for despair, especially when war is at hand, and when slaughter is expected, and conflagrations throughout the city. For this reason, and very prudently, those conversing with Rabshakeh say that he should not speak in Judean, but rather use the Syrian tongue. For they did not want words full of barbarian madness to be injected by him into the hearing of the common people, even though King Hezekiah was urging them to valor, and stating clearly that the Lord was with them, and that for those who trust in God, hope is unshaken, while human affairs are easily shaken, and are as nothing at all, I say, compared to His power. But Rabshakeh understands, and is not ignorant of the reason for being prevented from speaking in Judean. For this reason he says that the purpose of his mission was not to them, nor indeed to the king, but rather that he might converse with those on the wall. But he acts insolently again, and belches out words from an unclean heart, saying that for this reason they are sitting on the wall guarding the city, so that, starving and having become in want of both bread and water, they might be brought to this point of necessity, as to make for themselves food and drink of things utterly detestable and perhaps fit for dogs. And Rabshakeh stood, and cried out with a loud voice in Judean, and said: Hear the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians. Thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you with words that will not be able to deliver you; and let not Hezekiah say to you, 'God will deliver you,' and 'this city shall not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians.' Do not listen to Hezekiah. Thus says the king of the Assyrians: If you wish to be blessed, come out to me, and each of you will eat from his vine, and from his fig trees, and you will drink water from your cistern until I come and take you to a land, like your land, of grain and wine, and of bread and vineyards. He now directs his words to those seated on the battlements, who were eager to resist those wanting to besiege the city; again and again he calls the Assyrian a great king, and belittles the hope placed in God, and calls Hezekiah a liar and a deceiver, for saying that they should rather depend on God, and in no way fear the assaults of men when He is their defender. Then he makes promises to those who desert to him, that they will be in their own lands for a time. For this is the meaning of, 'Until I come and take you.' They will enjoy their own fields, and he soothes, as it were, the terror of captivity, and conceals the harshness of the matter with deceitful words, adding, 'Until I come, and take you to a land like your own land.' For he compares the land of the Assyrians to the land of the Judeans, all but saying: Even if you leave Judea and come to be with us, you will no less find your own land. For the land of the Persians and Assyrians is a land of grain and wine, and of bread and vineyards. Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying: 'God will deliver you.' Did the gods of the nations each deliver their own country from the hand of the king of the Assyrians? Where is the god of Hamath and Arphath?and where is the god of the city of Sepharvaim? Were they able to deliver Samaria from my hand ? Which of all the gods of these nations has delivered his land from my hand, that God should deliver Jerusalem from my hand? And they were silent, and no one answered him a word, because the king had commanded not to re- to be judged. Rabshakeh is again barbarous in his opinion, and is heavy with his words against God, and is greatly proud that the Assyrians have taken as many cities of the nations as possible, with none being saved by the falsely-named gods within them, but he was ignorant that those were wood, and stones, and the artful work of a human hand, and nothing else. But the God of Judea, or rather of the whole world, is a living and true God, not recently made, but rather the maker even of the ages, and creator of all things, and Lord of hosts. Therefore Rabshakeh thinks it will be the clearest proof for the Jews, that they will be completely and entirely captured, even if the great God should help them, that none of the gods among the Greeks was able to save a city, or a country in which it was honored. For this reason he says: Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arphad? And he adds, were they not able to rescue Samaria from my hand? But, O most wretched one, I would say, they themselves also worshipped the golden calves, and the land was captured as God withheld his help. And, as I said before, if none of the gods among the Greeks has saved his own, this means nothing with respect to the God who is truly, and by nature, and great. For they obtained by human art the lot of at least being seen only. But He rules over all things, and has an invincible hand, being the Lord of hosts. But no one answers Rabshakeh, as the king commanded them to be silent, and very prudently. For uncultured words, and a barbarous spirit, and for the tirades against God, it was necessary to weep rather than to argue back. And this, I think, the blessed David teaches when he says: "I set a watch on my mouth, while the sinner stood against me. I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things." And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, the steward, and Shebna the scribe of the host, and Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh. And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went up into the house of the Lord. At the boasts of Rabshakeh, and the unbridled tirades concerning God, those sent to him tore their tunics, and reported to the king the things outrageously proclaimed out of Persian madness. And he tore his garment, and changed into sackcloth, that is, a garment of mourning, and went up, it says, into the house of the Lord. And what was the reason for tearing their garments? It was a custom for the Jews to do this at blasphemies against God. And so the Savior was handed over to the leaders of the Jews, and the judge of the world was judged by them. But He was silent, not answering the voices of those who spoke falsely. Then the high priest says to him: "I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God? Jesus says to him: You have said so. Nevertheless, I say to you, From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his garments, saying: He has blasphemed." And the God of all things also said through one of the prophets to those of the blood of Israel, that "Rend your hearts, and not your garments." For perhaps they thought to be pious, and to please God with the highest honors, by tearing their tunics at the blasphemies against him, even if they took no account of the things decreed through Moses. Hezekiah put on sackcloth, that is, a garment of mourning, and he goes up into the house of God, and very fittingly. For it is fitting to mourn, and for those in the height of evils to weep and be afflicted, and to place hope of salvation in God, and to sit before him, and to frequent holy places, where one might most fittingly make supplications to him. And he sent Eliakim the steward, and Shebna the scribe, and the the elders of the priests clothed in sackcloth to Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, and they said to him: Thus says Hezekiah: Today is a day of affliction, and of reproach, and of rebuke, and of wrath, because the birth-pang has come to the one giving birth, but she does not have the strength to give birth. If perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, which the king of the Assyrians sent to reproach the living God, and to reproach the words which the Lord your God heard, and you will pray to the Lord your God for these who are left. Those prominent in the priesthood and crowned by law with the highest honors, along with the others, he commanded not to be in sacred garments and those more fitting for the liturgy, but rather to go clothed in sackcloth, that is, in garments of mourning, to the blessed prophet Isaiah, and to report that a day of affliction and reproach had befallen them. For, it says, God all but reproaches those dwelling in the holy city, as having neglected the gentleness according to the law; and he rebukes them for having sinned, and thus brings upon them things from his wrath. And they clearly affirmed that their affairs had come to such a state as to make Israel resemble a woman giving birth, but who has come to her last extremity for being unable to bear the child. And he wishes that the God of all would, through the mediation of the prophet, listen to the words of Rabshakeh, which he has heard by himself. For nothing of existing things escapes his notice, as many had already been destroyed in other cities, and their houses burned. Pray, he says, for these who are left. Hezekiah is exceedingly pious, calling upon him who is honored by God, clearly the prophet, to become a helper. It is therefore beneficial to fall down before God through the leading saints. For on their account he grants his favor, and often pities even the tear of those who are accustomed to be slothful. And Isaiah said to them: Thus you shall say to your lord: Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the envoys of the king of the Assyrians have reproached me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and having heard a report he will return to his own land, and he will fall by the sword in his own land. God gives courage, and not after a long time, but straightway and immediately, to the one trusting in him, and has shown his hope to be beneficial, and that it is not without reward to run to the house of the Lord, and together with prayers to shed a tear from distress. Thus is the Master of all appeased, being philanthropic. But since Rabshakeh, shearing off the hope of being saved from those of Israel, even if the all-powerful God should choose to save them, impiously said: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, that God will deliver Jerusalem from my hand. Have the gods of these nations each delivered his own land from my hand? For this reason and very appropriately he frees them from terrors, and does not allow them to be dismayed by cold and old-womanish words and by barbaric foul-mouthedness, but rather he strengthens them for a much-desired hope, saying that the arrogant tyrant would be carried back to his own land unwillingly, by a malevolent spirit terrifying and driving him unbearably into fears for his own kingdom, and that he would fall by the sword, having been in no danger at all in a foreign land, nor yet having boasted in the slaughters of his enemies, nor being rich in the splendid rewards of valor against his foes; but while spending his time in his own land, he has fallen there in his own land, this happening contrary to hope and unexpectedly. For where one would think he would be spending his time freed from terrors, there he has fallen, and by those from whom it was likely he would be saved while in danger. And who these were we shall know from what follows. And Rabshakeh returned, and found the king besieging Libnah; and the king of the Assyrians heard that Tirhakah king of the Ethiopians had come out to besiege him; and when he heard it, he returned and sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying: Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Let not your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying: Jerusalem will not be given over- lem into the hands of the king of the Assyrians. Or have you not heard what the kings of the Assyrians have done, they have destroyed all the land? Did the gods of the nations rescue them, whom my fathers destroyed, both Gaza and Haran, and Rezeph, which are in the country of Teman, Where are the kings of Hamath, and Arphad, and of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena and Ivvah? When Lachish had perhaps been captured, and had come under the barbarian hand, Libnah was besieged after it, there Rabshakeh is said to have overtaken the Assyrian; but he was greatly disturbed. For Tirhakah, king of the Ethiopians, had marched out against him. Then, fearing lest, his country having been seized, he might be cast out from his most illustrious thrones, he leaves Judea, and hastens rather to his own land; nevertheless, he did not abandon his inherent cruelty. But being inflamed, as it were, to unrestrained anger, perhaps because those of Israel, that is, those who inhabited the holy city, were not willing, having been persuaded by the words of Rabshakeh, to desert to him, the miserable one again speaks rashly against the glory of God; and he commands some of his own men to go quickly to Hezekiah and report to him the things from him. And these were blasphemies against God, saying clearly: since the gods of other countries or nations have perished along with those who worship them, not even the God of the Hebrews himself would be able to deliver them, and snatch them from the hand of the Assyrians. Then he enumerates the cities that have been sacked, which it was likely could do much, from which others have suffered. By these same things he terrifies them, as men about to die, and those who have trusted in Him, the God who rules over all. And Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, and opened it before the Lord; and Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who sits upon the Cherubim, You alone are God of every kingdom of the world. You made heaven and earth. Hear, O Lord; look, O Lord, and see the words which Sennacherib has sent, to reproach the living God. Out of very great piety toward God he spreads out the letter, not as if God were ignorant of the greatness of Sennacherib's arrogance, but rather crying out against the barbarian madness, and making God himself, who has authority over all things, a witness, as it were, of that man's insolent speech. But see how he refers to the words of Sennacherib, raising his supplication. For the one, for his part, mocked the glory of God: "Let not your God deceive you," he says, "in whom you trust, saying: Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians." But the other confesses the greatness of his authority, calling him Lord of hosts, and God of Israel, and over all creation, both heavenly and rational. "For you are," he says, "the one who sits upon the Cherubim." And he confesses that even if some are called kings on earth, nevertheless the one who is king by nature and in truth, and who has all things under his feet, would be himself and alone the creator of earth and heaven, and who by his nod established the things that once were not. And he exhorts him to hear and to look, that is, not to overlook and to pass by such bitter blasphemies; but to punish the sinner with justice. For he has reproached the living God, he says, that is, the one who is in no way like those of the nations, to whom that man, comparing him, impiously grew insolent. For truly the kings of the Assyrians have laid waste the whole world, and their land, and have cast their idols into the fire. For they were not gods, but the works of men's hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them. But you, O Lord our God, save us from their hands, so that every kingdom of the earth may know that you alone are God. I have heard, he says, the barbarian saying: "Did the gods of the nations, each one, deliver his own land from my hand?" And if someone should say this, I approve and I am persuaded. For they have conquered all the earth, and have burned the cities, the falsely named gods being able to offer no help; for they have saved no one. For how, or from where, could things made of wood and stone and the works of art of stone-working, and being the artistic creations of craftsmen; For this reason they have perished along with their own worshipers. But You, save us, O Master. For this is also a proof, and it persuades all under heaven, that they must be firmly disposed to the fact that You alone are God. For just as the capture of the lands of the nations testified against the falsely named gods, that they are nothing at all; so also Jerusalem's escape from his hand, being under Your care and Yours alone, both testifies and will make clear to all everywhere the proclamation of Your strength and undefiled glory, and that You alone are God both in heaven and on earth. And Isaiah son of Amoz was sent to Hezekiah, and said to him: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I have heard what you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians. The one who saves is not far, but near and, as it were, at the heels of the prayer is the fulfillment of the requests. For the prophet is sent; having been silent for a time about the barbarian, and not having announced God's verdict on him; "Thus says the Lord," he says, "the God of Israel." He strengthens the one who has believed, and does not declare one of the falsely named gods to be the one who sent him, but rather, making him courageous, he names the Lord, and the God of Israel. And he praises and accepts, as it were, saying: I have heard what you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians. For it is as if he says, "I accept your zeal, I know your love for God, I have made the blasphemy against me unbearable; you came in tears, and as one grieving on my behalf, and I have made your grief the reproaches directed at me." Most praiseworthy, therefore, is the zeal of the saints, and when the glory of God is blasphemed, when they grieve, God is gladdened. This is the word that God has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and mocked you; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you. Whom have you reproached and provoked? Or against whom have you raised your voice? And you did not lift up your eyes on high to the Holy One of Israel; for you reproached the Lord through messengers. He then makes clear the verdict against the barbarian; and says that the virgin daughter Zion, that is, Jerusalem, will make a mockery of him and will shake her head. And we say that he names Zion, that is, Jerusalem, a virgin and a daughter; a virgin, as being undefiled and not having the stain of abominable idolatry; and a daughter, because he has assigned to her the disposition due from a father to his own children. And she has despised the Assyrian, that is, she has shaken her head at him in a certain way; for she smiled at the vanquished, and has made his misfortunes, as it were, a song and a harmonious melody. Then he says to him: Whom have you reproached and provoked? Or against whom have you raised your voice? For was it one of the falsely named gods whom you grieved with such ardent words? And yet how was it not necessary, he says, to raise the eye of the mind on high, and to consider who and how great is the God of Israel? It was necessary, from the very sight of created things, to see correspondingly the magnitude of the Creator's power. It was necessary to behold the height of his glory, and to think nothing of more earthly things concerning him. But remembering none of these things, he says, you have reproached the Lord. For you said: With the multitude of my chariots I have gone up to the height of the mountains, and to the ends of Lebanon, and I have cut down the height of its cedar, and its beauty, and I entered into the height of a part of the forest, and I set up a bridge, and I have made waters desolate, and every gathering of water. He explains the pomp of Persian arrogance, and its senseless puffing up, and the magnitude of its boasting. For he compares to Lebanon, as we have already said, both the land of the Jews, and perhaps that of the Samaritans, which the ten tribes inhabited. For Lebanon is a mountain in Phoenicia, flourishing and thickly wooded with cedars, trees lifted very high up. The land of the Jews is understood in this way: high, because God was its defender, yet thick, because those in it were seen to be beyond number. But the Assyrian tyrants took Samaria, and ravaged with it not a few cities of Judea. You, therefore, he says, O Assyrian, having an arrogant spirit, and attributing the outcome of events to your own powers, said that With the multitude of my chariots I have gone up to the height of the mountains, and to the ends of Lebanon, that is, against the kingdom itself among those of Israel. I cut down the height of his cedar. Whose? Of Lebanon, that is, of Judea. And by the height of the cedar he means their kingdom, and he entered into the height of a part of the forest. For as I said, many cities of Judea were destroyed along with that of the Samaritans. And you said that I have made a bridge, and I have laid waste waters, and every gathering of water. For the Persians and Assyrians, attributing to their own powers the ability to accomplish everything, in their running through the lands, they would bridge rivers, and they would often carry on, being so numerous, as to be able to exhaust springs, and gatherings of waters, and sometimes not even rivers would suffice for the thirsty men and horses together. And the Greek chroniclers, as many as have made mention of the Persians in their own writings, say that they also bridged the Hellespont itself; and even if a river, they say, was found in the midst of their passing through either a country or a city, the tyrant would command, saying: 'Let it be consumed by drinking.' Therefore, the God of all remembers the arrogance of the Persians, and rebukes those accustomed to boasting. Then after this he shows that they were not rather able to succeed, in those things wherein they have thought so arrogantly; but rather his decree, brought against the transgressors, created in them the reputation of being able. Have you not heard of old what I have done? From ancient days I ordained it, and now I have commanded it to lay waste fortified nations, and those who dwell in fortified cities. I have lifted my hands, and they withered, and became as a dry flower on the rooftops, and as grass. Do you not blush, he says, attributing to your own powers all these things which you think you have accomplished? But, O you who have a vain brow for nothing, have you not heard of old what I have done? For if you should wish, he says, to investigate the words of my prophets, I have already said beforehand that these things would happen. For I from ancient days ordained, that is, I determined and decreed; and I have now brought to pass, as the time called for it, the things foretold, so as to lay waste fortified nations, that is, not weak, and easily captured. I lifted my hands, and they withered. For I, who formerly by forbearance still held them together to exist and stand, withdrew my protecting hand, and like grass they were dried up, and in the manner of a plant they were withered, and like some dry grass were given as food to fire. This indeed he says to him elsewhere also; for since the impious one, having accomplished what was ordained by God to happen, has become greatly proud of himself, he heard God saying again: "Shall the axe be glorified, without him who cuts with it? Or shall the saw be exalted without him who draws it?" For just as such instruments do not move themselves to their work, perchance, but rather await the hand of the one who wields them; so also you, he says, have become an instrument of divine wrath, and you did not yourself work with your own powers, but you were rather like an axe, and a saw, appointed to serve the wishes of the one moving you. But now your rest, and your going out I know; and your anger with which you were angry, and your bitterness has come up to me. You are boastful, therefore, he says, having become a minister of the divine judgments, and perhaps you think that by yourself, and alone, you have prevailed over so many nations and countries, so as to burn and capture them. But I know your rest, and your going out, and your coming in. And by rest, I think, death he calls going out and coming in, the way into anything whatsoever of things to be done. For nothing at all escapes the mind that knows all. And adding, that Your anger, with which you were angered, and your bitterness have come up to me, he all but says, You will not have blasphemed without punishment. For I will in no way overlook the malice and bitterness of your unholy thoughts, but, as if provoked to grief, I will inflict upon your rages the fitting justice for them. And I will put a muzzle in your nose, and a bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way in which you came. Since the Assyrian, having a most beast-like irrationality, was mocking God, and as if leaping into unbridled savagery, was uttering blasphemous cries against the glory of God, for this very reason and quite fittingly, as if speaking of a beast, he says that I will put a muzzle in your nose, and a bridle in your lips, all but leading him by the infliction of plagues, and by the greatness of his misfortunes, as by a kind of bridle, checking his outrageous undertakings. Indeed, he says that the Assyrian will return to his own land. For he returned when he heard that Tirhakah, king of the Ethiopians, had come out against him. And yet, Why on earth, someone might say, when his entire army had fallen, was not only he himself saved, but did he also return to his own land? For it was necessary, it was necessary for him, having been stripped of the multitude under his hand, to escape by providence the hand of the consuming angel, so that he might lament his own misfortune and know against whom he had blasphemed, and report the paradox to all others. And this is the sign for you. Eat this year what you have sown, and in the second year the remnant, and in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and you shall eat the fruit. And those who have been left behind in Judah will be for an escape; they will grow a root below, and will produce seed above. Because from Jerusalem will be those who are left, and those who are saved from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things. Saying that the Assyrian will turn back to his own land, and will depart from the country of the Jews, he defines the time in which this will be, and says: Eat this year what you have sown, and the things that follow this. It is not yet clear to all whether the sign was given to Sennacherib, or rather to Hezekiah and those around him. But we shall speak the meaning of what is written. Then this must be applied to them, or to these. If we say the sign was given to Hezekiah, we understand it thus: For Jerusalem was being besieged, and while a very great army of the Assyrians was attempting to burn and capture it, there was a very great collection of provisions, and fruits stored up, and the things by which it would be possible for those who were being saved in Jerusalem to survive. You therefore, Hezekiah, he says, and all the people with you, eat this year what you have sown; and in the second year, the remnant. And in the third year, sow and reap, and plant vineyards. For having settled in Samaria for two whole years, and having ravaged it all, the Assyrian. When the third had scarcely begun, he went away as a fugitive, especially since those with Rabshakeh around Jerusalem, and who were besieging it, had perished. Therefore in the third year, he says, let there be at last a respite, and for farmers what is sufficient and for vineyard keepers, if they should choose to plant them; peace evidently awarding it and security. And that those who have been saved and left over from the war will be in a firm state of good cheer, he indicates by saying, as of plants, that they will stretch a root downwards, and will cast seed upwards. And that they will dwell securely, and firmly, and outside of all fear, the having a root in the depth gives one to understand. And that the matter of prosperity will be extended to them even to the end, the making of seed above allows one to understand. And he adds, that the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things. For since the Assyrian has blasphemed, and comparing him to the falsely named gods, dared to say, God will not deliver Jerusalem from my hand? All these things it will happen, he says, when the Almighty has been moved to zeal. But if one applies against Sennacherib the saying, "Eat this year what you have sown, and in the second year what is left over," we say that those who are accustomed to wage war, either on countries or cities, when the siege is at times delayed and the battle for them extends over time, they also take up farming, so that they might have provisions. And in this same way, it will be fitting for what was said to be understood also in his case. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of the Assyrians: He shall not enter into this city, nor shall he shoot an arrow at it, nor shall he bring a shield against it, nor shall he surround it with a palisade; but by the way that he came, by it he shall return. He recapitulates in a way the sense of what was said, and the course of the matter to its end, summarizing it in a few words, he makes clear. For he will not engage in war, he says, but before battle, before brandishing weapons, before drawing and shooting an arrow, before raising a shield, before encircling it with a palisade, he will return by the same road, and will run home, he says. But it should be known that by 'palisade' in these verses he means the multitude of stakes fixed in the trenches, sharpened to a point, so that none of those who fall might be saved. Thus says the Lord: I will defend this city to save it for my own sake, and for the sake of David my servant. He cuts down the pride of those saved by the mercy of God, and does not allow those who inhabit the holy city to think arrogant thoughts. For it was indeed very likely that they would think and say that they were honored by God because of the fairness of their character, and the spiritual good order of the righteousness within them. Therefore He saves as God, and He benefits those who are saved, not allowing them to be caught in the waves of arrogance. For He said He would defend the city, clearly the holy one, not because of its inhabitants in any way, nor bestowing the favor on any of those still living at that time, but for His own sake, and for David, whom He also calls His own servant, and for His own sake, because He is good and merciful, and it was necessary, I suppose, to bring upon those who mock His divine glory the punishment most fitting for them. Again, for David's sake, because to the memory of the saints He often grants forgiveness for the things in which their descendants sometimes transgress. And the angel of the Lord went out, and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand from the camp of the Assyrians; and when they arose in the morning, they found all the bodies dead. And Sennacherib king of the Assyrians turned back and departed, and dwelt in Nineveh; and while he was worshipping in the house of Asarach his patriarch, Adrammelech and Sarasar his sons struck him with swords; but they escaped to Armenia, and Achordan his son reigned in his place. The fulfillment of what was expected has been usefully added to what was promised, so that the God of all might not seem to be a liar. For the multitude of the Assyrians was consumed, not captured by the hands of the Jews, not with anyone drawing a bow against them, nor having taken up a spear for battle, or unsheathed a sword, not of mighty horses, but when an angel began the battle, he laid them low with ineffable power, and showed a multitude of dead greater than number. Therefore, the general, that is, Sennacherib, though exceedingly bold, is struck by the miracle, and was with difficulty brought home, and having returned completely stripped of the army he had dragged along, he dwelt wretchedly, it says, in Nineveh. Then what was remaining [ἴσ. εἶτα λοιπὸν] of the promises made by God has been brought to fulfillment. For he has fallen in his house while worshipping a certain patriarch, clearly one of his fathers or grandfathers according to the flesh. For it is the custom of those who have once gone astray, not only to unclean spirits, but also to whatever dead they might choose to attribute this thing. For having once fallen from the straight path, they make their flight to anything that seems good to them without examination. But his sons he says those who killed him are; for when a divine decree was brought against some, those who suffered this would be in danger in every way and entirely, and that they will encounter their own people as exceeding enemies. Not having kinship by blood as a pledge of safety, not the disposition and diligence owed to fathers by their children, but through those by whom it was likely for them to be saved when in danger, through these very ones they are cast into the depths of destruction. And these things, I think, as far as they pertain to the outward appearance of the history, have been said not ungracefully. But I think it is necessary to say something of the innermost doctrines for the exhortation of the spiritual. For the holy city, that is, Zion, or rather Jerusalem, would be a type of the Church of Christ, the truer Zion; this city, the enemies of the truth sometimes, or rather for the most part, besiege, that is, the inventors of unholy heresies; and they do not besiege it alone, but in a way also hiring the powers in the world, the intelligible Sennacherib, that is, clearly, Satan, inspiring them to this, and as it were sending forth those under his hand and those accustomed to serve his perversities, who, when they come to fight against the leaders of the truth, speaking foolishly against the glory of God, will in sum achieve much of no account. For the besieged will be silent, and for what reason, the blessed Paul will teach, saying: "Do not engage in word-wrangling, which is useless for anything;" and again, "A heretical man, after a first and second admonition, reject, knowing that such a one has been perverted." For to those who have once completely inclined to deceit and trickery, and are held fast by falsehood, even the word of those who are accustomed to help is perhaps superfluous. For it is written: Speak into the ears of those who listen. Therefore, when the enemies of the truth either promise honors and rests, just like Rabshakeh the scoundrel, or threaten dangers and battles, one must approach God and lay claim to help from above alone. For the right hand from above, which is all-powerful, will suffice, both to save those who are accustomed to walk uprightly, and for the destruction of those who oppose. For he will drive them away, using certain ineffable strengths, and will thus deliver the holy and blameless Zion, that is, the Church, from war. For the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And it came to pass at that time, Hezekiah became sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him: Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you are going to die, and you will not live. And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying: Remember, Lord, how I walked before you in truth, with a true heart, and I have done what is pleasing in your sight. And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping. Hezekiah was indeed one of the most distinguished for love of God, and had a famous reputation for this. For he tore down altars, destroyed sanctuaries, burned the things in the shrines, cut down groves, and never ceased to worship God with sacrifices according to the law. And he prevailed over the barbarians neighboring Judea, so as to make many subject to tribute and taxes. And he built up cities, and having become altogether full of the highest renown, he was justly admired. But, as the children of the Hebrews say, he was carried away a little from what was fitting, and thought great things of himself, and fell into the snares of arrogance. For this reason, God extended to him the rod of love; "For whom the Lord loves," it says, "he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives." For he strikes as a loving father, moving them to better things, and turning away those caught in baser things. For just as the most severe and skillful of physicians melt away the decayed parts of bodies with fire, or cut them with iron, not being accustomed to do this out of hatred for the sick person, but rather being overcome by concern for him; in the same way, I think, The God of all things cuts away the harm of the sicknesses in us with measured displeasures, so that we may not be condemned with the world, according to what is written. King Hezekiah, therefore, had fallen into a sickness, and indeed the evil had come to its end; for he was in extreme danger through the voice of the prophet, who says that he will die, and that it is fitting for him to set his house in order. And this was not from one who was ignorant that he would live and escape the terrible danger of the sickness by mercy from Him, but from one who was calling and inciting him to prayer, so that by asking he might receive the mercy from Him. For He pities those who are loved, and grants to the genuine the finding of the things they long for, and accepts the words of their supplications. Which indeed has been done. For Hezekiah prayed, saying: Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you in truth, with a true heart, and have done what is pleasing in your sight. The confidence of the just is good; for they all but ask for a requital for what has been done and the fruits of their genuineness. And the God of all things is delighted with those who have lived lawfully, and readily assents to those who maintain an exceptional life, when He sees them weeping and weaving toil with their prayer. And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying: Go and say to Hezekiah: Thus says the God of David your father: I have heard the voice of your prayer, and I have seen your tears; behold, I am adding to your time fifteen years, and from the hand of the king of the Assyrians I will save you, and I will defend this city. And this will be the sign to you from the Lord, that God will do this word that he has spoken. Behold, I am turning back the shadow of the steps which the sun has gone down, the ten steps. And the sun went up the ten steps which the shadow had gone down. Not a long time passed, but immediately God assents, and accepts the prayers of the just man. For as it is written in the books of Kings, before the blessed prophet got outside the king's court, the word of God came to him. Having returned therefore immediately, he makes the words from Him clear. For he said that He had heard his voice, that is, had accepted the prayer, and had looked upon his tear; and He immediately grants him the ability to escape the terror of death, and He signifies the measure of the life that was added, so that looking to the end, and being disposed that he would in any case altogether die, he might make the disease of arrogance unacceptable to his mind. And He promises that, just as He had already promised, He would indeed make him stronger than the hand of the Assyrians, and would defend Jerusalem. And He did these things, removing every kind of despondency, and winning back with good things from his gentleness one who had been very greatly grieved. For the one who struck will bind you up. For the God of all things is good and merciful. And He confirms for faith that the things promised will come to pass, by the sign concerning the sun, according to the turning back of the shadow that then happened on the ten steps. And they say that Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, by some contrivance and art had prepared some steps to be made in his own house, which were, as it were, a clock, and were accustomed to measure the course of the sun by the descent of the shadow that came upon them. Therefore, that Hezekiah was about to return to life, God made manifest by the sun's shadow going backward, and by the day being extended to an unusual measure of hours. And nothing at all is impossible for the Master of all things, but whatever He should choose, He accomplishes by only nodding His assent. "PRAYER OF HEZEKIAH KING OF JUDAH, When he was sick, and arose from his sickness." I said in the height of my days, I will go to the gates of Hades; I will leave behind the remaining years. I said: I shall no longer see the salvation of God on the earth, I shall no longer see a man of my kindred. I left the rest of my life; it went out and departed from me, like one who takes down a tent he has pitched, my spirit was with me, like the web of a weaver who is near to cutting it off. On that day I was delivered up, until morning as to a lion, so he crushed my bones; for from day until night I was delivered to him. It is necessary to say this before all else: for the Seventy have put, in these words, the phrase "in the height of my days," while other interpreters have rendered it "in the midst of the days." But I think, and very prudently, that the words of the Seventy have been set down. For the holy city had been besieged by Rabshakeh and those with him surrounding it with the multitude of Assyrians, greater than could be numbered. But God promised through the voice of Isaiah that he would do marvelous things, and would save those in danger, and would remove the tyrant from Judea, and that he would die upon reaching home. Therefore, when all these things had come to pass, at the time the God of all had said, the boasts of Hezekiah's kingdom were about to be lifted on high. Therefore I said to myself, he says, that in the time of glory, that is, in the very heightening of my days, I will be in the gates of Hades, and I will leave behind the remaining years. Then he adds to these things by which it happens that those seized by sickness converse with the ultimate terrors, and see death not far off. These things are: I shall no longer see salvation from God, nor indeed see a man of my kindred; I have let go the rest of my life, it has departed from me; and I have become like a tent being taken down, and like the web of a female weaver, that is, one who works, or rather, one who weaves, and is finally near to cutting it off. Then he says that, In the whole night and day my bones were delivered up as to a lion crushing them. And who is the lion? Either the burden of sickness, and death, all but roaring like a wild beast in appearance, and threatening its attack, that is, the unleashed terror of expecting to die. For fear and despair together crush the soul, and shatter all its strength. Like a swallow, so will I cry, and like a dove, so will I meditate. For my eyes failed from looking to the height of heaven to the Lord, who delivered me, and took away the anguish of my soul. O Lord, it was also announced to you concerning it, and you have raised up my breath, and being comforted, I lived. For you have chosen my soul, that it might not perish, and you have cast all my sins behind me. Raising songs of thanksgiving, he promises to imitate the things which birds are accustomed to utter well, and to make his hymns unceasing. He says that by raising the eyes of his mind to God, he has been saved, and has escaped both the anguish of his soul, and death itself. For you have raised up my life, he says, I both lived and you preserved mine, so that it might not perish, and you have cast all my sins behind me. This is not the attitude of one sick with arrogance, but of one who has already come to know his own nature, and who knows precisely that we are all liable for many sins, and if God did not wish to save by mercy, no one will boast of having a pure heart, nor will he dare to say he is clean from sin. Therefore, in the blessings which might come to us from God, let him be glorified by us as one who has forgotten those things for which it was fitting to be justly punished. For wise, he says, are those who know themselves. For those in Hades will not praise you, nor will the dead bless you, nor will those in Hades hope for your mercy. The living will bless you, in the way that I also do. For from this day I will beget children, who will declare your righteousness, O Lord of the of my salvation, and I will not cease blessing you with a psaltery all the days of my life. The things spoken through the voice of the psalmist would have a meaning equal to what has been set forth: "What is the prof- it in my blood when I go down into cor- ruption? Shall dust confess to you, or declare your wonders?" For those who have once died, and have become captives of the gates of Hades, will perhaps cease even from giving glory. They would add absolutely nothing to what they have done, but rather will remain in the state in which they were left, and will await the time of the universal judgment. Therefore the living, he says, and having the authority to do this good thing, when they are well-treat- ed, will bless you in the same way I also do. He promises to beget children, who will declare the righteousness of God. And some say that a choir is announced, and that in the divine temple he will establish the most melodious singers. But others, applying their mind still more to the ineffable things, say that Hezekiah, being high-minded, thought perhaps to have both an unending kingdom and life itself without end; being disposed to think that the things written concerning Christ, as concerning a son of David, were spoken of and looked to himself. From which they say, although he was in the fourteenth year of his reign, he is not seen to have been concerned with the need to beget children; having learned, therefore, the end of his own life, he takes thought for those who will succeed him, and that he says children, and adds that They will declare the righteousness of the Lord, and his word has indeed missed the truth. For Manasseh became impious and a sinner, but as far as it concerned the intention of his father, he too was pious and a messenger of the glory of God. And Isaiah said to Hezekiah: Take a lump of figs, and mash it, and apply it as a poultice, and you will be well. And Hezekiah said: This is the sign, that I will go up to the house of God. It is written in the fourth book of Kings that the cause of Hezekiah's illness was a painful and hard-to-treat ulcer, so as to defy even the skills of the physicians. But since God once granted life to the just man, and commanded the disease to be driven away, he was to be delivered by means of things through which it was likely, or rather undoubtedly the case, that the wound would tend towards an increase of pains. For the hand of the Almighty is always a worker of wonders; and the manner of assistance comes through unexpected things; clearly, that is, from Him. Mash, therefore, he says, a lump of figs, apply it as a poultice, and you will be well. And from this, as I said, one was to expect to be harmed, that is to say, for the wound to derive some benefit. But since it was God who was commanding, Hezekiah, being all-wise, takes the matter as having the power of a sign, and says that, If I am indeed healed by a lump of figs, this will be for me a sure and true sign that I will go up to the house of God, to sacrifice to Him, clearly, and to pray, as the illness ceases, and every pain has been, as it were, put to rest in me. At that time Meodach son of Ladam, the king of Babylonia, sent letters, and envoys, and gifts to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick unto death, and had recovered. And Hezekiah rejoiced over them with great joy; and he showed them the house of Nechotha, and of the stacte and of the incense, and of the myrrh, and of the silver and of the gold, and all the storehouses of the vessels of the treasury, and all that was in his treasuries; and there was nothing that Hezekiah did not show them in his house. After Sennacherib had been killed by his own sons, the sacred Scripture says that Nechordan his son had reigned in his place. But as it seems, when that one was out of the way, Meodach the son of Laadan inherited the thrones of the kingdom. This one is said to have sent to Hezekiah both gifts and letters, and envoys; and it is necessary to say what the reason for this is. For he heard, it says, that he had been sick unto death and had recovered; but not only this... That Hezekiah was weakened, I say, but then inclined back to run up again to strength, astounded the Babylonian, but certainly that was the truly great and extraordinary sign; by an ineffable and God-befitting nod the sun was commanded to run back and to walk backwards, so that the shadow also went up the ten steps. But the Babylonians and Chaldeans, who are called wise, being very skilled, even if they claimed to be so regarding the course of the sun, and the risings and settings of the stars, were not ignorant, as is likely, of the backward turning, and the unusual length of that day. And it was indeed very likely that the power of the sign had been rumored among those throughout all the earth, and that it was given for confirmation of the promise of God which was made, I say, to Hezekiah. And in another way we say that Merodach had marveled at what paradoxically happened to those with Rabshakeh who besieged Jerusalem, whom the striking hand of an angel destroyed in one night, so that in the morning all the bodies were found dead. Therefore the ambassadors came, since Merodach marveled at the righteousness of Hezekiah on account of these very signs from God that are beyond description. But he, although it was necessary to make a brilliant narration to those who had arrived from Babylon of the timely assistance of the all-powerful God, and the magnificent work of the paradoxes, so that, marveling even more greatly at the divine excellence and the invincible authority of the Master of all, through the words by which they were initiated by him, they might return to their own land, having been enriched with the knowledge of God; for it was thus possible also to benefit others by proclaiming what they had learned; this he did not do, but was rather carried away into human vainglory, and he does not manage his own glory from the things for which he was honored by God, but from the wealth of the kingdom, and up to these things he defines for himself the power of his inherent good repute. For he showed them, it says, the house of Nechotha; and Nechotha is interpreted as of the spices, and of the stacte, and of the myrrh, and of the silver and of the gold, and all the houses of the vessels of the gaza, that is, of the abundance. For gaza is said to be a Persian word, and it signifies wealth, or abundance. And Isaiah the prophet came to king Hezekiah, and said to him: What do these men say, and from where have they come to you? And Hezekiah said: From a land far away they have come to me, from Babylon. And Isaiah said: What have they seen in your house? And Hezekiah said: All the things in my house they have seen, and there is nothing in my house that they have not seen, but also the things in my treasuries they have seen. And Isaiah said to him: Hear the word of the Lord of Sabaoth: Behold, days are coming, and they shall take all the things in your house, and whatever your fathers have gathered until this day, it will come to Babylon, and they will leave nothing at all behind; and God said: that they will also take from your children whom you have begotten, and they will make them eunuchs in the house of the king of the Babylonians. The prophet was sent from God, but at first, having met with Hezekiah, he pretends to speak as if he had arrived on his own accord. In this way, then, he says: What do these men say? And his speech was made with much skill. For the Babylonians had arrived, perhaps, as I said, being eager to learn the cause of the backward turning of the sun, and for what reason this so renowned sign had happened. But he, although it was rather necessary, as I said, to relate to them the divine excellence, and that creation yields to His nods, showed the house of the incense, and of the treasure. Therefore the prophet inquires both for what reason they came, and what their message was. But he, in response to this, said absolutely nothing? but that they came from Babylon, and from a faraway land, this very thing and this alone he says; perhaps being very proud, that even those very far away, and separated by the long distances lying in between, not moderately lay claim to friendship with him of those who had been diligent. When the prophet therefore asked what they had seen, and the king said that nothing remained unseen by them, he says that days will come in which all the things in his treasuries, gathered both with diligence and with the care of those before him, will be moved to the Babylonians; and he added to this that also from the children who would be born to him in due time, as in the longer successions of the family, those who are obviously skilled in these things will make *spadones*, that is, eunuchs, in the house of the king of the Babylonians. And he says that such things happened, or rather the book of Kings testifies, in the days of Jechoniah, when Nebuchadnezzar, having taken all of Judea by force, and having burned down Jerusalem, and in addition the divine temple, carried Israel away captive, among whom were those with the divine Daniel in the house of the king of the Babylonians, who they say became *spadones*, that is, eunuchs. What then, and for what useful purpose, was this matter of such a prediction? For by this God shows either that for those who had come from Babylon, it was surely better, and wise, to make a necessary account of the paradoxical things that had happened through the divine excellence and magnificence, or rather, to all but provoke the eye of the Babylonians by showing them the hidden things in the treasuries. And Hezekiah said to Isaiah: Good is the word of the Lord which he has spoken; let there be peace and righteousness in my days. He was at a loss for a defense, and having no helping word for his own failings, he says that the word of God is good, although it had announced things for which it was fitting that an unbearable tear should be poured from his eyes. Then he seeks the thing that was spoken [it is written: peace] in his own days, all but saying farewell to those who would come after him, and completely sparing no thought for his own country, city, and family. But it would have been better for him to lament over the things foretold, and to ask for mercy from God, also for those after him, not to ask for temporary and limited prosperity. But the mind of man is too weak, and we stumble in many things, as it is written, and no one among us could ever be keen-witted and wise, but often even a God-loving heart and an admired mind falls into that which is not right. Comfort, comfort my people, says God; priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, comfort her, for her humiliation is filled; her sin is absolved, for she has received from the hand of the Lord double for her sins. The discourse has passed on to the things in Christ, and henceforth makes a clear proclamation of the grace through him; yet it is not seen to have proceeded unreasonably, nor indeed to have been introduced at an unfitting time. For perhaps some of those who have not very accurately studied the things in the divine Scripture might say: In what way does the prophet here make the prophecy concerning Christ neighbor to the words of Hezekiah? And we shall make our defense to this by saying that: because the discourse, having mentioned the last capture of the land of the Jews, and of Jerusalem itself, as now being at the right time and necessity, has necessarily introduced the consolation that came from God after this. And I will briefly state the precise clarification of what we have just said. For there have been very many attacks against Jerusalem, and the country of the Jews has often been sacked; on the one hand by the hand of the Assyrians; on the other hand also by neighboring Barbarians, and indeed also by certain others who ravaged it. Then the last capture took place, the one by Nebuchadnezzar in the time of the reign of Jechoniah, when Israel was also carried away captive into the land of their captors. And in the time of the reign of Cyrus he was released from captivity and returned to Judea, and rebuilt the temple, and they dwelt not divided, until the coming of our Savior. Since Therefore, having made mention of the final capt- ivity, when the Babylonians, having come [or, having] with all that was in the treas- uries of the kings of Judea, returned to their own land, he necess- arily makes the prediction of the consolation that came after this, that is, clearly, the one through Christ, to those who minister the divine Gospel, commanding, and saying: "Comfort, comfort my people, says God." For a consol- ation for salvation, especially first for those of Israel, was the com- ing of Christ, and the oracles through him, as he says cle- arly: "I was not sent except to the lost she- ep of the house of Israel." O therefore, he says, you priests, O ministers of the new things, and of the oracles through Christ, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, that is, make the word of consola- tion acceptable to those who hear. For the law was burdensome to all, teaching both shadows and types; not instilling into the mind and heart the instruc- tion concerning necessary things for the hearers, but, as it were, it with difficulty placed a certain external knowledge, which is in letters only. But the saving, and evangelical proclamation is spoken, with the Holy Spirit showing the depth of each one’s m- ind, and sending in spiritual insights, and implanting the words of the saints, and somehow kindling them, as it were, in the inmost recesses of the mind. Such a one was the blessed David, psalm-singing and saying: "In my heart I have hidden your words, that I might not sin against you." But the Savior also addressed the holy apostles, that You place the word in your hearts, clearly the one from him, and saving. That the evangelical proclamation is spoken into the mind and he- art by the holy mystagogues, with the Holy Spirit cooperating toward this, or rather, accomplishing everything, the proof would follow from the holy Scriptures. For somewhere God said through one of the holy prophets: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant which I made with their fa- thers, in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not remain in my covenant. And I disregard- ed them, says the Lord, because this is the covenant that I will make with them in those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will write them." And the blessed Paul also writes to some: "You are our epistle, known and re- ad by all men, being made manifest that you are an epistle of Christ ministered by us, writ- ten not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of a fleshly heart." But it seems to some that instead of the minis- ters of the divine proclamation, the holy angels have been named priests in these things; for whom it would indeed be most fitting to be able to speak in hearts. Comfort her, therefore. What then should you say? that the God of all has ceased from the wrath that was upon them. "Her humiliation is accomplished." For sufficiently, he says, has she been hum- bled, and her sin is pardoned. "For she has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins." Did not God then punish beyond what was due, and did he not imp- ose penalties equal to the crimes, but far beyond them, and as it were, double? Then how is the matter not incre- dible? And how will he speak the truth, saying: The Lord will not take vengeance twice for the same thing in affliction? how then must one understand what is said? for it is as if a child-loving father and one having the greatest compas- sion, having afflicted a sinning son (of the sons?) a little, thinks perhaps that the emotion shown towards him was even beyond measure; and the cause of this is fondness, and the disposition owed to children from a father; thus he says that Jerusalem, who is being comforted, has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins, although she was condemned for a very long time, with terrible, and unbearable things, yet moderately, and not punished in proportion to the things done by him. "For the Lord is truly compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and of great mercy, and true, and he has not dealt with us according to our iniquities; nor has he dealt with us according to our sins." The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and all the crooked things shall be made straight, and the rough way into a plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God, for the Lord has spoken. Saying that Israel has been redeemed, and that Jerusalem has been delivered from her own trespasses and having commanded her to be comforted, he indicates the time of consolation, as if coming and running on the very heels of what has been said; and this is the time of our Savior's advent, whose forerunner the divine Baptist has entered into the wilderness of Judea, crying out and saying: "Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God." For this reason, having foreknown this in spirit, the blessed Zechariah, who was the father of this John, also prophesied, saying: "And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways." And concerning him the Savior said to them: "He was the lamp that burns and shines." And you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light." For the Sun of righteousness, and the true light, is Christ. But the sacred Scripture compares the blessed Baptist to a lamp. For in comparison to the divine and ineffable light, to the unutterable and exceeding great brightness, the measure of the human intellect would rightly be compared to a small lamp, even if it were full of light and wisdom. What then is the meaning of, "Prepare the way of the Lord," and that one must indeed make his paths straight? He clarifies by adding: "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and all the crooked things shall be made straight, and the rough way into a plain." For there are certain highways, or paths, that are scarcely passable, and these are rough and difficult to travel, so that in some places they rise to mountains and hills, and in others they descend, and hang over deep cliffs. But if it should happen somehow that the high and steep places sink, and the hollow and deep places are filled up, then indeed, then in every way and altogether the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough and ravine-like places into smooth plains, and as if having the road level. When is this? This has happened spiritually through the power of our Savior. For long ago for all people, so to speak, the excellent life was difficult to travel, and the path of the evangelical life was unpracticed, because the mind of all was mastered by worldly and earthly desires, and was borne along by the unfitting movements of the flesh. But since, having become man, that is, flesh, according to the Scriptures, he abolished sin in the flesh, and cast down principalities and powers, and the world-rulers of this world, he has shown to us the way to piety to be smooth and most easy to run, having nothing steep, or raised on high, nothing hollow below, but rather smoothed into plains. All the crooked things have become straight. And not only this, but "and the glory of the Lord, he says, shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God, for the Lord has spoken." But he says that glory will be revealed, how or in what manner? For the only-begotten Word of God was, and is, since indeed he is also God, and ineffably begotten of God the Father in the excellencies of the Godhead, far above all rule and authority, and thrones, and dominions and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come; and he himself is the Lord of glory, and we too have known his glory, although formerly not knowing it, when, having become like us as a man, according to the economy, showed himself equal in strength, and equal in work, and equal in glory to God the Father, upholding all things by the word of his power, and easily performing the divine signs, rebuking creation, raising the dead, and effortlessly accomplishing the other wonders. Therefore the glory of the Lord was seen; and all flesh has seen the salvation of God, that is, clearly, of the Father. For he sent us his Son from heaven as Savior and Redeemer. For since the law perfected nothing, and the sacrifices in types did not have the power to wash away sins, we are perfected in Christ, and being freed from every stain, we have been honored with the spirit of adoption. And the grace for this, as far as concerns the purpose of the one who saves, would go to all flesh, that is, to all people. For in these things, ‘flesh’ must be understood as 'man'. But if some should appear to have been deprived of salvation, even so the word of the prophet would be true. For the purpose of the one who honored. and willed to save, and not the indifference of those who were called is examined. And he necessarily adds, 'For the Lord has spoken,' lest anyone think he is speaking falsely, or from his own heart, or perhaps spouting forth what seems good to him. But that he has foretold what has seemed good to God, and what will in every way and entirely come to pass. A voice of one saying, 'Cry out.' And I said, 'What shall I cry?' 'All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withered, and the flower fell off; but the word of God remains forever.' That it is not possible in any other way for those who truly love him and who yearn to attain him to see the salvation of God, except only by choosing to think, and to do the things that seem good and are pleasing to him, he makes it clear. For it is necessary, I think, for those who wish to live in a manner befitting saints, and to choose the pure and excellent life, and to bind on as a kind of crown the glories of the life in Christ, to consider as nothing the distraction in this life, to cast as far away as possible the glory among men, which is temporary, and to hold that human affairs are in truth like grass and herbs, and to have in mind and heart the word of God, that is, the Word from God and the Father. For he dwells in our hearts through faith, and having been enriched by his divine Spirit, we have him in ourselves. For this possession is worth acquiring, and is the cause of life forever. For the Word of God, remaining forever and living, preserves and gives life. But if someone should wish to understand 'the word of God' as his commandment; we say that this too is not moderately beneficial. For it also preserves those who practice it for a long life, according to what was said by the Savior himself: "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death forever. Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem. Lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God! Behold, the Lord comes with strength, and his arm with dominion. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. As a shepherd he will shepherd his flock, and with his arm he will gather the lambs, and he will comfort those that are with young.' To those who minister the divine and saving proclamation, I mean the holy apostles and evangelists, or even, to put it simply, those who at various times have presided over the rational flocks and have the office of mystagogy, in what manner they might be lovers of God, and renowned, and filled with the highest glory he shows in these words. For it is not fitting, he says, for one evangelizing the glory and salvation of God everywhere to do this fearfully, and timidly, and striving to be unnoticed; but rather, as those who have become exalted, and are seen by all, and with great boldness as if having leapt upon a mountain, to use in a way a piercing voice, and one free from fear. Which indeed the divine disciples themselves, beseeching, said to the ruler of all that this might be theirs God; And now, Lord, look upon their threats, clearly meaning those of the Jews, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness. Lift up therefore, do not be afraid, he says. Announce to the cities of Judah, Your God, behold the Lord comes with strength, and his arm with dominion. And by adding "Behold," he does not allow hope to be stretched out to a long time for the arrival, but shows the Redeemer as being about to come after a short while, or rather, as having somehow already come to the very door. For he has commanded them to stretch out their hand, as it were, and to reveal with a finger the one who was foretold. And that it will not be like one of the holy prophets nor indeed in the measure of supplicants, but in despotic authority, and in power and lordship most befitting God, he made clear by saying, "He comes with strength, and his arm with dominion." For the divine prophets used to beseech that something might come from God, and indeed that it might be for the peoples under their hand. But the Savior and Lord of all, not lifting up a prayer, nor indeed receiving anything by request and then giving it, but as a true Son, has distributed the good things from the Father with the dignity befitting one who is free to those who have believed in him, and he worked all things using his own power and indeed authority. And that the mystery of the economy will not be fruitless for the one who became as we are, and endured the cross, and death on it, he shows by saying: "Behold his reward is with him, and his work before him," and he calls "reward" the fruit of having died according to the flesh. For he said, "Truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth more fruit." And again: "If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." For as Paul says: "He endured the cross, despising the shame. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." The divine David also, having foreknown this in spirit, sings and says to him: "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord." Therefore the economy is not without reward nor fruitless. And it followed and happened as if in his eyes as he shepherded his own flocks, and with his arm, that is, with his strength, gathered the lambs. For those who believed in him were created anew for a newness of life like newborn and young sheep, having clearly received the rebirth from above and through the Spirit. Therefore they long for the spiritual milk, being nourished as infants at first, but advancing also to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Therefore the lambs were shepherded, and some who were with young, that is, those having in the womb, were also comforted. For the Gentiles would rightly be understood as lambs just appeared and newly born. And one might say that those having in the womb are those already travailing with the word concerning him, as from the legal teachings and prophetic proclamations. For Christ has saved not only those from the Gentiles, but also those of the blood of Israel, to whom he says he was especially sent, who are also comforted, confirming by faith the accurate knowledge of the mystery that has come to them. Who has measured the water in the hollow of his hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth with a handful? Who has weighed the mountains with a scale, and the valleys with a balance? Who has known the mind of the Lord, and who has been his counselor, who will instruct him? Or with whom did he take counsel, and who instructed him? Or who showed him judgment? or who showed him the way of understanding? Through things unattainable and impossible for all men, or rather, perhaps, even for the powers above and in heaven, he attempts to show the transcendent and incomprehensible nature of the wisdom in God. For the mystery of Christ has been wondered at, and in ineffable words is the reason of the economy seen. And it seems to me that it is opportune to use the words of Paul and say: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord?" Or are these things not kindred to what has been said, one might say, and very reasonably so? For a deep depth, and an incomprehensible thing appears in the divine considerations. And just as it is utterly impracticable and impossible for the whole of the water to be measured by a human hand, and the heaven by a span, and all the earth by a handful, and for the weight of the mountains to be made manifest by a weight and a balance, just how great it is, in this same way, one could not comprehend the mind of the Lord. And He Himself will confirm this, saying through one of the holy prophets: "For my ways are not as your ways, but as the heaven is distant from the earth, so are my ways distant from your ways, and your thoughts from my mind." For of whom, he says, did I ever have need to counsel or instruct me, or to show him judgment, that is, justice, or righteous judgment, or the way of understanding. For if he is wisdom itself, and he himself makes every mind wise, and is the giver of the light of understanding to the rational creation; how could he need another, or in what way could anyone find fault with what he might purpose? But from this the prophet works a great benefit for his hearers. For some of the unbelievers already dare to say: For what need was there for the Word of God to become like us, and to endure flesh, and the stain from it, when He wished to save those on earth, even though, he says, it is not difficult for Him as God to accomplish what He wills by a nod. Then how has He not become man in vain? And having come round through strange thoughts impiously to the unseemliness of the economy, they fight against the glory of the mystery. Therefore the prophet in these things cuts short their foolish empty counsels; and he says that the wisdom in God is incomprehensible, and the mind in him, even if he is wisdom itself and the highest and purest mind, so that for the rest it would be unacceptable, or rather the argument of the unbelievers would justly be laughed at, having dared, I know not how, to censure the economy of the Only-Begotten in the flesh as not having been well done. But it seems to some that: Who has measured the water in his hand, and the heaven with a span, and the rest, applies to God who rules all things, as being able to measure out the water, and heaven and earth, mountains and valleys, and having knowledge of all things absolutely, even the impossible, grasping all that has come into being, and holding as nothing the things of so great a size and mass of created things and those conceived in immeasurable multitude. Indeed, if anyone should choose to think thus, he would perhaps do no wrong.

Discourse 21

If all the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and were counted as the turn of a scale, and will be counted as spittle? And Lebanon is not sufficient for a burning, and all the four-footed animals are not sufficient for a whole burnt offering, and all the nations are as nothing, and they were counted as nothing. To whom have you likened the Lord, and to what likeness have you likened him? Has a craftsman made an image, or a goldsmith, having melted gold, gilded it? For a craftsman chooses a rot-proof wood, and wisely seeks how he will set up his image, so that it may not be shaken. Will you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not known the foundations of the earth? The prophetic word, having recounted to us the economy of the Only-Begotten in the flesh, and having sufficiently marveled at the ineffable wisdom, through which we have also been saved, and having come to know the Master by nature and in truth, we have been deemed worthy of his grace, gathered indeed as lambs by his arm, and having become under him as under the exceedingly good shepherd; for he has laid down his life for his own sheep. And indeed, having shown that it is impossible to perceive, that is, to measure perhaps the mind, and having confessed him to be the highest wisdom and beyond all things, he has necessarily introduced the address to those from the nations, that is still worshipping creation rather than the Creator, making arguments, and leading them away from the ancient, ancestral, and inherited error, and transferring them to better things and bringing them back to knowledge befitting a human being. Therefore, he points out the immeasurable superiority of the God who rules over all, and the surpassing dignity of His inherent magnificence, and that all things are small to Him, and would be reckoned as equal to nothing in comparison, I say, to the immensity of His inherent power and glory. For this reason he says: If all the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and were reckoned as the turn of a scale, and will be reckoned as spittle. These are small and entirely worthless things. For what is one drop falling from a bucket? What would be the turn of a scale, bringing what seems to be lesser to equality? And what is spittle, that is, human sputum? But Lebanon, he says, would not be sufficient for him for burning, nor all its four-footed beasts for a whole burnt offering. Such things are entirely contemptible; and even if all things were offered to Him for a whole burnt offering, they too should be cast behind the glory of God. And if all the nations, he says, are as nothing, and were reckoned as nothing, to what likeness have you likened Him? For what will be like Him, and of equal weight, either in nature, or in mass, or even in renown? Is it by the arts of a carpenter, and the skills of a woodworker? Is it by goldsmiths, or has he been formed in an image after any of the created things? or, he says, was a man-like statue made? By no means. For there could be nothing equal to Him. For since He is God by nature, and there is no other like Him, He will certainly in every way be supreme over all. Having shown therefore that He is beyond everything that has been made and called into being, he then derides the making of idols, and says that a carpenter selects rot-proof wood, and seeks wisely how he will set up an image of it, so that it might not be shaken; so that it would be by the skill of the carpenter, that, for those who are deceived according to the measure of his inherent understanding, he should construct a god according to what seems good to them, supported with the greatest security, so that it might not be shaken and shattered by falling. So then, the worshippers of idols were in want of gods, when there was no carpenter's skill on the earth; but the man-made things would not have been preserved, if the craftsman had not wisely sought the means by which they could stand and have an unshaken base. Someone might say, I think, and very rightly so, the words through the voice of David: "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of human hands." And he adds to this: "May all who make them, and all who trust in them, become like them." Having thus derided the construction of idols, he turns his discourse to the shame and correction of those who are deceived, and shows that their transgression in this is without excuse, saying: Will you not know? Will you not hear? Instead of, have you not known? have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not known the foundations of the earth? By foundations of the earth he means its last and furthest parts. You have known, therefore, he says, from one end to the other. You have heard, and it was told to you from the beginning. But what was told? That the God who is by nature and truly, is one and only; but pieces of wood and stones, and nothing else, are what are crafted by men for us as gods. For the God-breathed Scripture has not been silent; but rather from of old the knowledge of the truth has been proclaimed, through patriarchs, through the law and prophets. For it was not when the only-begotten Word of God, having become like us, a man, shone upon those on the earth, that for the first time in the final accusations the error came to be. But the charge of idolatry was ancient, as I said. For the choir of saints has not ceased to decry it, and to show it to be abominable, and to make manifest the Creator and Lord of all. He who holds the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are as locusts. He who establishes the heaven as a vault, and spreads it out as a tent to dwell in. From from the beauty of the created things, their Creator is analogously perceived, at least by those who are of a sound mind. For it is possible for the wise to be able to perceive, and very easily, who indeed, and how great is the maker and craftsman of this universe, from the excellence and the ineffable and God-befitting economy, by which creation, not being, came to be, and having come to be, is preserved, being held together by the power of the one who made it for well-being and existence. For to what could he be likened? says the Lord. How is he not beyond all understanding, who alone grasps all the earth in his hand, and holds it so that it is well established, and has raised up the heaven over it like a vault, and has stretched it out like a tent, so that those for whom it clearly came to be might dwell in it? For as the prophet himself says somewhere: He did not make it in vain, but to be inhabited. Is then the multitude of those inhabiting the earth, though immeasurable, a great thing to God, he says? Not at all. For indeed, in comparison to the majesty and excellence of God, they would be as grasshoppers. Or also in another way. For he holds the circle of the earth, that is, its entire compass, and those who inhabit it are as nothing to him, though they graze in it like a swarm of locusts, and go beyond all number. And this too is wonderful, and great for the praise of the all-powerful God. He that brings the princes to nothing to rule; he has made the earth as nothing. For they shall not sow, nor shall they plant, nor shall their root take root in the earth. A wind blew upon them, and they were dried up, and a storm shall take them up like dry sticks. It is the custom of those who are deceived, and do not know God who is by nature and truly so, not only to worship the hordes of demons, and to say to the wood: You are my God, and to the stone, You have begotten me, but also most foolishly to deify men who have become distinguished on the earth. And so Sennacherib, having returned from Judea to his own land, was said to worship his own patriarch. For they offered sacrifices also to the dead, and calling them heroes, they registered them as gods. It was necessary, therefore, since the multitude of idols was clearly discredited, to proceed to this very argument, to persuade the deceived to consider human things as absolutely nothing; but even if some of those on earth have become illustrious and admirable at times, or sit on the highest and royal thrones, or have been deemed worthy of other preeminence at times, in no way to think that they are gods, but rather to understand that, both the ability to have power and to rule are given to some from nowhere else except from God. And that the matter is free from all difficulty for the all-powerful God, he shows clearly, saying that rulers are given to rule as nothing by him. And he leads up to something even greater and says, He made the earth as nothing. And that it lies in the power of God whether any memory is preserved or not of those who have become illustrious and distinguished on earth, he declares, saying: For they shall not sow, nor shall they plant. For if God did not wish it, clearly, he says, they will have no fruit on earth, nor even a root or a memory, but as if a wind had swept down upon them, they will go to nothing, like dry sticks. For all human things are small and easily scattered, and altogether easily overturned, and wither away like grass. Therefore, we must worship God alone who is by nature and truly so, and let there be no account of things invented by skilled craftsmen, nor indeed of men to whom the name of gods has been ascribed by some. For this is worship of the dead, and nothing else. Now therefore, to what have you likened me? and he said, I will be exalted, the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has shown all these things; who brings forth his world by number, he will call them all by name from his great glory, and in the might of his strength nothing has escaped you. The all-wise Paul rightly cried out against the ignorance of those who are deceived, and of the multitude of idolaters he makes the condemnation most just. For though it was possible for them even from creation itself to know the creator and artificer of all things, they were carried away into false worship, and have worshipped those who are not gods. But he spoke thus concerning the God who rules over all: "For his invisible things from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood through the things that are made, both his eternal power and divinity, so that they are without excuse. Because, knowing God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened; and claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a likeness of a mortal image, and of birds, and of four-footed animals, and of reptiles." Therefore, since, he says, I hold the circle of the earth, and have stretched out the heavens like a tent, and I make rulers to rule for nothing, and I liken those on the earth to locusts, to whom have you likened me? instead of, To whom likening me would you not be outside of what is fitting, nor would you sin against the truth? Do you think you exalt me by saying I am the heaven, or by wishing to make me like one of the elements? But nothing of created things is like me, who am in every respect whatsoever unchangeable. For no one could be of equal standing in respect of substance with the one who calls into existence the things that once were not. For that I am not like the gods among you, who received their origin from human art, see from the created things themselves. Lift up your eyes on high, see the firmament, the choir of the stars, consider who has shown all these things, who is it that brings forth his host by number, that is, clearly, of heaven. And he calls the stars the host of heaven, which he says he knows in himself, not only as seen in their multitude, but indeed also each one, and as it were by name. This is worthy of God, and exceptional; and so the prophet makes much of this matter in his wonder, and says to him: From your great glory, and in the dominion of your strength nothing has escaped you. For as the sacred Scripture says, The drops of rain are numbered by him. For nothing at all would escape the ineffable wisdom, the mind that knows all things. For you should not say, Jacob, and what has Israel spoken? My way is hidden from God, and my God has taken away my judgment, and has departed. Having stated very well that those who are wandering will be called in due season and, being enriched in mind and heart with the light of truth, will acknowledge the creator and artificer of all things, and that they will be wise and sagacious, and from the beauty of created things will behold in proportion the one who by ineffable power brought this whole universe into existence, and having woven for them a sufficient initiation through the things already said before, he transfers his discourse to those from the blood of Jacob, that is, Israel. For since they stumbled at the stumbling stone, and not having accepted the provider of salvation, they have become somewhere far from intimacy with him, the shadow according to the law no longer being accepted, and the worship and service in spirit and truth, that is, the evangelical one, not rather having been brought in, they were murmuring, saying: 'My way is hidden from God,' that is, he does not watch over the legal way of life. For living thus, just as, of course, the commandment given through the all-wise Moses has also commanded, he no longer deems us worthy of his oversight. 'And he has taken away my judgment and has departed,' that is, he has abolished the law. And they call the law 'judgment'; and the blessed David will teach this, saying to the God of all: "You have established judgment and righteousness in Jacob;" that is, You have ordained the law through angels, that is, through the mediation of Moses; and Moses also said concerning Israel, that 'There he gave him ordinances and judgments.' 'He has taken away my judgment,' therefore, that is, having all but cast away the worship according to the law, he both took it away from us and departed. For he no longer cares for the chosen, and the firstborn Israel has come to nothing. And now have you not known, unless Have you heard? An eternal God, the God who made the ends of the earth, will not hunger, nor will he grow weary, nor is there any searching out of his understanding. For of old, O Israel, you were instructed through the law, you learned through the prophets the manner of the economy that was to be after the law. For the law has been given as an oracle, having shadows and types of the good things to come, and having in its letter the power of the mystery of Christ, as in birth pangs; for in many ways through the commandment according to the law Christ was prefigured, and the mystery concerning him was enigmatically written down; and he himself will confirm it, saying to those from Israel who chose to disobey: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me." But since, he says, he accuses, saying, He does not look upon my ways according to the law; for this is the meaning of: My way is hidden from God, and that he has taken away our judgment, that is, the law, and departed; as one who is surely somehow ignorant of the one who watches in God, he says such things: Let it be, he says, even if you did not know now, if you have not heard? that is, if you would not hear? It is as if he were to say: I accept the pretense economically. You did not know, unless you were to learn, that is, without hearing. Hear therefore, an eternal God. The God who made the ends of the earth will not hunger, nor will he grow weary. You brought, he says, the sacrifices through blood, sheep, and you offered oxen fulfilling vows; you honored with incense and smoke, with turtledoves and pigeons; but know this and be not ignorant that the eternal God made the ends. By "ends of the earth" he means its limits, so that through this the whole may be understood. He will not hunger, nor will he grow weary. I say that this is similar to what was said to them through the voice of the Psalmist: "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" For how, he says, do you bring me sacrifices? As to one who is hungry, and accustomed to grow weary from famine? Away with this evil counsel. For the eternal God who knows not how to perish, will neither hunger nor grow weary; for none of human things will touch him. But neither is there any searching out of his understanding. For at times there is an accusation, he says, saying: If I now make unacceptable the commandment through Moses, that is the shadow in the law, why did you legislate at all in the beginning? if the new things are better than the old, that is, the evangelical decrees, why were these things also established by the law itself? But do not say this, he says. For you are not able to find the incomprehensible understanding, that is, the wisdom of God. For the commandment was given through Moses; and for what things then, and for what reason Paul will teach, saying that "The law entered in, that the trespass might abound." And again: "For the Scripture has confined all under disobedience, that he might have mercy on all." Therefore the indicator of sin was appointed, and as it were a conviction of the weakness of all, so that, since it does not know how to justify sinners, but rather condemns them, finally the grace of the generosity through Christ is necessarily introduced, justifying the ungodly, and freeing from their trespasses those held fast by them. Therefore, there is no searching out of the understanding of God who manages all things wisely, who both pre-appointed the law for the conviction of sin, and sent the Son from heaven, that he might justify by faith those in sins. Giving strength to the hungry, and to those who are not in pain, sorrow. For the younger men shall hunger, and the young men shall grow weary, and the chosen shall be without strength. But they that wait for God shall renew their strength, they shall grow wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not hunger. Understand for me then in a general sense, that the eternal God, the God who made the ends of the earth, is himself the one who gives strength to the hungry. For indeed God, being also eternal, has never been in need of food. But he himself rather gives righteousness to the hungry, a spiritual manliness; he likewise also gives sorrow to those who are not in pain. And you will understand this in two ways. For indeed from very great insensibility, and from not knowing what is pleasing to God, neither yet to those who know that by stumbling against him they will fall into terrible and inescapable punishments, he gives for their aid to be grieved henceforth for whatever they may have stumbled in. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, that is, to those who crucified Jesus, and perhaps were even rejoicing at this (for so were disposed both the leaders of the Jews, and as many as dared to say: "His blood be on us and on our children;") giving sorrow, having prepared them to commune with calamities and the evils of war; and that they have slipped from intimacy with him, they have become destitute of all strength and spiritual nourishment. For this reason, as if interpreting what was said, he adds, saying: For the younger men shall hunger, and the young men shall labor, and the chosen shall be without strength. For insofar as it concerned the nations being dissolved, and being so weakened, and cast under the feet of the devil, and carelessly doing what seemed good to the unclean spirits, they were certain brave and younger men; but intellectually, that is, and spiritually, they were held by hunger and labor. But those who knew through the instruction in the law how to do good, and who once fulfilled the given commandment, but these, he says, will hunger, and will labor, that is, they will be without strength for anything good. For if a famine of the divine words befalls some, it certainly reveals them to be weakened, and paralyzed, and knowing how to trample on nothing good. But that the nation of Israel was destroyed by famine, with those who believed in our Lord Jesus Christ having been delivered from the evil, God proclaims beforehand, and long ago speaking through one of the prophets: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will bring a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord; and they shall run to and fro from the east to the west seeking the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." For how were they not to become strengthless and to labor, and to be destroyed by an intellectual famine, clearly because they did not accept Christ, although he said clearly: "I am the living bread, who came down from heaven, and gives life to the world; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever?" And since through much folly, although it was possible to partake, they did not eat the bread of life, they are wasted by famine, while the Gentiles feast. For it is true that, as Solomon says, "The Lord will not let the righteous soul suffer hunger, but he will overthrow the life of the ungodly." But these things the Jews happened to suffer. For they acted impiously against the author of life. But those who wait for God, that is, those who serve Christ, and think his thoughts, and are zealous to do right, will renew their strength. For they have not remained in those weaknesses in which they were once wandering, and yoked to Satan, and to worldly pleasures, but they will have another, Christ clearly supplying them with the ability to prevail over every loathsome pleasure, and to be borne out of the snares of sin. For it is written: "The Lord is my strength and my song." They will be renewed thus, he says, as if eagles also. And the blessed David will teach this, saying: "Your youth will be renewed like an eagle's." And they will run, and not grow weary. For zealous and youthful they will traverse the paths of piety toward God, with Christ giving them life-giving things, and not allowing them to grow weary. For he fills the hearts of those who love him with strength from above, so that even if it should happen to fall into temptations and labors, while practicing virtue, they become stronger than to be weary, knowing well that patience is much to be prayed for, and if it is in some, it surely shows them to be fully approved. "For patience works proof, and proof hope, and hope does not put to shame those who are accustomed to live thus." The blessed David encourages to manliness, that is clearly, in all good things, saying: "Be of good courage, and let your heart be strengthened, all you who hope in the Lord." Be renewed to me, O islands. For the rulers will exchange their strength; let them draw near, and speak together, then let them announce judgment. The islands are understood in different ways. For there are many in the seas, and sometimes cities are also called thus, and villages having a wide circle of unplowed and untilled land around them; they say that those of the Idumaeans and Moabites are such, as lying in the desert. And these were impious idolaters, and not far from the land of the Jews. We say, therefore, that wishing to signify the reception of the Gentiles, and as from the midst transferring the power of the matter to the whole, he addresses the cities of those who are wandering, saying: Be renewed to me, O islands, that is, having cast away from your own hearts the oldness and rottenness from wandering and sinning, be renewed through repentance. Take counsel for better things, receive the grace that renews unto newness of life, that is, clearly, the one through Christ. It is likely also in another way that the Churches are here named islands, which are placed, so to speak, in the midst of worldly circumstances, and are washed over by the waves of those who rise up against them, yet they have a secure foundation, and remain unshaken. For they are founded upon a rock, and Christ is in her. These, therefore, which are named as islands, that is, the Churches. And through them is signified the multitude called through faith, once a lover of sin, abominable and unclean, but rotten and wrinkled, it has passed through Christ to a newness of life, it has become a virgin, pure, not having spot, or wrinkle, but rather holy, and blameless. Therefore be renewed to me, he says. Moreover, he affirms most strongly that the rulers will exchange strength. Here he names as rulers the heralds of the truth, who became one after another after the call. And Peter and Paul declare, and the rest of the list of the apostles, to whom it is more fitting to apply also the saying, They will grow wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not be hungry. For the Acts concerning them reveal such wonders. For certainly not like the first, that is, the teachers of the Jews, have the disciples of our Savior become. But as in another power, a spiritual one clearly, they were much better, and incomparably superior in their boasts according to virtue. Let these rulers, therefore, draw near, and speak together. But you will understand 'let them draw near' in terms of time. For if the time should reveal them, they will speak together. It is as if he should say: All will say the same thing to those being initiated. For as speaking from one spirit they do not contend with one another's words, but rather they will make the proclamation concerning the divine dogmas in harmony, and will announce the hidden mystery of Christ. For this, I think, is the meaning of, Then let them announce judgment. For since those of Israel called the law through Moses 'judgment,' for this very reason and quite fittingly, contrasting with it the evangelical and saving proclamation, he calls it 'judgment' through these words. For the truly just judgment, and the power of the legislation pleasing to God, is not revealed more in the shadow according to the law, but in the preaching of the holy mystagogues, the new rulers. Who, having learned the judgment from Christ, that is, the will of God the Father, have announced this to us in the same words. Who has raised up righteousness from the east, has called it to follow his feet, and it shall go? It is not fitting to marvel at the God who has dominion over all things from the mere and only magnificence in His works, but also through the ways in which He does good, He makes a demonstration of the serenity within Him. For He has saved those on the earth, and has delivered the human race, which had been utterly lost, from death, and corruption, and the greed of the devil. For He has abolished him, together with the powers with him, and has justified through faith, having driven away the sin that tyrannized over us. But all these things were accomplished through Christ; "For He became for us from God the Father righteousness and redemption, and sanctification." And we have been enlightened through Him, and we have partaken of mercy and love, and simply of everything that knows how to save. And this one of the holy prophets proclaimed to us beforehand, saying: "And to you who fear My name the sun of righteousness shall arise, and healing is in His wings." Who then, he says, caused righteousness to rise like a sun from the east? that is, Christ. Who called it? that is, caused it to arrive, and to appear in such a way, as to walk in the footsteps of the one who called, instead of, as it were, following in the track of God the Father? For thus the Lord lived on earth, fulfilling the works of the Father, and showing Him to us in His own nature. For He was and is equal in power to Him, and by these very deeds He has fully convinced those on earth that in every respect He is co-equal with the one who begot Him. And so He said clearly: "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me. But if I do, even if you do not believe Me, believe My works." Following then everywhere the will of the Father, or rather being Himself the will of the Father, He addressed the Jewish people saying: "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And even if I do judge, My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." Do you see then how He, as it were, walks in the footsteps of the Father. Therefore He also said: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me;" and, "He who has seen Me has seen My Father." He will set before the nations, and He will astonish kings. And He will cast their swords to the ground, and their bows as discarded twigs. And He will pursue them, and the path of His feet will pass in peace. Who worked, and did these things? He called her, who calls her from ancient generations. For before the coming of our Savior, those on the earth, differing in nothing from irrational beasts, appeared to be living with great ignorance, and were possessed by ignorance and darkness, and had been enslaved to the world-rulers of this age, and having submitted the neck of their own mind to the desires of the devil, they were being carried down the paths of wickedness to destruction. But Christ shone upon them. For He is the expectation of the nations. And having freed them from those who formerly oppressed them, He made them free, and sons of God, having washed away all filth in them; for He has justified them through faith, and by the pouring out of the Holy Spirit He made them radiant and enlightened. Therefore, He has given to the nations the righteousness that is, as it were, in the order of the sun and has been raised from the east, Israel obviously having been cast out because of its impiety toward Him. When this happened, and so great a multitude was saved, the kings were astonished. For astonishment, as it were, has fallen upon the world-rulers of this age, and they have feared the divine and unbearable judgment, that which, I say, has come upon the nations. But those who were formerly terrible and strong and fought against the divine glory, and were accustomed, as it were, to brandish weapons against it, and to bare swords, and to draw the bow of madness, have fallen to the earth, and having abandoned their instruments of war, have become like dry sticks. And again, the word concerning these things has been made by way of a comparison to our own affairs. For the evil powers have been defeated and every manner of their wickedness has been rendered powerless, with Christ plundering their goods. "For the enemy will not prevail," he says, "against him, nor will the son of iniquity proceed to harm him." For it was necessary, it was necessary, with evil and wicked powers having been destroyed beforehand, and the enemy of all having been cast down to the earth, then indeed, then, and at a very opportune time, for the redemption of the nations to take place. For Christ pursued them, that is, He turned them to flight. For it was not possible to resist God, and as He was bringing their ancient tyranny to an end, not in every way and by all means to suffer those things which it was fitting to be brought upon them by him for having destroyed the land. Therefore, the enemies having been driven out. For the way, he says, of his feet will pass in peace; for nothing has become an obstacle to the one ordering our affairs, Christ, the Savior of us all. But as if walking through a smooth and level road, he has accomplished the salvation of us all, with no enemy hindering or resisting. For they have fallen. Who then, therefore, has effected all these things, or who has called righteousness? Is it not I, he says, who have now and in the last time shown it, but who have called it from ancient generations. For the mystery of Christ is not recent, but rather was predestined before the foundation of the world, God having foreknown what was to be. For as soon as Adam fell, or rather before he slipped into this, the Creator foresaw also the healing that would be for him in due time, that is, clearly, the one through Christ. He predestined the manner, and do not be surprised, that even we ourselves who are justified through faith in him, he is found to have gathered beforehand. For those whom he foreknew, he says, and predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, these he also called. When therefore we have been predestined according to foreknowledge, how not much more he himself through whom we have been saved and called? I am God, the first, and unto the things to come, I am. The nations saw and were afraid, the ends of the earth drew near, and came together, each one judging for his neighbor, and to help his brother. He says that he is the first God, not as though a second came into being after him. For how or from where? For he is one and God of all, having no beginning of being, but rather having called all things into being. He therefore is first and alone, and God without beginning, the creator of all, and for endless ages to come he will not be in another manner, for he is and is alone. And since the nations have seen Christ and the righteousness that came to us from him, and all have seen his glory with the eyes of the mind, they have feared, he says, those from the ends of the earth to the ends, that is, those throughout the whole world. And they were gathered and drew near, no longer remaining far off, and as if being alienated through sin, but as if having become near through spiritual kinship, and brought together into one faith and unanimity. For I think this is what it means, that "They drew near, and came together." But having tasted of the Lord, and understood that he is good, and having marveled at the beauty of the truth, they have not kept the gift for themselves alone, but indeed doing good, each one has also fittingly judged to help his brother and friend, he says. And he will say: A craftsman grew strong, and a smith striking with a hammer, forging at the same time. At one time he will say: It is a good joining. They strengthened it with nails, they will set it up, and it will not be moved. He makes the manner of the help clear. For each of those who have judged to help his neighbor and brother, having been initiated, he says, and having known the truth, will also admonish others, saying: A craftsman grew strong and a smith striking with a hammer, forging at the same time. But in what way did he grow strong? For having composed idols and carved them into a god, the one having skill in carpentry, and indeed also a smith striking, having made a hammered statue, brought it to the deceived into a depraved mind, and of his own labors, or rather inventions, he made worshippers those who were made in the image of God. Then he mocks the making of idols, and as it were imitates the words of those who work them, crying out to one another, that "It is a good joining." For the makers of idols, having fashioned a hand perhaps or a foot, or even some other of the body's parts, having worked them, they finish them through joints, and fitting limbs to limbs, and making them strong with nails; then setting them up and securing them so that they stand, and are not shaken. But these things are a mockery and nothing else, and of the vanity of those who worship them, and proofs of their extreme foolishness. For to know indeed that also from small parts and the idol was completed from parts joined together, and to have for its coming into being, and indeed, permanence in standing, and security in nails; then to worship them, and call them gods, how is this not truly full of all folly? But you, Israel, are my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, whom I have loved, whom I took hold of from the ends of the earth, and from its high places I called you, and I said to you: You are my servant, I have chosen you, and I have not forsaken you. Do not be afraid. For I am with you. Do not wander. For I am your God who has strengthened you, and I have helped you, and I have secured you with my righteous right hand. Having initiated very well those from the nations, and having prepared them to know that he is both God and the creator of all things, and that all things are subject to him and to his divine commands, and came to be in the beginning, and having been brought into being are fixed in goodness, and have an unshaken permanence, he then necessarily encourages the ministers of the evangelical ordinances, through whom they were to deliver the word of instruction to those from the nations. And he declares them wise and most daring, and brings to remembrance the virtue of the holy fathers, and he wishes them to know the love shown to them. For this reason he says: But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, whom I have loved. But Jacob and Israel, and the seed of Abraham the beloved, would be none other than those of Israel who have believed in Christ, of whom, as it were, a kind of first-fruits the divine disciples have become. And that the fathers had become chosen and beloved he says, all but saying: You who are from a noble root, and one so honored and beloved by me, you who are of the blood of Abraham, emulate the renown of your paternal virtue, and become imitators of their love for God. Indeed he says that he took hold of Abraham, and called him from the ends of the earth, that is, from its high places, because from afar and from the land of the Chaldeans he was summoned to Judea. For he heard God saying: "Go out from your land, and from your kindred, and from the house of your father, and come to the land that I will show you." Then he says as if concerning all of Israel, that I said to you: You are my servant. For he has been named firstborn. And he became chosen, as I said, and was not forsaken by God. He heard: Do not be afraid, and in addition, Do not wander. For I am your God who has strengthened you. For he was taught through the law that God is one, and the Lord is one, and that one must worship him alone, and that he has been helped by him and through his right hand, which is his creative power, that is, the Son. And he has become secure in himself, and superior to every plot. For he has conquered nations, and has inherited their land. Behold, all those who oppose you will be turned back and put to shame. For they will be as if they were not, and all your adversaries will perish. You will seek them, and you will not find the men who acted insolently toward you. For they will be as if they were not, and those who war against you will not be, because I am your God who holds your right hand, who says to you: Do not be afraid, worm Jacob, few in number Israel. I have helped you, says God, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, and praised forever. This is also a fulfillment of what was said above. For you, Israel, my servant, he says, and Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, whom I have loved. Behold, they will be put to shame, and turned back, all who oppose you. For there have been very many at various times, who have unholily plotted against the holy initiators, and who have attempted to bring forth in opposition to the salvific proclamations the things from their own wickedness. But they have become as nothing, and the adversaries of piety have perished. For to act against the ministers of the divine proclamation would be nothing other than to fight against the dogmas of piety. Therefore they will not be, he says, but you will seek them, and you will not find those who have acted insolently toward you. For they will be as if they were not. And this is what is sung through the voice of the blessed David: "I saw the wicked one highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon, and I passed by, and behold, he was not; and I sought him, and his place was not found." For many of those who are accustomed to think lofty things rise up against the company of the holy mystagogues. But they will be utterly rooted out of the earth, as the holy Scripture says. And those who think lofty things will endure a terrible and unexpected tribulation. For it is written: "He who makes his house high seeks destruction." Therefore, he says, those who war against you shall not be; and he does not at all say that no one will stand against the holy apostles. But there will surely be the going into a brilliant calm. For it is not true. For countless many have warred against them, but they would not even be found as existing, being humbled, clearly, and falling under the movements of divine wrath. For this reason he restores them to manliness, saying: I am your God, who holds your right hand, that is, who helps you, and makes you stronger than every temptation; I am the one who says to you, Do not fear, Jacob, you few of Israel. For with respect to the multitude of those warring against them, or their powers, Israel was completely few in number, and I do not mean the whole nation, but those taken by him for the apostolate. But the one saving them was great, strong, and mighty for aid, having an invincible hand. For when God redeems, who is able to do harm? Behold, I have made you like the wheels of a cart, threshing, new, like a saw. And you will thresh mountains, and grind down hills, and make them like dust, and you will winnow, and the wind will take them up, and a whirlwind will scatter them. The children of the Egyptians, having brought sheaves from the fields to the threshing floor, then letting oxen upon them, and leading them around in a circle, grind down the ears of grain with their hooves. And they separate and divide the grain from the chaff, those indeed in other cities and countries using carts and saw-toothed wheels. This very thing they have practiced to accomplish. Behold, therefore, he says, O Israel, I have made you like the threshing wheels of a cart, new, saw-toothed. And what is being threshed? Is it then ears of grain and wheat, and the things mixed together from the fields onto the threshing floor? By no means, but mountains, and hills. And who might such as these be in turn? First, the wicked and opposing powers. For the Savior of all has given us to tread upon snakes, and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy. Then he seems to compare to mountains and hills those who are accustomed to think lofty things, and who have an arrogant mind, and are lifted up on high, and are in worldly positions of power, and who set themselves against the holy mystagogues, and are accustomed to stand in the way like mountains or hills, so as to make the path most difficult for them, I mean, the path of fulfilling the course of the apostolate in time. But even those who are thus, he says, you will grind down, you will make them fly up like chaff scattered by the gusts of the winds, and as it were giving a whirlwind, so as to scatter them. For thus they will go to nothing. But you shall rejoice in the holy ones, Israel. And the poor and the needy will rejoice. For they will seek water, and there will be none; and their tongue has been parched from thirst. I am the Lord God, I the God of Israel will hearken, and I will not forsake them. Therefore, the enemies of the divine proclamation, and those who cut off your path, O Israel, he says, will go to destruction. But you will rejoice in the holy ones, Israel, that is, you will delight when you see many having become holy, and numbered among the sons of Israel. "For not all who are from Israel, these are Israel, nor because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." And that it was a custom to rejoice and be glad with the holy apostles over those who were accustomed to prosper, clearly through faith in Christ, Paul will also make clear when writing to them and saying: "My joy and my crown." And I for my part would say that each of the holy disciples was disposed in the same manner, and very rightly. For the cause of the highest gladness for them was the conversion of those who had gone astray, and the restoration to the better of those who did not know the truth. Therefore you will rejoice in the saints, Israel. And who these are he points out, saying: The poor and needy will rejoice, that is, the Gentiles. For they were in need of every good thing, and completely without a share in the gifts from God. For those who are completely ignorant of him must necessarily lack the boasts of virtue. Therefore the poor and the needy will rejoice. How, or in what way? For they will seek water, and there will be none, he says, and their tongue has become parched from thirst. The phrase, "they will seek," in these words, he says, is used instead of, "they sought." But since they did not find it, their tongue was parched with thirst. For indeed among the Greeks there were many scholars and seekers, and investigators of the truth; but there was no one among them who knew how to teach these things. There was no life-giving water. There was no one who could satisfy with the doctrines of truth those who loved it. Therefore their tongue was parched with thirst. But I will hearken to them, says the God of Israel, and I will not forsake them. For He pitied the multitude of those who were wandering, and did not leave it in want of heavenly gifts, but rather filled it, and in what manner, he makes very clear through the following. But I will open rivers on the mountains, and springs in the midst of the plains; I will make the desert into marshes, and the thirsty land into aqueducts. I will put in the waterless land the cedar, and the box-tree, and the myrtle, and the cypress, and the white poplar; that they may see and know, and understand, and perceive together, that the hand of the Lord has done all these things, and the Holy One of Israel has showed it. He says that the land of the Gentiles is desert and waterless. A desert, on the one hand, because it was in a way stripped bare, and devoid of the most flourishing plants, that is, spiritual ones; and on the other hand, it was seen to be the nurse of thorns alone, and the mother of wild trees, and whatever is useful for fire to consume. This is what the Gentiles once bore for fruit, but to those who had long been thirsty he says: I will open rivers on the mountains, that is, holy men who have been enriched with the divine word from above, and who pour it out like river streams for the thirsty, and as it were, gush forth. So that the desert, once its appearance is changed, appears as marshes, and forests, and the thirsty land as in aqueducts. And aqueducts, in turn, would be the mystagogues who have appeared from time to time in every country and city, and the teachers of the Churches; who, just as from the springs and rivers of the divinely-inspired Scripture, having taken the word into their mind and heart, transfer it to others, like certain aqueducts watering the most flourishing gardens. And in what manner the desert will be changed into marshes, and of what kind of trees it will be the nurse, he teaches, saying: "I will put in the waterless land the cedar, and the box-tree, and the myrtle, and the cypress, and the white poplar." And all these are fragrant and incorruptible woods. And to the saints belongs both fragrance, spiritually through a holy way of life, and the fact of not being corrupted by being given over loosely to worldly desires, but standing firm and steadfast, God rooting and sustaining them with his help. For the Lord upholds the righteous, as it is written. There will be, he says, rivers, and springs, and aqueducts, both on mountains and plains, and as it were, everywhere. And the desert will become a marsh, so that those who are called through faith may see with their very eyes, and may recognize also through good thoughts, and indeed may learn from the magnificent work of the things that have happened, and the unexpected change, that such great and famous things are not wont to be accomplished simply or automatically. For rather the hand of the Lord has shown them, that is, a divine power and authority, namely the Son, through whom all things, and in whom all things have already come to be, and have been wonderfully wrought by the Father. For not falsely-named gods, nor indeed worldly elements; nor even the one thought to be the God of this age, was a worker for him, but the Holy One of Israel has shown. Your judgment draws near, says God; your counsels have drawn near, says the king of Jacob. Having very well spoken of the calling of the nations as it will be in due time, and having promised to make the desert into marshes, and the thirsty land into aqueducts, and to make it lush with cedars, and box-trees and the other plants, and saying that his own hand will be marveled at, as the creator of such great things, he again addresses the makers of idols, and the craftsmen of such things, and says that their judgment is near. By judgment he means, either the punishment due to them, or the shame, and disgrace. For by a holy vote of God, and by a just judgment they would be punished as having deceived the world under heaven, and having introduced counsels that are not true. For they taught those on the earth to say to the wood, "You are my father, and to the stone, You have begotten me." For this reason he also says their counsels have drawn near, that is, have come to an end, with God shaking off the error, and scattering the mist from ignorance, and not by one of those among them, we mean of course the falsely named, but by the Lord, and God in truth, and the king of Jacob, that is, of those of the blood of Israel. And through these things he brings to remembrance the signs that have happened, at the redemption of those from Israel, through which the power of his inherent God-befitting authority, or incomparable excellence, is very well discerned. Let them draw near, and announce to you what will happen, or what the former things were; tell us, and we will apply our mind, and we will know, what the last things are, and the things to come. Tell us, announce the things to come at the last, and we will know that you are gods. Do good, and do evil, and we will marvel, and we will see at the same time, that from where are you, and from where is your work; from the earth they have chosen you as an abomination. It is a proper and extraordinary characteristic of the divine and ineffable glory to know all things, and to be completely ignorant of nothing, neither of things that have happened before, nor of things present, nor of things to come. And so indeed through the all-wise Moses he makes clear to those on the earth the things before the establishment of this world, and the things in the beginning, saying: "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. But the earth was invisible and unformed, and darkness was over the abyss;" and he recounts the creation of the whole world most accurately. But also our Lord Jesus Christ, who long ago spoke those things through Moses, announced to us the things at the last times; for as his disciple says: "We expect new heavens, and a new earth, and his promises." And it is possible to hear him saying clearly: "Shall anything be hidden from me?"-"For the word of God is truly living, and active, and sharper than a two-edged sword, and piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes." But since he is God, he saves and does good, and fills with all gladness, that is, spiritual gladness, those who worship him; but he afflicts and subjects to punishments those who are accustomed to despise him, and do not endure to do good. But one could see nothing of this in those things made of stones. For what does lifeless matter know? Or how could they do good to someone, or be able to do evil, things that are not even able to defend themselves, but have received from others even just to stand and be seen? Let them come, then, he says, those who are thought by you to be gods; let them announce what will happen, let them say the former things, and the last things, and the things to come. For then, he says, we will know that you are gods. But you are not able, he says, to announce it. Therefore, at least do good and do evil. But if you are able to do none of these things, then we will see, that is, it is easy to see, from where you are, and from where your work is; for you are an abomination made from the earth. For the idol would be, let's say, from wood, or stone of a bright and choice, that is, of another material; but all these things are from the earth. But I think one must marvel at the worshippers of idols, if they have not even learned that from them, namely, where their affairs will ever end. For they did not know, or have not foretold, that they will be burned down with their own temples, and will lie as a laughingstock at times even to those who were formerly deceived. But I have raised up one from the north, and one from the rising of the sun; they will be called by my name. For the swarm of unclean idols, since they were nothing else but only wood and stones, have deceived the deluded. But they announced to them absolutely nothing either of the first things or of the last things, nor indeed have they done good to any, or have they been able to do harm. But I, He says, since I am a good God, have willed all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. I have saved the world under heaven, I have raised many who were lying as if dead. And who these might be, he teaches, saying: The one from the north, and the one from the rising of the sun, that is, the people from the Gentiles. For in relation to the land of the Jews, which is most southern, the land of the Gentiles is more northerly, and it has obtained the region toward the sun's rays. Therefore, the one from the north, and from the rising of the sun, would be the people from the Gentiles, who are called by the name of Christ. For we have been named Christians, and we are. For he has acquired us with His own blood, and we have been bought with a price, and we are not our own. For one died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised. Therefore we say to our own Savior and Redeemer: "Lord, besides you we know no other, we call upon your name." We are therefore called by his name, and this was what was spoken through the voice of the prophet: But to those who serve me a new name shall be called, which shall be blessed upon the earth. But it seems, he says, that 'the one from the rising of the sun' means Christ, because it is written concerning him: "Behold a man, whose name is the East." And again, as God the Father says concerning him: "Who has raised up righteousness from the east?" "For Christ has become for us righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption besides." Let the rulers come, and as the potter's clay, and as a potter treading clay, you will be trodden down. For who will announce the things from the beginning, that we may know also the things to come? And we will say that he is true. There is no one who foretells, nor one who hears your words. For with God's assent, the multitude of idols was about to be burned down, and to be thrown aside like clay under the feet of the believers. For they have been trodden down, and are like dust, or like potter's clay, and are nothing other than this. For their origin was from the earth. But that all these things were about to be brought to an end in due time, with saints leading the way, and ministering vigorously to the commands of God, he shows by saying this: 'Let the rulers come,' that is, let the leaders of the peoples be revealed, who incite those who believe in me to error, and arm them against the lifeless gods. For who among them, He says, will announce the things from the beginning that we may know, or also the things to come, so that when the things spoken have come to pass, we may agree that they have spoken truth? But there was not, He says, among the falsely-named gods, that is, among the unclean spirits, one who foretells; nor among men one who hears your words. For of old, in both countries and cities, in the temples of idols there were false prophecies, and false sayings of demons, and tripods and cauldrons, and an innumerable multitude of those accustomed to deceive; and many went to receive oracles from them. But when the Word of God shone upon us, the idols in the shrines fell, and the deceiving demons have fallen silent; or rather, they were even sent down into Hades, and have been cast into Tartarus. But those who formerly honored the sayings from them have been called to the knowledge of the truth, and this he teaches by saying: "Nor indeed the one who hears your words." I will give a beginning to Zion, and I will summon Jerusalem to the way. For from the nations, behold, there is no one, and from their idols, there was no one announcing; and if I ask them, From where are you? they will not answer me; for they are the ones who make you, and in vain those who lead you astray. He promises again the manifestation of the Savior, through whom the world under heaven has been saved, and the multitude of those who were wandering has been called to the knowledge of truth. For so that we might have the guide, the one who knows how and is able to lead us to the way of salvation, the only-begotten Word of God became man, being by nature a king; inasmuch as He is also understood as God and from God the Father, who indeed rules over all things, and has creation lying under his feet; He is said to have been appointed king over us. For it is written concerning Him: "Behold, a righteous king will reign, and rulers will rule with judgment." For Christ has reigned over the world under heaven, and He makes this clear to us by saying: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." And yet, although He exercises authority over all things as God, because of the economy with the flesh He says that what He had as God has been given to Him. Therefore, having become king, He has appointed over us as rulers the holy apostles, who also ruled us with judgment, that is, with righteousness. I will give, then, he says, to Zion, that is, to the Church, or to the multitude of the believers, the saving beginning, that is, Christ. And I will also summon Jerusalem, which is again the entrance of the Church. For we have been summoned, being empowered through Christ, and we have been taught the endless path that leads to life. For from the nations, he says, behold there is no one, and from their idols there was no one who could proclaim. For there have been very many wise men and orators among the Greeks; but there was no one among them who could teach the way to piety. And the temples among them were full of idols, but not even in the idols, that is, in the falsely named gods, was there one who could announce the pursuit of what is profitable, or direct to the way of righteousness. But rather I say this: Not even if they were asked, he says, 'From where are you?' would they be able to answer. And those who do not know themselves, for they are deaf and senseless matter, how could they become guides for others? Or how could they show anyone at all what leads to benefit? For they are, they are the ones who make you, fashioning the falsely named gods, and again they are leading you astray who worship them. Jacob my servant, I will help him; Israel my chosen one, my soul has accepted him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring forth judgment to the nations. He will not cry out, nor will he raise his voice, nor will his voice be heard outside. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, but he will bring forth judgment in truth. He will shine forth, and will not be crushed, until he establishes judgment on the earth; and in his name the nations and peoples will hope. He foretold, saying, 'I will give a beginning to Zion,' and he clearly shows what kind this is. For he has been appointed over the spiritual Zion, that is, over the Church, as ruler and guide, not ascending to the beginning of the matter at that time, when he is also said to have been brought to this. For the Word from the Virgin was and is always king, and Lord of all things. But since He became man, He makes the measure of humanity his own. For thus it was true, and was to be believed by us without doubt, that He became like us. Therefore, even if He is said to have received power over all things, the receiving belongs to the economy with the flesh, not to his pre-eminence, in which He is understood as Lord of all. And He calls him Jacob and Israel, as having come, according to the flesh, from the blood of Jacob, who was also renamed Israel. And He says, 'I will help him,' and calls him chosen. For the Father worked together with the Son, and as His own power He accomplished the mighty works. And He is also truly chosen, because He is also beautiful in appearance beyond the sons of men, and acceptable as beloved; for God was well pleased and Father in him. For He said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." But that He is anointed according to his humanity, and is said to have partaken of the Holy Spirit, although He himself gives the Spirit and sanctifies creation, He will make clear by saying: I have put my Spirit upon him. For when he was baptized, he says, the Spirit came upon him from heaven in the form of a dove and remained upon him. And if at the time of his baptism he receives the Spirit in the measure of his humanity, this would be along with the other things. For it was not insofar as he is God that he was sanctified by receiving the Spirit; for he himself, as I said, is the one who sanctifies; but insofar as he appeared as a man according to the economy. He has been anointed, therefore, to bring forth judgment to the nations. And by judgment he means in these things just judgment. For he has justified them by condemning the avaricious Satan. And he himself taught us this, saying: "Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." For he condemned to destruction the one who had taken advantage, as I said, of the world under heaven, but by a holy judgment he has saved those who were deceived. But he will not cry, he says, nor lift up, nor shall his voice be heard outside. For the Savior and Lord of all sojourned with great humility and without ostentation, and as it were silently, wronging no one; but in silence and tranquility, so as not to break a bruised reed, nor to quench a smoldering flax, that is, not to set his foot even on the most insignificant and those accustomed to suffering harm very readily. What then will he do, and what will he accomplish for the nations? He will bring forth judgment unto truth. In these things he seems to be calling it the law. For it is written concerning Israel, and of God who rules all things, that there he gave him ordinances and judgment; and again, Judgment and justice in Jacob you have made. The judgment, therefore, that is, the law that is in shadows and types, he will bring forth into the truth of the evangelical decrees, through which he showed the way of the life that pleases him, and transformed the worship in letter according to the law into truth. And the wretched Jews have provoked him, daring to grieve him with the death of the flesh. Nevertheless he shone forth as a light, and was not crushed, that is, he was not conquered by corruption, the madness of those who plotted against him did not prevail. For death has been loosed, and he rose again in a manner befitting God, and has trodden down his enemies, and his suffering has become for those throughout the whole world under heaven an occasion of salvation. Therefore, he will not be broken, until he establishes judgment on the earth. And do not suppose that he is setting a certain time at which he will be broken, that is, after establishing judgment on the earth; but rather he says this, He will overcome those who oppose him, and he will prevail to such an extent as to establish judgment in all the earth. For the Gospel has been preached in all the earth, and his decrees have, as it were, been fixed. For it is written, "Righteousness is forever, and your law is truth." Indeed the nations, he says, have hoped in his name. For having recognized that he is truly God, even if he appeared in the flesh, they will make him their hope, and as the Psalmist says: "In his name they shall rejoice all the day." For we are called Christians, and in him we have all hope. Thus says the Lord who made the heaven, and established it, who made the earth firm, and the things in it, and gives breath to the people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it: I the Lord God have called you in righteousness, and will take hold of your hand, and will strengthen you. And I have given you for a covenant of the people, for a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out from bonds those who are bound, and from the prison house those who sit in deep darkness. False prophets and false seers, very many have there been at times in Israel. And it happened for this reason that even those sent from God, and true prophets, were disbelieved, and accustomed to speaking in the Holy Spirit. And the paradox is this, that Christ Himself was reviled, as neither sent from God, nor truly being holy, and performing wonders in the excellence of divinity. And so the teachers of the Jews, although seeing Him performing miracles, at one time said that He cast out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons; at another time they would say to one another: If this man were from God, he would not break the Sabbath. And in response to these things, Christ often tried to make a defense and to assure them that he was not like those who were merely and only in the appearance of having been sent from God. For He said: "The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life." And again: "I am come in my Father's name." Therefore, that He might also have the Father in heaven as a witness, He said both usefully and necessarily through the holy prophets, that I am the Lord God who fixed the heaven, who showed the earth to be most firm and unshaken, the living and life-giving, and giving breath to all. I, the God and Lord of all, have called you in righteousness. For He did not become a deserter, he says, like those false prophets who speak from their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord; but I have called you, that is, according to my good pleasure I have brought you forth in righteousness. I will take hold of your hand, and I will strengthen you; instead of, I will work with you, and I will show all things powerful. And we do not say that the Father knows the Son to be weak and feeble, nor indeed in need of assistance. For He is the Lord of hosts, and the invincible right hand of the Father, through whom all things were brought into existence. But again He makes the statements, as to one of us, in that He appeared as a man, and seems somehow on account of His humanity to be strengthened by the Father. For thus it is said that He raised Him, and gave glory to Him, and showed Him to be superior to the plot of those who murdered Him. For if He humbled Himself, and willingly descended into emptying, it is altogether necessary that the measure of the emptying be seen, and the humility be understood through the events themselves. But see how, speaking as of a man the words, I will take hold of your hand, and I will strengthen you, He immediately shows that He is God by nature and truly Son, and light from light. For I have given you, He says, for a covenant of the race, for a light to the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind. For the only-begotten Word of God came into this world with flesh, and to those of the race, that is, of the blood of Israel; for from them He appeared according to the flesh, being born of a woman; He has given the new covenant, which was long ago foretold through the voice of prophets. He has also become a light to the Gentiles. And this is also worthy of God. For indeed to be a lawgiver, and to show the shadow of the all-wise Moses to be ineffective, and to add the new to the old with most God-befitting authority, and indeed to be able to enlighten those in darkness, and to open the eyes of the blind; for the divine and heavenly light has shone upon the Gentiles; how would this not have clear proof, that He is both God, and from God by nature? And that Christ, going to the spirits in hades, preached, and appeared to those imprisoned in the house of guard, and released all from bonds, and necessity, and punishment, and judgment, He previously declared by saying, to bring out from bonds those who are bound, and from the house of guard those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord God, this is my name. My glory I will not give to another, nor my praises to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare. And before I declare it, it has been shown to you. For properly and truly and alone would He be God, and be called by us the Creator of all things. And as the all-wise Paul says: "For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be gods many, and lords many; but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." Since to us great and has introduced himself as the bringer to completion of wonderful things, He says he will not bestow his glory upon lifeless idols, nor indeed to any other of created things, that is, the virtues befitting God, but will keep them for himself alone. For it was fitting that the glory of the Godhead should not belong to any other, or to one essentially different from them, but to the ineffable and transcendent nature itself and alone. But though saying he would bestow his glory upon no one, he has given it to the Son; for he has been glorified, just as the Father is also worshipped both in heaven and on earth. How then has he given it, as to one not different from them, according to the principle of consubstantiality, even if each were set apart in his own hypostasis? For the nature of the most high Godhead is one, in three distinct hypostases, understood and worshipped by those accustomed to think rightly. Saying: The things from the beginning, behold, have come. And new things, which I will announce, and before announcing them, they have been revealed to us; he does not permit the word of the Savior to be disbelieved by us in any respect at all. For just as, he says, the things spoken from the beginning concerning his advent were brought to completion, so also will come forth into truth; and whatever new things he may say, will be revealed before they become manifest. And what are these? For our Lord Jesus Christ promised us life in the age to come, that is, the life in incorruption, and sanctification, and righteousness, the kingdom of the heavens; the glorious participation in spiritual goods, the fruits of gentleness, the rewards of piety, the crown of love for him; may it be that we too obtain these things through his grace and love for mankind; through him and with him to God the Father be the glory with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Discourse 22

The Lord has appeared among us, being God, according to the Scriptures, and has been drawn by him to the grace that is through faith, the flock of the wandering. For he was the expectation of the nations, and God the Father called through him those in mist and darkness to the light of truth. And he made this clear to us by what went before, saying briefly: "I the Lord God have called you in righteousness, and I will take hold of your hand, and I will strengthen you, and I have given you as a covenant of the race, for a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out from bonds those who are bound, and from the prison house those who sit in deep darkness." For our Lord Jesus Christ has been set by God the Father as a covenant for the race according to the flesh, I mean of those from Israel, to whom God also long ago promised through one of the prophets, saying: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers." For the divine Moses was a minister of shadow and type, existing in suppliant measures. But Christ, as Son and Lord, has become the giver of a new covenant. And I say new, which reforms man into a newness of holy life, and through an evangelical way of life renders him an acceptable and true worshipper; "For God, he says, is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." Therefore he has been set as a covenant of the race, and for a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, and to bring out from bonds those who are bound. For the arch-evil Satan darkened the hearts of the nations; "For they became futile in their thinking, and professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and of four-footed animals, and of reptiles." But the true light, that is, Christ, rose for us as a spiritual morning star, and as the sun of righteousness, spreading the ray of the true knowledge of God, the one from he scattered the darkness of diabolical deception that had come upon those on earth; he freed from bonds those who were caught in inescapable chains of their own transgressions. That therefore those who of old worshipped the creation rather than the Creator, those who had darkness in their minds, those who were persuaded to worship the works of their own hands, those who were far from God, will be called through faith in Christ, and will come to know the King and Lord of all, the word of the prophecy shows very well. For it commands those who have received mercy through God to glorify him, and so it says: Sing to the Lord a new hymn, his beginning, glorify his name from the end of the earth; you who go down to the sea, and sail on it; the islands, and those who dwell in them. The hymn is new, and fitting for the newness of the events. "For if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, according to what is written, and the old things have passed away, and all things have become new." For the blood-descendants of Israel were redeemed from the greed of the Egyptians, with the all-wise Moses mediating at that time, and they were delivered from brick-making, and from the empty toils of earthly pursuits, the work of the savagery of their masters, and from the inhumanity of the ruler; they were brought through the middle of the sea, they ate manna in the desert, they drank water from the rock, they crossed the Jordan with dry feet, they were brought into the land of promise. For us all these things are new, and incomparably better than the old. For we have been delivered not from a carnal, but rather a spiritual slavery, and instead of earthly pursuits, we have been freed from the pollutions of the love of the flesh; we fled not Egyptian taskmasters, nor a tyrant who was impious, and savage, yet a man like us, but rather the wicked and unclean demons who push us into sin, and the one who is set over their hordes, that is, Satan. We have crossed as it were a sea, the surge of the present life, and the turmoil in it, and its truly vain distractions. We ate the spiritual manna, the bread from heaven, which gives life to the world; we drank water from the rock, delighting in the streams of Christ, spiritual streams, that is. We crossed the Jordan, having been deemed worthy of holy baptism, we entered the land promised and fitting for the saints, of which the Savior himself makes mention, saying: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Therefore, for new achievements, the hymn had to be new from his dominion; that is, from those who have come under him and are ruled by him; and the hymn, that is, the doxology fitting for him, was to be not only in the land of the Jews, but indeed from one end of the earth to the other, that is, the whole world under heaven. For of old God was known in Judea, and his name was great in Israel alone. But since we have been called through Christ to the knowledge of truth, heaven and earth have become full of his glory. For thus also the Psalmist says somewhere, that "The whole earth shall be filled with his glory." Who then are they who command his name to be glorified from the end of the earth, who establish singers for him, and persuade them to lead the chorus, and call them together into a spiritual company, those who go down to the sea, and sail on it, the islands, and those who dwell in them? He is referring, as I think, to the holy apostles. For they did not preach Jesus and the grace through him in Judea alone, but also crossing the sea they evangelized the lands of the gentiles. Indeed they reached as far as Illyricum, and beyond, so that even the islands in the sea did not remain without hearing the sacred proclamations, nor yet those who inhabited them. And historically you might approach what has been said in this way. But you will understand, if you please, the words of the prophecy also in another way. For the God-inspired Scripture often compares this world to the sea, that is, human life, according to what is sung in the Psalms: "This sea, great and wide; there are creeping things, of which there is no number, living things small with great." He maintains that our life resembles the sea, perhaps because of the instability of the things in it, and the up and the down, and the great confusion. But those sail through such a sea who are not submerged by it, but swimming up, as it were, and freeing themselves from worldly distractions. These, having obtained help from God, and always mindful of the gifts through Christ, glorify him, and the islands, that is, the Churches, saved, so to speak, in the intelligible sea, and receiving those who are tempest-tossed by an evil spirit, these glorify Christ, that is, those who dwell in them. For when we say, or name, Churches, we mean the holy worshipers who are in them. And yet that must also be known; for as many villages or cities as are lying in the midst of a great and wide desert are also called islands. Be glad, O wilderness, and her villages, the courts, and the inhabitants of Kedar. The inhabitants of Petra shall rejoice, they will shout from the tops of the mountains. They will give glory to God, they will declare his virtues in the islands. The blessed prophets, weaving their discourses about the coming of our Savior, make mention in many places of the calling of the gentiles. For Christ was, as I said, the expectation of the gentiles. But they apply the discourses concerning such things not simply to all the nations and peoples throughout the whole world. For it was not likely, with an innumerable multitude filling the world under heaven, to choose to speak so sparsely as to make mention of all both by name and by race, but often taking the lands bordering on Judaea, and which were very idolatrous, then saying that these would be called in due time, they made a declaration of the whole from a part. Since, therefore, the wide desert lying to the south, which the nations of the Saracens and Arabs inhabited, was bordering on the land of the Jews, they say that those who dwell in it will obtain in due time the grace and salvation through Christ. And the names for the villages, or rather the towns, which are, I say, in the desert, are courts, and Kedar, and Petra, lying in the land of the Arabs even to this day, and so named. But most superstitious, as I said, are those of whom this account is given, that is, their inhabitants, and they have completely turned aside into apostasy from God. For they have served the unclean spirits. But since they were about, as I said, to come to share in both the calling and salvation which is through the evangelical preachings, and the faith which is in Christ; for this reason and very fittingly, the prophet, as having beautiful feet—for he proclaims good tidings in these things—so to speak, raises his voice on high, and says: "Be glad, O wilderness, and her villages, the courts, and the inhabitants of Kedar; the inhabitants of Petra will rejoice." And this matter is a great and admirable demonstration of the power and pre-eminence of our Savior, who easily softened such hard and unadmonished hearts, and persuaded them on the one hand to depart from the ancient deceit, and on the other hand to choose the better things, and to conform to the truth. And this he has foretold to us through the voice of Ezekiel, saying that "I will take away their heart of stone from their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh, that is, a tender one, so that they may know me, that I am the Lord." Therefore, that they also would be called, he signified, saying: Be glad, O wilderness, and the things that follow this. But who those might be, who cry from the tops of the mountains, giving glory to God, and declaring his virtues in the islands, is worthy to see. Therefore it does no harm, for them to be understood as the called, those who inhabit Petra, so high and lofty a country and city, no longer indeed hymns and they weave odes to the falsely-named gods, but they rather glorify the God who enlightened them, and drew them into the net of truth. That is, those crying from the tops of the mountains, would be said to be, and quite correctly, the divine disciples. To whom the prophet also says somewhere else: "Go up to a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem. Lift it up, be not afraid." For they proclaimed with great boldness, and they did not wish to be hidden from anyone, but they were conspicuous to all everywhere, like a city set on a hill; and their word was not in a corner, and secretly, but with great boldness, as I just said. For this the Savior Himself also commanded them, saying: "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and what you hear in the ear, proclaim on the housetops." Therefore they gave glory to God, and they declared His virtues in the islands. For the word of the holy apostles and evangelists is seen to have become the announcer of the Savior's glory. For at one time they make discourses concerning His ineffable divinity, and they hymn His supermundane virtue, not placing Him among created things, but beyond everything that is called into existence, and in natural identity with God the Father; and at another time, in turn, they relate His divine signs which are beyond wonder and reason. For to raise the dead from tombs, and to use the sea as dry land, making it walkable for his own feet, and to rebuke the winds, and by a word to crush Satan, achieves for Him a glory befitting God. The Lord God of hosts will go forth, and will crush the war; He will stir up zeal, and will cry out against his enemies with strength; I have been silent, shall I also be silent forever and forbear? I have endured like a woman in labor. And now the word proceeds in great order, and has a disposition that is not unwonderful. For the ministers of the decrees of our Savior were about to proclaim his virtues to all everywhere, and with great boldness to make discourses concerning these very things. But it was necessary to understand, that in every way and altogether there would rise up against their so venerable zeal and eagerness the enemies of the truth, and those who plot in many ways against the glory of the Savior, namely, corrupt and superstitious men, and instruments of diabolical malice, and champions of his wickedness, or perhaps with them also the very hordes of demons, since indeed their glory was being shaken down, and the dominion procured by greed. For they have held dominion by deceit under heaven. That they will therefore be inconsumable to their enemies, and that no one will prevail over them as God is their defender, the prophet demonstrates in these things, saying, that the Lord of hosts will go forth, and will crush the war, and he says, "will go forth," as of one of the kings on earth falling irresistibly upon the phalanxes of the enemy together with the armies under his scepter. And that the Lord of hosts will in every way prevail, he has revealed by saying, that he will crush the war. For the power from God is not easily encountered by anyone, or rather, it is bearable by none of the things that exist, when it rises up against and falls upon them, whether we think of wicked powers, or the apostate and destructive Satan himself, or certain earthly ones, who care for those things instead; but they will be taken, and this indeed without toil and without a struggle. "For the high hand, who will turn it back?" according to what is written. That therefore for those who oppose the choir of the holy apostles, the war was and is until now not against only holy angels, but indeed also against the Lord of hosts Himself, the prophet has fully assured us, saying that He will go forth, in order to crush the war. He will stir up zeal, he says, that is, indignation, or that from Himself against enemies, according to what is written in the words of Zechariah: "I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy;" that is, from those who contend for His glory, and it is clear that of the of those who worship him, of whom we say that the most holy Paul was one and elect, who indeed also says: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?;" again, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." In this way, we say, the holy martyrs also became zealous, who became stronger than Satan, and have fought against his power, for the sake of piety toward Christ. For they have kept the faith, and the genuineness of their love for him; Therefore he will stir up zeal, it says, and will cry out against his enemies with strength; putting "will cry out" instead of "will shout." And this cry is most fitting for the victors, dancing in a way over the vanquished. Then he says: I have been silent, shall I also be silent forever, and restrain myself? I have been patient like a woman in labor. From this one might see very well that at that time, when the multitude of nations was in error, with Satan plundering them, and blackening them with the darkness of sin, and carrying them away also from even knowing who the God of all is by nature and in truth, the God who is above all wished to help them; but he delayed the matter, and clearly persevered, waiting for the fitting time for his aids; and this was when his only-begotten Word was incarnate and became man. For then, then he waged war against those who had conquered us, and rescued us from their wickedness, and he took hold of and saved us, and brought us under his own yokes. Therefore, in the past time, when those on earth were being plundered, and Satan was devouring everyone like a lion; I have been silent, he says; shall I also be silent forever, and restrain myself? I have been patient like a woman in labor. See then how much forbearance the God of all showed for those on earth; and yet, as the Psalmist says, with no one doing good; but with all having turned aside, and to a man, and being utterly corrupted, almost. And having birth pangs over this, and if he were to endure and be susceptible to grief, he would have suffered, and for our sake he has kept this, as I said, for the fitting time for his aids. I will displace, and dry up at the same time, and I will make rivers into islands, and I will dry up marshes. What "I will displace" might signify in these things, it is necessary to investigate. For either it says this, that "I will cast out those who now rule over those on earth, and I will cause them to be outside the dominion that they have procured over all," according to what was said by Christ: "Now the ruler of this world will be cast out;" or you will understand "I will displace" instead of, "I will cause those who see my achievements to wonder," and the ways of my economy, and the excess of my ineffable power; just as indeed the prophet Habakkuk was astonished at these very things, saying: "O Lord, I have heard your report, and was afraid; I considered your works, and was amazed." Or if it seems so to anyone, you will understand "I will displace" in another way. For those now wandering, those in darkness and diabolical mist, I will transfer to a knowledge of truth, and to the divine and intelligible and heavenly light. those now polluted, and having a loathsome and unpurified mind, I will change to an incomparably better disposition, so as to depart from their ancient filth, and to choose rather to do good. And the phrase "I will dry up at the same time" signifies again something of this sort, which indeed the force of what follows will make clear. For "I will make," it says, "rivers into islands, and I will dry up marshes." Who might be the rivers made into islands, and the marshes that are dried up? We say, then, that they are the poets and orators among the Greeks, who have become heralds of polytheistic error. For they have deified creation, and introduced innumerable gods into life. And they were like certain rivers, watering the deceived with a turbid overthrow, as it is written, and with the streams of elaborate words inundating the mind of those who admire them, and through this holding them fast to error, and setting before them as a kind of nourishment of their own the sweet and charming quality of fine speech. Therefore, they would reasonably be compared to rivers and marshes, that is, to thickets, or rather groves, that have obtained the most abundant and flourishing grass. God therefore promises to turn such rivers into islands, that is, to show them to be dry and waterless, and to make the marshes as if dry, which indeed has happened. For henceforth the fine speech of their eloquence is ineffective. And absolutely no one adheres to them, but kicking away, as it were, the unsound and profane, and the old-womanish little myths of those who lead astray, those who were once led astray seize upon the wisdom that is in Christ. For Paul writes: "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" Therefore we say the rivers turned into islands are the words of the wise among the Greeks that contribute to Hellenic deceit. Or rather, in what has been said before, we have granted that other islands are the Churches of Christ, which receive those who are sailing—intellectually, that is, and spiritually—and who put in at safe anchorages, as it were, with the teachers in them, escaping the wicked spirit that always storms upon those who go down to the sea in ships and do business in great waters. The sea, as I said, must be compared to the surge of this life of ours, and the turmoil of earthly affairs. And the marshes are also dried up, that is, the pastures of the things once under the hand of Satan, so that henceforth they might be under the Chief Shepherd of all, I mean, Christ. Who does not, like those false shepherds, lead his own flock away into thorns and thistles, but rather pastures them among lilies; for intellectually, the divine and holy things, and His own ordinances, are most fragrant. And I will lead the blind in a way they have not known, and in paths they have not known I will make them walk. I will make darkness light before them, and the crooked things straight. These words I will do, and I will not forsake them, says the Lord God. For when the Lord of hosts came to shatter war, and the enemies were overthrown, and the rivers were turned into islands, and the marshes were dried up, according to the arguments of contemplation we have just made, those who were in the rank of captives, and subjected to the depravities of the devil, being blind—for the apostate blinded their hearts—are henceforth led by Christ, clearly into ways which they did not know before. And these are surely the evangelical ordinances and the life according to understanding and virtue, and the beauty of a holy life. For the divine Paul also addressed those from the Gentiles: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." Therefore their darkness became light; that is, matters have changed to the complete opposite. For the ignorant have become wise; those who once went astray have known the straight ways of all righteousness; those who knew nothing of good things have been shown to be experts in all virtue, and curators of the studies that lead to piety. The crooked things have become straight for them, that is, the difficult and impassable things have become passable, and fit for horses, level and cleared. Something of this sort is also hinted at in the preachings of John the Baptist. For every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough way into smooth paths. For hills and hollows show that the road is uneven. But when there is no bank, nor indeed a hollow, the road is surely straight and easy to travel, and free from all difficulty. The blessed prophet Isaiah himself also says this somewhere else: "For the way of the pious," he says, "has become straight, and the way of the pious has been prepared." For truly the way of the evangelical life is not rough and difficult to travel, but rather smooth, and as it were level for those who love the excellent life. He promises, therefore, these words, or rather the God brings promises to completion, and does not abandon them, that is, is with them always, according to, "Behold, I am with you all the days, until the end of the age." But they shall be turned back. Be utterly ashamed, you who trust in graven images, who say to the molten images, "You are our gods." Very opportunely he shifts his words to the nation of the Jews, who, having the law through Moses that leads them to the knowledge of God and to the need to desire to accomplish those things for which it was likely they would be well-pleasing, have turned to apostasy, and having entered the mire of polytheism, they went down into the pit of destruction. And for this reason they have struck against, and very rightly so, the God who bestowed upon them all forbearance and love. So then, the word having proclaimed that the Gentiles will be called in due time, and will tread paths they did not know, and darkness will become light, and crooked things straight, it reveals the ignorance of those of the blood of Israel, saying: But they have turned back. The word "they" must be taken emphatically; that is, those who were instructed in the divine law, and came under my hand, and had Moses as a mediator, who heard explicitly: "The Lord your God, the Lord is one; and you shall have no other gods besides me." These, while the multitude of the Gentiles was in good hope, turned back, having unholily returned to the defilements in Egypt, and having taken up the blame for the ancient deceit. And for them the true proverb has come to pass: "A dog returning to its own vomit, and a sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." Our Lord Jesus Christ also said something of this sort, showing Israel relapsing into its ancient impiety. "For when," he says, "the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding it, it returns to the place from which it came out. And when it comes, it finds it empty and swept. Then it takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man becomes worse than the first." For they had served the gods of the Egyptians, but the demon was cast out when they were called to the knowledge of God, I say, through the law; but they have fallen sick with the slander of having gone astray, and even more grievously, when, knowing the God by nature, they became apostates, honoring gods who are not gods. Be utterly ashamed, then, he says, you who trust in graven images, and attach the revered name of the divinity that is above all, that is, the glory, to things hewn by hand and made by hand. You who are deaf, hear, and you who are blind, look up to see. And who is deaf, but my children? and who are blind, but those who rule over them? And the servants of God were blinded. You have seen many times, and you have not kept watch; your ears were open, and you did not hear. He very rightly calls deaf and blind those who have served idols. For as the all-wise Paul writes: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the light of the Gospel of Christ might not shine." The power of the word would be most fitting for those from Israel, to whom it was indeed given to be enriched in their mind with the divine light, as the law sent forth to them the radiance of the knowledge of God, they foolishly loved to walk in darkness and to be let down into the snares of deceit. And they are blind in another way as well. For with nothing preventing it, one can see the Creator of these things by analogy from the beauty of created things; for as the all-wise Paul writes: "For his invisible attributes, since the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made; both his eternal power and divinity;" they have slipped into such ignorance, that they say to the molten images: "You are our gods." For that the prophet's word is not now about the multitude of the Gentiles, but about those of the blood of Israel, he has shown by saying: And who is blind, but my children? and deaf, Or are they their rulers? For the multitude under their hand have been blinded, having fallen into this through the indolence of their guides. For they themselves were the cause of their ignorance, and the guides of their wandering. And their rulers were fickle; that is, those who had been appointed to lead. For although they saw the glory of God, and had passed through long experience, they turned to apostasy. For they did not wish to obey God, who said clearly: "You shall have no other gods but me." But since, being knowledgeable of my ordinances, they, along with those under their yoke, went off to apostasy, he is, as it were, astonished, saying: "The servants of God were blinded." And what was the occasion of their blindness? Willingly, he says, you were led astray to this. For although it was possible for you who had seen many times to be on your guard, and for you who knew how to hear, that is, to understand the things written, you did not guard against suffering the sentence, nor indeed did you practice well-doing, widening, as it were, your hearing to the sacred laws. Therefore, the accusations against the Jews are without excuse. For although it was possible for them to know the truth, having received the law as a guide to this, they have become equal to those who have no eyes and whose ears are set uselessly on their head, because of their unwillingness to listen to the sacred laws. The Lord God wished that he might be justified, and might magnify praise. I delivered them, he says, from the greed of the Egyptians; I freed them, contrary to expectation, who were serving strangers; I instructed them through the law toward the knowledge of God; I gave them Moses as a director of good order. For my purpose, I the Lord of all, was to make Israel a worker of righteousness and a steward of the best works, so that, having been brought to an awareness of the gifts given to him by me, he might magnify praise, that is, he would unceasingly glorify me, clearly the one who is the author of all their prosperity, and has become the provider of what they have been enriched with. But not having been brought to an awareness of any of such things, they have rendered evil things instead of good to the Master, and having loosed their neck from his yokes, they have been enslaved to Satan, and wallowing in the mire of polytheistic error they have become abominable, and hated by the God who loves virtue. This is clearly what he also said somewhere else about them, as about a vine: "I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns." And I saw, and the people became plundered. For the snare was in the storehouses everywhere, and in the houses at the same time where they hid them, they became plunder, and there was no one to rescue the spoil, and there was no one to say: Give it back. He brings them to the remembrance of what happened to their fathers, because of their being caught in the snares of accursed polytheism. And he has done this not in vain, but that he might make more prudent those who fear suffering the same things as their ancestors. For since, he says, they have become blind and deaf, having rejected the worship of God, they kindled reverence for wood and stones. Therefore I saw this, and the people became plundered and ravaged. For when God visits the crimes of the intolerably impious, then he also brings punishments that are in proportion to the accusations. Therefore the people were ravaged, and became plunder for their enemies; and for what reason? For the snare was in the storehouses everywhere, and in the houses at the same time they hid them. But whom? Molten gods, clearly. For the leaders of the Jews, feigning piety, and submitting their neck to the lawful ordinances as far as outward appearance was concerned, hid the disease of apostasy in their mind and heart, worshipping gods that are not; and shutting these up in the storehouses of their own homes they made offerings of sacrifices secretly. For it is written in Ezekiel: "Son of man, dig. And I dug indeed in the wall. And I saw, he says, and behold every likeness of reptile and beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel inscribed on it all around. And he said to me: Have you seen, Son of man, are the things which each one does in his secret chamber a small thing to the house of Israel?" See, then, how each of them, having in his secret chamber the snare that was set for him, that is, idolatry lying there, feigned reverence for the laws. For this reason he says: They became plunder, and there was no one to deliver them, a spoil, and there was no one who said, 'Give it back.' For when God did not defend them, who delivered them from so heavy and incurable a disaster? and when He did not rebuke the plunderers, who would have said to them, 'Give it back'? For God no longer sought them as His own inheritance, but rather gave them over as having become estranged from him by their turning to those who are not gods. And by these things he seems to indicate the time of captivity, which those of Israel endured, having fallen into the hands of enemies. For until the seventieth year there was no one to deliver them, nor to say to the plunderers, 'Give it back.' And very providentially, after the calling of the nations was mentioned, the reasons for which those of Israel were cast out from their fellowship with God have been clearly stated, so that God might be seen everywhere to have used a just decree. For it was necessary, necessary for those who honored impiety towards God to be outside of his forbearance and love; but for those who out of ignorance were caught in the pits of sin, and who fell into the devil's hand, to be pitied by the Creator of all, being called to the knowledge of him, and to the light of truth. For this, somewhere, he is also found saying through the all-wise Moses: 'They have made me jealous with what is no god, they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will provoke them to anger.' And the divine Psalmist also says somewhere that, "They provoked him to anger with their carved images, and with their practices they made him jealous ; and the Lord God saw, and looked upon them, and utterly despised Israel." And if it is necessary to apply some spiritual contemplation to what has been said, let us be on guard against having a diabolical snare in our mind and heart, and the wicked idols in the fantasies of our thoughts, which call us to licentiousness and to perverse pleasures, so that we may not belong to Satan, and a spoil for demons. For it is written that, "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against you, leave not your place; for yielding pacifies great offenses." Who among you will give ear to these things? listen to the things that are coming. It is the custom of the divinely inspired Scripture to speak of 'hearkening,' in the sense of not receiving the word on necessary matters carelessly or negligently, but rather soberly, so as to have what was announced stored up in the mind and heart. Such as what is said through the voice of the Psalmist: "In my heart I have hidden your words, that I might not sin against you." For it is also written in the forty-eighth psalm: "Hear this, all you nations; give ear, all you who dwell in the world." For 'to hear' is common to all who have once received a sound in their ear, or any other noise; but 'to give ear' is to house in the mind, as I said, something of what has been decreed. Therefore, the prophetic word in these things seems to seek those who listen more reasonably, or rather, more prudently, so as to speak of what happened in the past for the security of those to come. For as Paul says: "These things happened to them as a type, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come." For we must not read the narratives about him in vain, but receive these things for the benefit of the soul, and strictly refuse to be caught by the same offenses, so that we may not fall into their misfortunes. Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to those who plunder him? Was it not God, against whom they sinned, and they were not willing to walk in his ways, nor to listen to his law? And he brought upon them the anger of his wrath, and war prevailed against them, and those who burned them round about; and they did not know, each one of them, nor did they take it to heart. He seems to name both Jacob and Israel very emphatically in these words. And what we might understand the power of the emphasis to be, we will state briefly. For at times those from Israel served the Egyptians; but they were redeemed by God with Moses mediating, but with a mighty hand and a high arm, as it is written. For with countless and unbearable plagues he afflicted the oppressors. But when they ran out of the land of the Egyptians, they crossed the sea on foot, they ate the bread of angels, they drank water from a rock, they were brought into the land of promise, they conquered kingdoms, they prevailed over their enemies, they had a terrible and irresistible hand and on this account, renowned glory. And their weapon was the God of all, who stopped the course of the sun and moon over Gibeon, and sent hailstones from heaven upon the foreigners, and raised his own people to the summit of all glory. Who then, he says, has given the renowned Israel, the enviable Jacob, the unconquered by enemies, the strong and most warlike, and the one always accustomed to conquer, over to plunder, and to the spoilers? How did he who knew not how to be conquered grow weak? How was he brought under, and come under the feet of his adversaries, he who was high above all, and raised an unbreakable horn? But since it was necessary for us who come after them not to be ignorant of the reasons for the handing over of so glorious and chosen a people, he necessarily added: Was it not God, against whom they sinned, and they were not willing to walk in his ways, nor to hear his law? The question about these debatable matters contains a clear confession of the fact. For it was certainly God who gave him up, and who brought upon him the wrath befitting his crimes. For this reason, then, war prevailed against them. And this was unusual for those from Israel, for they had always prevailed with God as their shield-bearer. But since they have transgressed against his divine laws, they have been bereft of their former boasts. They have fallen into inactivity, they have been brought down into weakness; around them have been those who set them on fire, and as if with a fire consuming them with the magnitude of the things brought upon them, that is, burning their cities, according to what is clearly stated elsewhere: Your cities are burned with fire. Yet they did not know, he says, each one of them, nor did they take it to heart; in this they endure a charge of insensibility. For those would be perfect in understanding who refuse to offend God, and keep their foot away from suffering anything from his wrath, by submitting their neck to him tenderly. But as for those who, having even come to suffer because of human failings, if they should not perceive the things brought upon them, such people would be far from all good hope. And that those from Israel became liable to such charges, one might observe from Jeremiah saying to the God of all: "O Lord, your eyes look for faithfulness, you have scourged them, and they were not willing to receive correction." We remember that after Jerusalem was captured, and Israel was carried away captive, the prophet Jeremiah spoke to those who were left behind the things from God, saying not to go down to Egypt. Then their women shamelessly said, or rather, not having even been brought to a sense of the wrath, that, The Lord has not sent you. And to this they added things from utter madness. For since, they said, we stopped sacrificing to the queen of heaven, all these evils have come upon us. True, then, is what was said, that They did not know, each one of them, nor did they take it to heart, when war prevailed against them, and those surrounding them completely burned them. And now thus says the Lord God, who made you, Jacob, who formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name. You are mine. And if you pass through water, I am with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you; and if you pass through fire, you shall not be burned; the flame shall not burn you; for I am the Lord the God, the holy one, Israel, who saves you. And now it is necessary to marvel at the merciful God. For being good by nature, and the Creator of all, even if there should be some necessity for some to fall under the movements of just wrath for the sobering up from their crimes, He turns to mercy, and not for long, and He who strikes binds up, and takes away the scourge, and reclaims those who repent, and raises us who have slipped, and to those caught in suffering He gives a saving hand, drawing them out of every misfortune, and transferring them to well-being. For observe how He comes as it were to a forgetfulness of the sins that have been committed, and promises to make the crimes disappear with God-befitting amnesties, setting before them as it were another beginning of a time that brings them to cheerfulness. And so we say that which is said in the book of Psalms is of such a kind: "Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the provocation." For just as there the ‘Today’ defines a beginning of other times, so also here the ‘Now’ has the basis of an amnesty for what has already been said before. And it leads up to the beginning of a way, and of other things that will be from God. Therefore He does not allow them to be withered away by cheerfulness forever, nor indeed does He make His turning away endless, but He removes all fear, and gives courage, that one will obtain every good thing, as God transfers the nature of their affairs to that which is incomparably better. For I have redeemed you, he says; and in what manner the all-wise Paul will make clear when he says concerning the Savior of us all, Christ, that it pleased God the Father to sum up all things in him, both the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth. For in him is the redemption of all, both the forgiveness and amnesty of past things, and the manner of spiritual kinship, I mean that toward him, accomplished through sanctification, bringing us up into the communion of God the Father. For this reason he says: I have called you by your name; and what is it? that is, You are mine. For we are said to be of Christ, and this is the good name that has been called upon us. But it must be known that it is also stated in another Scripture: I have called you by my name; however, by positing and saying, You are mine, he dissolved the alienation, which those held fast by sins are accustomed to endure. For they are not of God, although He has dominion over all, but the disposition toward evil things removes them from kinship with him. In this way we say that those who are in defilements are not of God. Therefore, You are mine, would be an emphasis of spiritual kinship. And he promises him invincible aid, so that he becomes unconquerable by any temptation. For rivers, and water, and flames signify the manifold assaults of temptations. For it is written that "All who want to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." And Christ himself said somewhere to those who had believed in him: In the world you have tribulation. But if you pass through water, he says, I am with you. For with Christ present, nothing could harm those who are his. But they will attain to such spiritual strength, that they will take no account of anyone who has the power to overwhelm them. But even if a persecution should ever come on like the flow of a river, even if it has the sharpness of fire, and of flame, even so to conquer, provided one knows that it is God who saves. For it is a custom in the divine Scripture to compare the assaults of temptations to both rivers and waters. The Savior himself will also show this by speaking as in the form of a parable, or rather, an example: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it did not fall. For it had been founded on the rock, and the rock is Christ." I have made Egypt and Ethiopia your exchange, and Syene for you, since you became honored in my sight. You were glorified, and I have loved you, and I will give many men for you, and rulers for your head. Do not fear, because I am with you. The meaning of the things set forth is quite hard to reach, but I will make the narration as possible with God guiding, for He Himself gives wisdom and knowledge. Therefore, before Christ, who is the true light, shone upon the world, the whole earth had gone astray, and was darkened by the deep and most intense shadow of ignorance, and there were very many forms of worship everywhere, according to regions and nations. But more superstitious than the others were the Chaldeans, and the Phoenicians, and all who possess the land of the Egyptians, as far as Syene and Ethiopia. For they dwell in a land bordering that of the Egyptians. But the chosen lot of God was Israel alone, and the portion of the Lord, according to what is written. But since they have acted impiously toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and have become slayers of the Lord, they have no longer remained God's lot at all; but they have slipped from their kinship with Him, and the Gentiles have been received, and have become the exchange for Israel; even those who were formerly the most superstitious of all others, and had in this an indelible stain. And I said that the Egyptians have become terrible and bitter, especially concerning the inventions of idols, and deep in false worship, and proud of devising superfluous things concerning both the worship and the invocations of idols. Therefore, "of you the beloved," he says, "who was allotted to me as a portion, I have made Egypt an exchange, and Ethiopia," that is, again Egypt; for it is the custom in the divine Scripture to call the Egyptians Ethiopians. For so he said through one of the holy prophets, "And you, Ethiopians, are the slain of my sword." Therefore I received in your stead, he says, those who are in terrible pollutions, and have an impurity that is all but irremovable. But from the time you became honorable, you were glorified in my sight. For Israel did not remain in perpetual turning away and dishonor. For he himself also will be called through faith in Christ, and will be a sharer and partaker of the glory of the saints. For "you were glorified," he says, "and I loved you." But the saying, "I will give many men for you, and rulers for your head," seems to make clear that when those from Israel are called from time to time to the knowledge of Christ, there will be very many who know how to initiate them, wise and most eloquent men. For acting for your sake, he says, "I will give many men." And I will give rulers speaking for your head; and the head of the believers is Christ, to whom every initiation looks from those who are brought from time to time to lead the peoples, that is, by a vote from him. Therefore, "for your sake," would signify "for the sake of what is useful and leads to your benefit as you learn the august and great mystery of your head," that is, of Christ. Or you will understand in another way the saying, "I will give many men for you, and rulers for your head." "For you have become," he says, "cast off and banished, and entirely foreign to my friendship and kinship." For this reason, I also received in exchange for you those of the nations who have reached the extremes of diabolical wickedness. But from the time you became honorable in my sight, that is, by believing and finding glory in this, I loved you. And I loved you so, that if the time should come, or the need for many men and rulers to be given for your head, I would give them. For the saying is hypothetical, and having the greatest possible emphasis that Israel has been honored by God, it yet gives firm courage, as God is with them in every good thing, in every way and in every case; "For I am with you." And this is sufficient for them for all prosperity; for with God present, evil things will be out of the way, and every kind of good cheer and delight or rather joy is brought in to us in its place. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the North, Bring; and to the South, Do not hinder; bring my sons from a land far off, and my daughters from the ends of the earth, all who are called by my name. He appeared to those on earth in a form like ours, That is, the only-begotten Word of God, having become man, in order that He might drive together Greeks and Jews, who through many and various slips had been brought down into apostasy, I mean, from the Creator of all things, to the true and blameless knowledge of God, and might gather them into spiritual unity through faith and sanctification, with the intimacy with Him being well accomplished, He might then declare them to be worthy, and thus might join them through Himself to God, even the Father. For that Christ became incarnate also for this reason, it is not at all difficult to perceive through the holy evangelical Scriptures. For Lazarus was miraculously brought back to life from the dead; but the multitude of the unholy Jews, or the God-hated workshop of the Pharisees, were sitting in council and said: "What are we doing? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, the Romans will come and take away both our nation and our country. But one of them, Caiaphas, said to them: You know nothing at all, that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." Then to these things the divine evangelist immediately added: "He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who were scattered abroad." For as far as it concerned the creation of man in the beginning, and the purpose for him of the one who brought him into existence, all were his children. But Satan, as I said, scattered all into manifold sin, and beguiled them away from intimacy with him, bringing them down into error; but Christ gathered all together. For he came to seek that which was lost. This, to be sure, is also signified by the preceding words. For he promises to the assembly gathered from both gentiles and Jews, that is, the church, to gather all from east to west, and from the North, and Libs, that is, the South, so that from this you might understand [it means] from every region under heaven. For east and west, north and south, would certainly signify this very thing to us; saying: Bring, to the North, and to the Libs, Do not hinder, he somehow gives us to understand that he does not permit the resistance of savage and wicked spirits to be brought spiritually against those who come to him. Just as also long ago, like some cruel and arrogant tyrant, the accursed Satan lorded it over those on earth together with his own shield-bearers, not allowing them to look up to the truth, that is, to go to God through repentance. But this too has ceased through Christ, who smoothes the way to salvation for those who have been called, and causes every obstacle in their path to be removed from the way. And by naming sons and daughters running from the four regions, he makes manifest the time of Christ's coming, at which the grace of adoption has been given to those on earth through sanctification in the Spirit. That the call was not of one nation, but became common and one for all, he indicated by saying, All, who are called by my name. For we have been named Christians, that is, the people of God. For thus somewhere Peter also writes to those called through faith and says: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood; a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people, but now are the people in the Lord." For in my glory I have prepared him, and formed him, and made him. And I brought out a blind people, and their eyes are likewise blind, and they have deaf ears. All the nations were gathered together, and rulers will be gathered from them. All things have become new in Christ, and the most holy Paul will confirm this, writing: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away." And he also writes to those called to newness, clearly meaning the spiritual kind: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may prove you, what is the will of God, the good, and perfect, and acceptable." For we were renewed in Christ, having returned through sanctification to the ancient beauty of our nature, that is, according to the image of the * having cast off the oldness from sin, and all wickedness; and we have put off the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and we have put on the new, which is renewed in the image of him that created him. But in Christ has come the re-creation and what is called the new creation, which we have not received from corruptible seed, but through the living and abiding word of God. Therefore, the people gathered from the four corners under heaven and called by my name, not someone else, but I rather in my glory have prepared, and formed, and made; and one might say the Son is the glory of God and the Father, for through him and in him he is glorified, and according to that which was clearly spoken by him, I have glorified thee on the earth. For we are assured, as I said, that those who have believed in him have been formed through him, having the beauty of the divine nature shining forth in their souls in conformity to him. The divine Psalmist also said something of this kind: "The generation to come shall be declared to the Lord, and a people that is being created shall praise the Lord." Adding to these things, that I have also brought out a blind people, he makes clear the truly admirable pre-eminence of his own power beyond all expression. For those who formerly had in their mind and heart the mist and deceit from diabolical wickedness, he has rendered brilliant and illuminated, like a morning star, and the sun of righteousness rising upon them, and has declared them to be sons, no longer of night and darkness, but rather of light, and indeed of day, according to the voice of the most wise Paul. Therefore, that he brought out a blind people is not unclear to any of those who exist; but as if someone were resisting such words and saying: And yet, one might still see their eyes as blind, and indeed that they have deaf ears, he makes a defense, saying: All the nations were gathered together, and rulers shall be gathered from them. For you do not simply receive the words of prophecy, O you people; the time for the events has not yet arrived; however, all the nations will in every way and entirely be gathered together in due time. For 'were gathered', instead of 'shall be gathered', he says, as this is the custom in the divinely-inspired Scripture. For it sometimes sets down things that will in every way and entirely happen as if they have already happened. For instance, it is said as from the person of Christ through the voice of Isaiah: I gave my back to the scourges, instead of, I will give. And through the one who Psalms: "They parted my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots," which also happened at the time of his sojourning. Therefore, he says, all the nations will be gathered together, and not only this, but there will also be rulers from them, that is, leaders of peoples, and mystagogues, and those who once were wandering, and lying in deep darkness, will be agents of the divine light for those initiated by them. The Melodist said something of this sort concerning the church from the Gentiles: "As her darkness, so also is her light." For just as she was sick with an immeasurable and deep darkness in the time of error, so again she has become exceedingly brilliant, and preternaturally whitened. For it is true that, as the divine Paul says: "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Who shall declare these things? Or who shall declare to you the things from the beginning? Let them bring forth their witnesses, and let them be justified, and let them speak truth, and let them hear. Having once made mention of the nations, that is, of those called through faith to the knowledge of the truth, he weaves a certain manner of initiation for them, denouncing not a little the deceit of demons, and showing that the making of idols is absolutely nothing; for to know all things from the beginning to the end would be fitting only for him who is God by nature. For all understanding is from him, and he is of all knowledge a fountain, and in him are all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge, according to what is written. But if anyone is found to have knowledge of future things, he is seen to have received the gift from a revelation from him. He is conversing, therefore, as I said, with those from the nations, and indeed he says: I have announced and spoken to you all future things, and that you will be called in due time to the knowledge of the truth; but who else will announce these things to you, or is seen to have declared them? Let them bring forth their witnesses, and let them be justified, and let them speak the truth, and let them hear. For I, he says, have spoken through prophets; I have proclaimed future events in due time, through holy men, and I have as witnesses of my foreknowledge of the future those who ministered to my words. But who would testify for the demons, or for the lifeless idols, that they had spoken such a thing through them? For there are very many orators and poets among the Greeks, but absolutely none of them said, as from their own gods, that these things would happen to them in due time; nor indeed would one find any of the wise men among the Greeks who had foretold that Satan would in due time be cast out from the glory he had acquired for himself through greed, or that the world under hea- ven would be enlightened through faith in Christ, and the nations would be called to the knowledge of him, or that the darkness of idolatry would depart, and the truth would prevail under heaven. Let them, therefore, bring forth their witnesses, and show that they spoke the truth. And if this should happen, let them hear them, that is, let them follow them, and agree that the herd of demons also abounds in the knowledge of future things. But there is no one who has testified for them, nor indeed a messenger of future things. Therefore, those who considered them to be gods have admittedly been deceived; for they are profane, and impostors and buffoons. Be my witnesses, and I am a witness, says the Lord God, and the servant whom I have chosen, that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am. And before me there was no other god, and after me there will be none. Having said that nothing could testify for the unclean demons, that is, for the works of human hands, to know the future, he converses with his own prophets, and says: Be my witnesses. For I have spoken through you, and my Spirit has shone in you the knowledge of future things. Therefore, I will bring forth witnesses of my own glory and divine pre-eminence. And I will testify for myself, and the Servant whom I have chosen. Similar to this is what was said to the Jews through the voice of our Savior: "If I bear witness of myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I am from and where I am going." And again: "I bear witness of myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness of me." For the voice of God is worthy of belief for whatever he may wish to say concerning his own glory and pre-eminence. Secondly, it follows logically, both the vote of the saints, and the understanding which ascribes to him all that is fitting to the nature that is beyond all things. For this reason, having taken the holy prophets as witnesses, he proceeds to what is greater and admittedly true, himself, I say, and his own Son. For, as I said, the voice of God is sufficient for all belief for those of sound mind. "These things I have spoken to you, he says, not in vain, but that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am." For through knowledge comes faith, and through faith comes understanding. For if you do not believe, you will not understand, he says; but believe that before me there was no other God, and after me there will be none. For neither was there another God before him, but he himself is the beginning of all things and beyond all mind, and after him there will be none. For he remains the same, and has an unchangeable nature, and an unshakable pre-eminence over all things, and a perpetual kingdom. For he who has no beginning of being, to what end will he run? I am God, and besides me there is no savior. I have announced, and I have saved. I have reproached, and there was no stranger among you. You are to me witnesses, and I am a witness, says the Lord God, that [or, yet] from the beginning, and there is no one who can rescue from my hands. I will do it, and who then will turn it back? Bear witness, he says, that I alone am the God of all, with none having been before me, nor indeed will there be any after me. For I alone am the one who saves, and this I proclaimed to you long ago, and what was spoken I brought to completion. For I saved in Christ; I reproached, and there was no stranger among you. For from time to time those of Israel forgot the sacred ordinances, those given, I say, through the all-wise Moses, and were lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Then, making pretexts for indolence, they were sometimes endangered by enemies being sent against them. But in the time of affliction, they would attempt to call upon the one who always saves for aid. And this I reproached them for, saying through the voice of Jeremiah: "And in the time of their evils they will say: 'Arise, and save us.' And where are your gods, which you made for yourself? Will they arise and save you in the time of your affliction?" Therefore, I have reproached you of the blood of Israel many times, and you have learned by experience that there was no god among you, that is, a strange one. For none of them has saved you. Therefore, I alone am the one who saves. Therefore, bear witness, and I will be a witness to myself, says the Lord God. That is, according to that: "Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, I also will confess him." Bear witness, therefore, that I am still from the beginning, that is, the one from the beginning until now who both foretells the things that will be, and is able to save without effort those who thirst for fellowship with me. Saving in such a way, that absolutely no one is able to snatch from my hands one who has once been taken. For there is no one, he says, who can rescue from my hands. I will do it, and who will turn it back? For I have made the calling of the nations, he says, that is, I have saved those who were wandering. And who will change this, or rather, alter it so that it is not so. For that no one will snatch from the hand of God those who have been saved by him, the Savior himself will confirm, saying: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand." This is clearly what is written: "There is no one who can rescue from my hands." Thus says the Lord God who redeems you, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I will send to Babylon, and I will stir up all who are fleeing, and the Chaldeans shall be bound in ships. Through the things just said to us, having woven a not ignoble exhortation for those called from the nations to the knowledge of him, and having shown that he alone has the knowledge of things in the beginning, and in the middle, and at the end, and indeed that besides him there is absolutely no other who is able to save, and through these things having established in them a firm faith, he shifts his words to those of the blood of Israel, and attempts to assure them that he is all-powerful, and a worker of wonders, and that the natures of things yield to his commands; and the very elements of the world serve him, and whatever he himself may wish, this is indeed accomplished in every way, with no one standing in the way. For it was necessary, it was necessary for those of Israel to have the greatest possible enlightenment and exhortations and reminders that would establish them in steadfastness of mind, since they had slipped into what is not lawful, and having inclined to other gods, they have sacrificed to idols, and to the host of heaven, as it is written; therefore, he makes for them the prediction of things to come, and reveals beforehand the misfortunes of the Babylonians, very artfully, showing that they themselves will be captives by them; but also proclaiming beforehand that they will suffer the most shameful things of all on account of them, as I said. Since, however, concerning the greatest matters the [discourse] to the message was for them, he necessarily shows the incomparable glory of his own power, and indeed the excess of his strength, saying: Thus says the Lord God, who redeems you, the Holy One of Israel. For in order to bring them to a remembrance of old things, I mean of the redemption which happened out of Egypt, when also a great multitude of wonders testified to his glory, for this reason, having named himself Lord God, he also confirmed that he is the redeemer. And so much for these matters. But what then is to be? For your sake I will send, he says, to Babylon. For the Babylonian took Israel captive, and having raised it up from its homeland, or rather having burned the whole land of the Jews along with the famous temple, he removed it to the mountains of the Persians and Medes. But when the seventieth year of hardship was being completed for those who had fallen into this, God pitied them, and indeed he raises up against the Chaldeans Cyrus the son of Cambyses with the allied Persians and Medes; these took by force the land of the Chaldeans, that is, of the Babylonians, although long fearing them and avoiding their overpowering hand. And tradition has it that Cyrus, having seized some of the magnates in it, then binding them with iron, sent them out through the Caspian Sea to impassable and uninhabited lands. And Cyrus was roused up against the Babylonians by God who urged him on and had granted him the ability to prevail. For He said somewhere to him through the voice of Isaiah: "Thus says the Lord to my anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations might hearken before him." And again: "I will go before you and level mountains; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron; and I will give you the treasures of darkness, hidden, unseen, I will open for you." For since the Babylonians, using terrible and unrestrained wrath against those of Israel, have offended God, for this reason they themselves have been given to the Persians and Medes, who also used unbearable inhumanities against them. At any rate, it was said to Babylon through one of the holy prophets: As you have done, so shall it be to you; your recompense shall be returned upon your own head. For your sake, therefore, he says, O Israel, I will send to Babylon, but whom will I send? Or surely the renowned Cyrus and the army under him? And "I will send" means "I will send against." And I will also stir up against them all who formerly fled, yielding to them and fearing them as fighters and stronger men. And the Chaldeans will be bound in ships. For as I have already said, they themselves were also resettled into remote and impassable lands, having sailed across the so-called Caspian Sea. But it must be known that another reading is also offered. For the Chaldeans, it says, will be bound not so much in ships, but in collars. And the Savior and Lord of all has also saved spiritually all those on earth, having abolished the hordes of demons, and having raised up his invincible and transcendent power against them, that is, Christ. For thus he redeemed us when we were captives, and made us free who were, as it were, serving his will, and having removed us as from a barbarian land, he brought us back to the spiritual Judea, which is the Church that he acquired for himself, having freed it from every spot and defilement, declaring it holy and blameless. I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One, who has appointed Israel your king. Great and exceptional things are often disbelieved when they are foretold to happen. For this very reason and very appropriately, the God of all, whenever he promises some such thing, to build the faith of the hearer, making his own glory manifest, names himself both Lord of all and God. For what could stand against one who is of such nature and glory? Therefore, when I foretell to you, he says, I myself am not one of the falsely named gods, who being nothing at all, could not do anything small or great; but I am rather the Lord God, the Holy One among you, that is, revered, and set apart from all others, and by irresistible nods achieving whatever I wish. I am the one who appointed Israel your king. This must be understood in two ways; for either it says this: As I am the one who showed myself by many signs, and by strength and authority beyond description, to be your king; or else something else must be supposed to be indicated by this: Our Lord Jesus Christ is called Israel and indeed Jacob in the divine Scriptures, just as also David; because according to the flesh He is from the seed of those who were so named. I am therefore, it says, the one who appointed him from the blood of Jacob and Israel to be your king. And the saying has the greatest possible economy. For since it made mention of a partial redemption; for, as I said, Israel was brought back from Babylon to Judea, it necessarily raises the promise to something incomparably greater, and makes mention of the redemption that will come through Christ, and no longer a partial one, and for one nation, as before, but rather a more general one, going out to every nation under heaven. And that the mystery of Christ is not unwonderful, on account of the excess of the economy, and the greatness of his gentleness toward us, no one who has once known it would doubt. For being God by nature, and the Only-Begotten who shone forth from God the Father, He came to an emptying, and took the form of a servant, in order that, having freed those lying under the tyranny of the devil, He might bring them under His own scepters. The saying, therefore, in these things, mentions a partial redemption that will come in due time, which is given only to those of the blood of Israel, and a universal, and most general one, clearly through Christ, by which God the Father has saved those throughout the whole world. Thus says the Lord: Who makes a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty water, who brings out chariots, and horse and a strong host. But they lay down to sleep, and they will not rise again; they were extinguished like a quenched flax. Good and profitable things, even if spoken many times by both God and men, would in no way be troublesome to the sound-minded, but rather necessary for salvation. For this reason also the all-wise Paul writes to some: "To say the same things to you is not troublesome to me, but for you it is safe." For since from excessive carelessness the human mind is sometimes corrupted into forgetfulness of the things gifted to each by God, for this reason the divine word brings us to remembrance of them in many places, not allowing us to grow entirely cold towards carelessness, but rather rekindling us to the love of God, and to the desire for every good thing. Therefore, since Israel was redeemed, while very many wondrous things were accomplished on its behalf, then, forgetting these things, they turned to apostasy, and have inclined to gods that are not, God necessarily brings them to a remembrance of His own power, saying that He had given a way in the sea, and in the mighty water a path. For they were brought across through the midst of the sea, departing the land of the Egyptians, and they also crossed the Jordan on foot. And this we say is the path in the mighty water. And astonished at these things, the divine David sings: "What is it to you, O sea, that you fled? And you, O Jordan, that you were turned back?" And again, speaking of God: "Who turns the sea into dry land, they will go through the river on foot." Therefore, He has given a way in the sea, and in the mighty water a path. And He brought out chariots, and a horse, and a strong host. For Pharaoh pursued those of the blood of Israel with chariots and horses, and using the irresistible hand of his allies, yet in no way did he conquer, or harm the redeemed. For they lay down to sleep, it says, and they will not rise again, but they were extinguished like a quenched flax. For they were drowned in the waters, and have perished together with their horses, and like easily flammable flax they have been consumed by the divine wrath, and they were effortlessly extinguished, that is, they have passed into nothingness, and as it were have been reduced to ashes. For flax is indeed ready for destruction by fire, but it is also extinguished by the touch of a hand, and a most inactive travails with flame. But if someone should say, Since they pursued Israel by the private will of the ruler of the land of the Egyptians, how is the God of all said to have led out the horses, and chariots, and the army under them? We say that it was said to Pharaoh by the God who rules over all: "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be declared in all the earth." And let these things, then, be said again historically. But we say that the evil one persecutes those who have chosen to live well, and who renounce slavery under the devil, and who depart from earthly pursuits, and who, as it were, wish to depart from all impurity, but God miraculously saves them, making the surge of the present life passable for them, and carrying them across by ineffable power, and not allowing the distractions of the present life to overwhelm them, but preparing them to be beyond the waves of the flesh, and taming for them, as it were, a certain sea, the manifold temptations that occur; so that having been in a desert land, they might be strong enough, that is, in a pure and leisurely state of mind, to eat the bread from heaven, and drink water from the rock, that is, to be in communion with Christ, and to be carried across the Jordan, and so to drive into the land of promise, the spiritual man will surely understand what I say. Remember not the former things, and consider not the things of old. Behold, I am doing new things, which now spring forth, and you will know them. And I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the waterless place. The beasts of the field will bless me, sirens, and daughters of ostriches, because I have given water in the wilderness, and rivers in the waterless place, to give drink to my chosen race, my people whom I have acquired, to declare my virtues and mighty deeds. Just as in the things before, he briefly set forth for their knowledge the future redemption for those of Israel, which was partial, but leading the narrative of events up to what is better, he made mention of the salvation through Christ as incomparable, saying he would show our king, Israel; so also here, having usefully made mention of both the Red Sea, and the streams of the Jordan, and the crossing of those from Israel, he returns again to the mystery of Christ. For this reason he says: Remember not the former things, and consider not the things of old. For the introduction of things incomparably superior sometimes gives the lesser thing to oblivion, and the brilliant things somehow blunt those that are not so by nature, even if they come first in time. Such a thing also the all-wise Paul says, that "Now we know in part; but when that which is perfect has come, that which is in part will be done away." For great and beyond all speech are the things accomplished by God through the all-wise Moses, but transcendent and sublime are those through the might and pre-eminence of our Savior. For through him, and by him, the multitude of nations throughout the whole world has been saved. For this reason, he all but commands to forget the former things. But the mind should rather apply itself [alt. be fixed upon] to those things that are incomparably superior, and have a brilliant glory. I will make, therefore, he says, a way in the wilderness. And indeed, in these things the wilderness is understood as the multitude of the nations, formerly dry and fruitless, and as it were, thorn-bearing, because there was in it absolutely no one who was pious, and well-pleasing, and who knew how to do good wisely. For as the psalmist says: "They have all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable, and there was none among them that does good, no, not one." In this wilderness, therefore, a way has appeared, leading those who come through it to the true knowledge of God, and to a holy and undefiled life, and to all knowledge of every good thing. And we say that this way is either the divine and evangelical and saving proclamation, or perhaps even Christ himself. For we have heard him saying clearly: "I am the way." But not only has a way come to be in the wilderness, but rivers also have been shown forth, able to inebriate those in it with intelligible and soul-profiting streams. And we say that also these ministers of the evangelical and apostolic decrees, of whom the divine David also makes mention, saying: "The rivers have lifted up their voices." For as he himself somewhere says again: "Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." And in addition to the named rivers, one might also understand the leaders of the peoples, who know how to initiate into the mysteries rightly and blamelessly, and are able to irrigate with words of piety those who approach Christ through faith. But he calls the multitude of the nations waterless. For there was not among them a teacher of truth, possessing the stream of salvation. "For professing to be wise, they became fools," according to the voice of the blessed and divine Paul; "And they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and of four-footed animals, and of creeping things." A way, therefore, having been revealed, he says, in the desert, and the waterless land having received rivers, the beasts of the field will bless me, sirens, and daughters of ostriches, because I have given water in the desert, and rivers in the waterless land, to give drink to my chosen race, a people whom I have acquired to declare my virtues; and beasts of the field seems to signify those who have been made beast-like in a way from excessive ignorance and live wildly. And thus lived the nations. And by sirens and daughters of ostriches he means those among them who know how to speak well, and are practiced in elegant speech. But it is a custom for the divinely-inspired Scripture to call sirens the most talkative of sparrows, and those accustomed to cry out something melodious and rhythmical. And somehow the teachers of the Greeks' superstition have become such, both poets and prose writers. For there is in them the sweet and the grandiloquent, as far as it pertains to words. But they teach nothing of what is necessary. But all these will glorify me, he says, as having given the spiritual water, and shown rivers in the waterless land. So that they may give drink to my chosen race; and what is this, if not those surely, to whom. the all-wise Peter also addressed, saying: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the virtues of him who called you out of darkness to his marvelous light, you who were once not a people, but are now a people in the Lord? Not now have I called you, Jacob, nor have I made you to labor, Israel. You have not brought me the sheep of your whole burnt offering, nor have you glorified me in your sacrifices, nor have you served in your sacrifices. Nor have I wearied you with frankincense, nor did you acquire for me incense with silver, nor have I desired the fat of your sacrifices. But in your sins, and transgressions and injustices and such like things I have stood over you. Through the things already examined before, that is, read before, he made the prediction of the covenant in Christ and of the gifts from him. For he said he would make a way in the desert, and rivers in the waterless land; for this reason he would be blessed by all the beasts of the field; and the doxology might be understood as a type of spiritual sacrifice, and the fruit of the new covenant in Christ. But in the present text he tries to assure Israel that he was redeemed from Egypt, and was delivered from servitude there, and was freed from such grievous labors, not in order that he should bring calves to him, and make his approach through blood and smoke. For such things are refuse before God, and are shadow rather than truth. He says therefore, Not now have I called you, Jacob. And the 'now' is to be understood as, not when you are sacrificing, that is, I have not called you while you were sacrificing oxen and slaughtering sheep, lest you should perhaps think that you have received the redemption as a kind of requital for your offering, but rather while you were in sins, and liable to defilements—for you served the gods of the Egyptians—I deemed you worthy of mercy and love. The gift, then, is of gentleness, and the grace is the fruit of loving-kindness, and the redemption is as from love. For, he says, the sheep of your whole burnt offering are nothing to me, nor indeed in your sacrifices have you glorified me. The For what is wholly unacceptable and offered in vain, how could it be for my glory? But you have not served in your sacrifices. For he who practices some of the good things, he says, and becomes an accomplisher of the boasts that lead to virtue, who has submitted his neck to my commands, and is a worker of the sacred ordinances, would be said to serve God who is over all. But the one who perfumes the holy tent with incense, and offers oxen or sheep, or has achieved some of the best things, will not carry away the glory of genuineness; For such a one has done nothing at all of what pleases me; therefore, to serve is not in sacrificing, but in being willing to submit one's neck, gentle and as it were intangible, to his will. For as far as it concerned what seemed good to me, he says, I would not have made you weary with frankincense, nor would you have acquired for me incense for silver, nor indeed did I desire the fat of your sacrifices. This resembles what was said to them through another prophet: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat, for I did not speak to your fathers concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt." And somewhere else again the same prophet Jeremiah said: "To what purpose do you bring me frankincense from Sheba, and cinnamon from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices have not pleased me." And indeed, also through the voice of the Psalmist: "I will not take calves out of your house, nor goats out of your flocks." And he makes the worship in shadows rejected everywhere, drawing them away from the types, and as it were driving them together towards justification in Christ, and teaching them to partake of the evangelical way of life, through which alone it would be possible to please God, and what is truly blameless and sincere for worship, it is clear that it is the spiritual one. "For God is Spirit, he says, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, and I will not remember them. But you, remember, and let us be judged. You tell your transgressions first, that you may be justified. Observe for me again, how God has not granted to the power of the worship according to the law the ability to deliver some from the impurity that is in them. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, and in these matters the shadow of the law is useless. For no one is justified by the law, according to the voice of the divine Paul. For he writes, and says concerning both himself and the other apostles, that is, of those who have believed from the circumcision: "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles; but knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ; we also have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified in him." Do not therefore think, he says, that you will ever be able to show yourself free from the charges of wickedness through sacrifice and smoke. But know rather that I am he who blots out your transgressions, and I will not remember them. For we have been justified not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his great mercy, of him who is willing to not remember our faults. For this alone saves those upon the earth, who have a mind that is inactive and easily led away to anything whatever of the things condemned by the law. For diligently, he says, the mind of man is set on evil things from his youth. For this reason, and very fittingly, the divine David makes mention of human failings, saying: "If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, who shall stand? For with you there is forgiveness." Therefore, the God of all pities, and indeed using favorable decrees and amnesties befitting God, he puts those who have been caught by them outside of accusation and their failings. However, he does not allow those who have been shown mercy to be ignorant of the grace of him who justifies them. And we will find this to be beneficial and a matter of great concern to the saints. For so the blessed David psalms and says, at one time, that "The I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me;" and again, that "I will declare my iniquity, and I will be sorry for my sin." I therefore, He says, will not remember the accusations. But you remember, and let us be judged; But you confess, and have a firm amnesty. For it is written that, "A righteous man is his own accuser in the first instance." And again; "Do not be ashamed to confess your sins." The arrogant Pharisee did not keep such a commandment, whom the Savior portrays praying in the synagogue in the evangelical parables, then being very sick with ignorance, and saying from a vain conceit: "God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, or even as this tax collector; I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess." This man did not bear to speak of his own sins. He is condemned therefore as a boaster and a liar, for no one is clean from filth, and we all stumble in many things. But the tax collector knew and confessed his own sins. For he stood beating his breast, and saying: "God, be merciful to me a sinner." He was justified therefore, having confessed his failings, and not hiding the filth of the abomination that was in him, so that he might be cleansed. Your first fathers, and your princes have transgressed against me. And the princes have defiled my holy things; and I have given Jacob to destruction, and Israel to reproach. Having said: I am he who blots out your iniquities, and I will not remember them, he understood that perhaps some would rise up against what had been said, and would indeed say: If you have honored Israel with an amnesty, if a very great calm has come upon it, if it has been cleansed from filth, and has washed away the defilements of ancient accusations, how or for what does he demand justice, being consumed by the swords of enemies; then having been taken captive, and having left the land that bore him, and having come under the hand and yoke of his captors? For he was given to the warriors who came from Babylon. He therefore defends the saying, "Let us be judged," saying, and he states, that they themselves have become, and are the cause and originators of this for their own heads. For your fathers, he says, and your princes have transgressed against me. And in saying these things, he does not simply accuse our forefathers. But he seems rather to want to imply something of this sort. For indeed those chosen for sacred ministry, wise and learned in the law, and accustomed to instruct the people under their hand, would be called fathers of those under their yoke, and rulers and leaders. Therefore, when some of the absurdities are committed not by the common herd, but rather by those who were likely able to correct even the faults of others, the matter is grievous, and the judgment difficult to escape, and is then owed to the impious. Therefore, those who are placed in the rank of fathers, he says, and who were allotted to rule you, have transgressed against me. And in saying, "against me," he shows that the things committed by them improperly and unholily were not done against one of us, but against the very glory of the God who is above all. I mean something like this: for when someone wrongs some of his neighbors, either by encircling them with greed and arrogance, or in some other way, he sins indeed, but against a fellow human being, and not at all against God. But he who rejects the worship due to him, and subjecting himself to the deceits of demons and worshipping them, raises himself against God, and as far as it is in him, he removes him from the thrones of the Godhead, and tries to shake him from the pre-eminence and glory that befit him alone. The people of Israel have done this at times. For they have worshipped idols, and indeed, having bid farewell to the sacred ordinances, they were willing to raise a stiff and haughty neck to God. He therefore accuses them, and says: The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? And those who held to the law did not know me, and the prophets were impious against me. And again: Why do you speak to me? All of you have transgressed, and all of you you have acted impiously against me, says the Lord Almighty. The rulers, therefore, he says, have defiled my holy things. For they have dared to erect the pillars of demons not only in Jerusalem, but they would even be caught having impiously done this in the divine temple itself. For the God of all said concerning the synagogue of the Jews: Why has the beloved wrought abomination in my house? calling an abomination the statue and image skillfully made in the form of God. But holy things are defiled in another way as well, if the things commanded to be performed reverently and holily for the glory of God are despised by some, and if some consider the transgression of his divine law as nothing. Therefore, since your fathers, he says, have transgressed against me, and the rulers have defiled my holy things, I have given this to the enemies so as to destroy Jacob, and with reproaches for these things I have clothed Israel. But now hear, my servant Jacob, and Israel whom I have chosen. Having recalled the former things, and having stated very well the reasons for which the apostate Israel was given over to destruction and reproach; he again promises them forgiveness, and wishes to renew them to a complete and blameless obedience. Having passed over, as it were, the time of ignorance, during which the one who had become a lover of God, the one having the law, has been exposed, he again sets another time for them, saying Now; I say that this is like, "Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For during the time that has already passed, he says, the outcry against you has been very great and certainly just; for you cast yourself into apostasy, you have offended not moderately, thrusting aside the law that tutors, turning to what is not right, and immersing yourself in the crimes of disobedience. But let those things be passed over, he says. Now hear, that is, Lower your haughty spirit. Know your own Master; come under the yoke of obedience, considering that you were named my servant. And I made you chosen from all, that is, from the nations that are on the earth. For when the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. The people of the Lord became his portion, Israel the lot of his inheritance. Therefore, he shames, and as it were, convicts those who have transgressed and offended not moderately, those who have been in the order of children to him, and who are in the lot of the chosen.

Discourse 23

Thus says the Lord God who made you, and formed you from the womb, He will still help you. Having accused those of Israel of apostasy, and of departing from love for him, and of attaching themselves to gods that are not; for he said, that your fathers, and your rulers transgressed against me, and the rulers defiled my holy things; he very providentially adds these things as well; for he does not allow them to be carried off to apostasy, or despair, nor indeed to slip away entirely from the hope in him. But he again promises them gentleness, and wins them back through his accustomed philanthropy, and leads them back to repentance. And he gives them to understand that he has not turned away completely from the sinners, nor indeed will Israel be destroyed root and branch, as he has compassion, and smoothes the way of salvation very well for those who believe in him; and by calling himself Lord and God, who made and formed from the womb, he seems to indicate that Israel has gone astray, having placed the name of divinity upon others, and having foolishly ascribed the glory of lordship to gods that are not. And that he did not know the Maker, and the one who brought into existence the man upon the earth who once was not, he again indicates, by affirming himself to be the former and maker, and, as it were, indicting for ingratitude those of the having leaped away from love for him. For it is among absurdities that the highest honors should be offered by us to our parents according to the flesh, with the divine law also decreeing this, but that the creator of all things should not be all the more honored and revered by us with praises befitting him through complete submission. He says something like this also through one of the holy prophets: "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. And if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord Almighty." For he is at once both Lord, as having the whole creation under a yoke and servitude. For the divine Psalmist said somewhere to him, that "All things are yours." And again, Father, as a molder, and maker, and one who has brought things into being. Therefore, we must pay to God, as if in the order of a debt, both the submission befitting sons and the fear suitable for servants. Therefore, when God says that he is the molder and maker, he refers to the thoughts of the need to honor him, as one who has become the provider of being itself, and the cause of existence for those who once were not. And by saying to the sinners, 'He will yet help,' he gives courage that although they are entangled in many and inescapable charges, a remnant of gentleness and love for mankind has been preserved. And nothing would prevent them from also being saved, if they should choose to turn to better and more fitting things, and to what is in accordance with his laws. Fear not, my servant Jacob, and beloved Israel, whom I have chosen. For I will give water in thirst to those who walk in a waterless place. I will put my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessings upon your children. And they shall spring up as grass among the waters, and as a willow on the flowing water. This one will say, 'I am God's,' and this one will cry out in the name of Jacob. And another will write, 'I am God's,' in the name of Israel. In these things, he seems to name Israel and Jacob the choir of the holy apostles, understood as one person. For all are one in Christ. For observe how he says he is beloved and chosen, although how is it not clear to all that he would never have named beloved and chosen those who have rejected faith in him. But since being of the blood of Jacob, who is also Israel, they have become honored and chosen vessels, and have been called to the sacred ministry of the evangelical proclamations, he thought it necessary to crown them with such brilliant words, as indeed they would be as luminaries in the world, holding forth the word of life, and initiators of those under the sun. Fear not, therefore, he says, that is, be courageous, and be strong, have a patient and youthful mind, and mocking the uprisings of persecutors, have firm faith in God. For very many are those who contend with the sacred proclamations, and an unholy multitude will rise up, opposing your words. But be superior to cowardice, he says, and to hesitation and unmanliness. For I will give water to those who walk in a waterless place. For it is sweet and saving for those walking in a thirsty land to happen upon springs of water. And we say it is most desirable, and even more so, for those who labor for piety to be irrigated by the divine and intelligible streams, that is, by the consolations through the Spirit, through which the human mind, having grown somewhat weak, might be restored to courage. And the water in these things, which God promises to supply to those walking in a waterless place, we say is the Holy Spirit. For the Savior himself said, as the Scripture said: "Rivers of living water will flow from his belly." And making clear the power of what was said, the all-wise evangelist added immediately: "But this he said concerning the Spirit which those who believed in him were about to receive." For water is life-giving, and brings up plants and grasses to growth, and it imitates in some way the energy of the Holy Spirit, through whom all things hold together and are maintained in well-being and the intelligible creation is enriched with an increase in every good thing whatsoever, and as it were leaps up, going toward spiritual growth. And that the promise of water to those who walk through a waterless place signifies the life-giving power and energy of the Holy Spirit, the intelligible consolation through him, the following will make clear. For I will put, he says, my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessings upon your children. And we say that the seed and children of the holy apostles are those who through them have been called to the knowledge of the truth, and to the spiritual rebirth, by which they beget them not from corruptible seed, but through the living and abiding word of God, and through the energy of the Holy Spirit himself. For the divine Paul writes to those called through him, and says: "For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you have not many fathers." For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. And we will find them everywhere calling those who believed in him through them, children. Therefore I will put, he says, my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessings upon your children. And we say that blessings are those things supplied by God to the saints, the manifold variety of spiritual gifts. For to one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, and the things that follow these. And the all-wise Paul writes somewhere that "Every one of you has his proper gift from God." Then what the benefit of the blessings would be, he clarified by adding that They shall spring up as grass among the water, and as the willow by the running water. For grasses and plants, which are in waterless places, sprout very slowly, and having sprouted, immediately wither. But those things are very flourishing beside which lies a flow of streams and a current of water sustaining them to live, and the willow plant is an evergreen thing, always growing beside springs and rivers. Therefore, being intoxicated, he says, with the intelligible streams, those who have been enriched by these things will confess that they know me only, and they will inscribe God as the one who called them. And by saying that this one will say, I am of God, and this one will cry out, and another will write, he indicates the multitude of those running to him through faith in Christ. For not one people will be called, but rather the whole multitude of the nations, at least throughout the world, and all will confess that they have become God's, and they will inscribe him as Savior and Redeemer, and they are henceforth named by the name of Jacob, that is, that they are the portion and inheritance of God. For the people of the Lord, he says, became his portion, Israel his inherited possession. And we who have believed boast in having become the inheritance of God, and the portion of the Savior of us all, Jesus Christ. Thus says the Lord God the king of Israel, the God of Sabaoth who delivered him: I am the first, and I am after these things; besides me there is no God. Who is like me? Let him stand, and call, and prepare for me, since I made man for eternity. And let them announce to you the things that are coming before they come. Do not be hidden, and I have declared to you. Having made mention of the knowledge in Christ through the readings just now before us, he transfers the discourse to another of the necessary topics. For since at that time, when the divine prophet Isaiah was composing these words for us, a God-hated man was ruling among them, and he had fallen into intolerable errors. For to each one whatever seemed good was a god and an object of worship; God makes a necessary exhortation for them, interwoven with most skillful refutations; turning them away from polytheism and the sicknesses therein; calling them through repentance to the knowledge of the truth, and bringing them to the remembrance of his glory and incomparable power. For this reason he says: Thus says the Lord the king of Israel, the God of Sabaoth who delivered him. For he wishes them to know that he is God and Lord of hosts, and, having recovered as from a drunken stupor, to see that also of the Egyptians they have been delivered from oppression, as he worked wonders, and manifested the greatness of the power and pre-eminence inherent in him. For what of the wondrous things has not been done? And what plague was not brought upon those who oppressed them? Or how would it not be a clear proof of his ineffable power, for the sea to be parted, and the waters to congeal like a wall, and for those fleeing to go through the midst? And what indeed were the wonders in the wilderness after this? Did he not give them the bread from heaven? Did he not break a rock in the wilderness, and give them drink as from a great deep? and bring down waters like rivers? did he not, putting a kind of bridle on the streams of the Jordan, prepare them to cross on foot? Necessarily, therefore, he does not simply call himself Lord and God in these things; but he added, "And having delivered him," bringing to remembrance, as I said, the things wondrously accomplished for his sake. Know therefore, he says, that "I am God, the first, and I am after these things, and besides me there was no God." For God is the beginning of all things, being himself without beginning, and from him all things were brought into being; he himself therefore has come into being from no one, but he is the one who is and who will be. For this is his name, and an eternal memorial for generations of generations. Therefore, neither was there another God before him, nor will there be any after him. For there is one God by nature, and no other besides him. And the exhortation is exceedingly useful for those who denied him, and from too much foolishness have slipped into thinking that there are many gods. That no one is like him or another to be reckoned with him, he demonstrates by saying: "Who is like me?" Which then of the gods supposed by you, that is, foolishly so named, will be according to my glory and power? From what great work then have you believed them to be gods? Let someone stand, if indeed he is like me. Let someone prepare one having a nature of equal weight, either in strength or glory. Let them call whomever they may choose of the falsely named gods, from when I made man for eternity. For I created, he says, the heavens, and the things in them, having innumerable flocks of holy spirits worshipping and serving me, but from when I have made man upon the earth, and in the things that follow, that is, for eternity, let someone show me one like me. And saying again, "From when I made man," he shows himself to be the creator, but the falsely named gods to be nothing at all. For which of those who worship them did they bring into being? but I am known as the existing creator, and founder of all things, and possessing the knowledge of all things. Inquire this from the gods spoken of by you; let them announce to you the things to come before they arrive. For it would be fitting for God by nature to have all knowledge both of things that have already passed and of things to come. But if no one among the falsely named gods is found to have obtained this, it is clear that those who do not have the knowledge of God would not be gods. "Do not be veiled over," instead of, "Do not be silent, nor pretend otherwise." "Did you not give ear from the beginning, and I announced to you?" For as existing God by nature, and knowing all things that will be, and that have already come to pass, I announced beforehand to you through holy prophets, through the all-wise Moses. For I revealed the mystery of Christ, and there is nothing of which it was fitting for the knowledge to become manifest even to us, which has not been announced beforehand by me. Therefore, those are not gods, having obtained nothing of the things befitting God. But I am by nature what I am believed to be, God, clearly of all things, and possessing a God-befitting being. Therefore, the word initiates those carried away from the true vision of God, and who have assented to lifeless idols, and say to the wood, "You are my father," and to the stone, "You gave me birth." You are witnesses, if there is a God besides me. He brings them back again to the memory of the power and authority shown to them, which would befit the one who is truly God by nature and Lord of all, when they were delivered from the land of the Egyptians. For at that time creation itself was armed with the Master, and of the He rose up against the wickedness of those who were oppressing them, for things were accomplished by changes of the elements [perhaps: changes]. For the water was changed into blood, and a deep darkness stretched out for three days. And the sky cast down hail upon them, and gnats and frogs, and dog-flies, and the death of the firstborn was brought upon them, and they passed through the midst of the sea. And when they entered the land of promise, they conquered many nations, stronger than their own strength, and they became terrible and hard to encounter for the neighboring nations, and for those yet far off they were looked upon and renowned. Therefore, others would not know better, but you yourselves, your own affairs, who it was who achieved these things, and who it was who has creation as an ally in your affairs, who it was who crushed the powers of enemies, and crowns you with courage against all; you are the witnesses of my excellence, if you choose to think rightly, and you will not need other instructors. For the gods among the Egyptians were very many, and their shrines were full of statues. And likewise very many were those among the Amorites, Hivites and Perizzites, and the other nations; but none of them is seen to have been sufficient for the salvation of their own people; rather, you have even crushed the worshipped ones together with their worshippers. For it was divinely decreed through Moses that you shall tear down their altars, and you shall break their pillars, and you shall burn the carved images of the gods with fire. Therefore, if you choose to speak the truth, you bear witness to me, whether there is a God besides me. For if anyone has risen up against my powers, and has conquered, let him be considered a god among you. But if, being nothing, they have been exposed, and have become the work of fire through you, you have known by experience itself, he says, that there is no God besides me, the true God. And at that time those who formed and carved did not hear; all who make their desired things are vain, which will not profit them; but they who form a god, and carve useless things, shall be ashamed, and all who came to be were withered, and deaf from among men. Through these things he shows that the crimes of the apostates are terrible and very difficult, if, having such full assurance that there is no other besides him who is God by nature and in truth; and being convinced, as it were, by the very things accomplished that he alone is God, they slipped into this folly, so that even when the law itself clearly proclaimed to them and said: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only, and you shall not make for yourself an idol, nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth;" you made obeying him of no account; but rather you turned godlessly to the need to form and shape the gods from wood and stones. Such people are indeed vain, and very rightly so, going to this for none of the necessary things, but rather making their own desired things, for they have become lovers of vanity. For what profit is there from stone and wood? Therefore, the making of an idol would clearly be considered the fruit of a foolish counsel and the work of cold thoughts. Yet he declares beforehand that the matter is not without penalty, saying: All who form a god, and carve useless things, shall be ashamed, and all who came to be were withered, and deaf from among men. Therefore, if what has been said is taken to refer to the man-made things themselves, we say that "They were withered" must be understood to mean "they perished." But if it refers to those who are accustomed to doing such things, it would be well to understand it in this way also; for it is said as of plants that are accustomed to being fruitless, if they should somehow wither and then be cut down for flame and burning. And "Deaf from among men," instead of, "No longer existing among men, but rather deaf and completely senseless, so that in no way do they resemble the things that came to be among them." For somewhere the blessed Psalmist also sings and says: "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men's hands. They have a mouth, and will not speak; eyes, and will not see; ears, and do not hear." And to these he adds: "May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them." For such evils might be understood as the fruits of the utmost insensibility. And yet, having known by experience the God who is by nature and truly, then to send up to stones and wood the glory most fitting for Him and Him alone, how could they not be considered foolish, and heartless, and having a heart filled with stupor to the point of madness, and indeed to differ little from the things fashioned by their own hands? Let them all be gathered, and let them stand together, and let them be confounded, and let them be ashamed together, because the carpenter sharpened the iron, with an adze he worked it, and with a drill he bored it. He worked it with the arm of his strength, and he will hunger, and grow weak, and will not drink water. Not one by one, rather, but, if they should choose, he says that the worshippers of idols, gathered in a multitude, will be confounded by their own evil counsels, and to solve what is proposed, and what then this is, he immediately adds, saying: He sharpened, he says, the carpenter, the iron. And he mentions also the instruments by which the making is done, so that he may show them worshipping the art of the stonemason, and not the wood itself. For if it were a god, it would not have needed art, and some kind of skill; but it would have been a God even so. But if you consider wood that is not worked, nor indeed given form, to be worthless matter, but you worship it when it has been crafted and say that it is a god, then art has become a god to you, and this, the art of a man who is weak and subject to corruption. For the need of food and drink is proof of corruption. For the phrase, He will not drink water, we say is not spoken declaratively. But it should rather be read as in a question and with a pause. For the understanding will follow, that surely somewhere he also drinks. Then how will the corruptible be a creator of incorruptible gods, or how will the mortal make the immortal? For it is absolutely necessary for the God who truly is to possess incorruptibility and indestructibility, and rather also to be living, and to be able to give life to those into whom he might wish to send life. The worship of those who are deceived is therefore a demonstration of the adze and the drill, and of the carpenter's strength and art; if it is true, as I said, that they would not choose to worship shapeless wood or stone; but when a form has been carved, all things seen are gods among them. Having chosen a piece of wood, a carpenter set it up with a measure, and with glue he shaped it, and made it into the form of a man, and as the beauty of a man, to set it up in a house. He cut wood from the forest, which the Lord planted, a pine tree, and the rain made it grow long, that it might be for men for burning, and taking some of it he was warmed, and having burned it they baked bread on it, but the rest they worked into gods, and they worship them; of which one half he burned in the fire, and having burned it he baked bread on it, and upon it having roasted meat he ate, and was filled, and being warmed he said: It is pleasant for me that I have been warmed, and I have seen the fire. The rest he made into a graven god, and he worships it and prays, saying: Deliver me, because you are my god. They did not know how to understand, because they were darkened from seeing with their eyes, and from understanding with their heart. And he did not consider in his heart, nor did he reflect in his soul, nor did he know in his understanding, that he burned half of it in the fire, and baked bread on its coals, and having roasted meat he ate, and the rest of it he made into an abomination, and they worship it. Know that their heart is ashes, and they are deceived, and no one is able to deliver his soul. See, will you not say that there is a lie in my right hand? The meaning of what is set forth is very clear and there is nothing difficult in it. For the worshipper of idols, and moreover the craftsman, is described as heartless, and having gone outside of all sense, and completely deprived of proper reasoning. And he dwells greatly on the narratives concerning him; at the same time shaming them as having been led astray, and opening the eye for those entangled in evil, and persuading them to look at the truth itself, which if they should take into their mind, they will be outside the snare, and will deliver their own heads from the wounds of foolishness. Nevertheless, we say this: for the word seems to us in these things to fashion something bitter and wise, and not being unable to persuade many to depart from the polytheistic error, but rather to choose to be under the God who is so by nature and in truth. For a carpenter, he says, having chosen wood, set it up with a measure, and with glue he shaped it; he made it as the form of a man, and as the beauty of a man, to set it in a house. The art, he says, of those accustomed to make gods, would then indeed especially be deemed worthy of all wonder, whenever it works on the wood the form and beauty of a man. But that which is crafted by someone in imitation of something is surely in every way inferior to the real, or rather, it comes after. Therefore, those who worship pieces of wood or stone fashioned into human form would be caught worshipping their own form, and being much better than the imitations of themselves, they insult their own nature, by ascribing the better glory to those things. Therefore, then, the writing is of the utmost insensibility, and the accusations are of extreme foolishness. For he sets in a house, that is, in a temple, the wood which he cut from the forest. In these things he shows those who are accustomed to deify things, not ignorant of the material from which they have come, so that they may not say, according to the custom of the Greeks, that the things dedicated in shrines are fallen from Zeus and self-begotten, that is, self-delivered. And that they misrepresent the purpose of God's creation, he refutes them, saying that the wood was planted in a forest, and nurtured by the provisions of rain, so that it might be for burning by men; but by deifying the things that were made for burning, they themselves will be food for fire along with them. He is almost struck with amazement, saying, that he burned half of it in the fire, and has spent it on his own needs. This, on the one hand, preparing food, and accepting the parts of the gods for the baking of bread. Then he has fallen into such senselessness as to worship the remnant of what was needed, and to pray and say: "Deliver me, for you are my god." Therefore, then, their heart is ashes and nothing else, and they have been deceived, and no one could deliver the souls of those who have fallen into this, except that God alone, if He should choose, who makes all things, and transforms, and enlightens what is darkened, and turns back what has strayed. But there is indeed what is useless and vain in the gods carved by hand, for they are deaf and senseless matter. But see, that is, understand, and you will not say that a lie is in my right hand. For all things concerning them, he says, are falsehoods, both names and glory. But in my right hand, that is, in the Son; for the Son is named the right hand of the Father everywhere in the divinely-inspired Scripture; nothing false would be found, but also if He should be called God, He is true God; and if Lord, He does not have the title as something adopted, but is rather by nature master of all; and if king, and if light, and if life and power, and if creator, all these things He is not falsely; for He is not created, but would be understood as naturally beyond everything that has been brought into being, being God from God, and true light from true light. Remember these things, Jacob and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you as my servant; and you, Israel, do not forget me. For behold, I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to me, and I will redeem you. Christ said somewhere: He who knew the will of his lord and did not do it will be beaten with many stripes; but he who did not know, and did not do it, will be beaten with few. And the judgment in each case is altogether holy. For to those who do not know the master's will, and then transgress, and are caught in the charges of transgression, one might pardon their not having known, accepting it as a pretext for mercy. But to those indeed with knowledge of the laws who have chosen to be negligent, there would justly be added the punish- must be. For the accusations are of a clear carelessness. So that Israel might become better than himself, though convicted of very many accusations, but honored with amnesty from God, he is commanded to remember his own laziness, and the gentleness of the one who has pity. For remember these things, he says, Jacob. And what are these things? Both what has already been said before, and that you are my servant. And I formed you as my servant. And he shows very clearly in these things, that Israel has [not] remained uninstructed, but was under law and yokes, and had very many who knew how to admonish; a servant, therefore, for this reason and formed for this. In what way, we shall say as we are able. For a man is formed simply, just as, of course, our forefather Adam was from the earth. For, he says, God took dust from the earth, and formed the man. And our own affairs proceed according to the way of creation, even to this day. For each is formed in the womb of his own mother, and this is the path that brings those on earth into being. But one is also formed into a servant of God, being shaped intellectually by the knowledge of the divine laws toward an exceptional form, that which comes upon the souls of men from the good order of the virtues. This might be understood as spiritual beauty. And they are also formed, as it were, in Christ through participation in the Holy Spirit into the form that is toward him. For indeed the divine Paul also writes to the Galatians: "My little children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you." Indeed, Christ is formed in us, as the Holy Spirit imparts to us a certain divine formation, through sanctification and righteousness. For thus, thus does the character of the substance of God the Father become manifest in our souls, as the Holy Spirit, as I said, transforms us toward him through sanctification. For indeed the most holy Paul said again: "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test what is the will of God, what is good." and acceptable and perfect. And he says that a veil is placed on the hearts of the Jews, but that all of us, with unveiled face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord, the Spirit. We are therefore formed into a servant of God. But since the name of 'servant' is somehow common—for it is used for both household servants and sons—we say that it would be more fitting for those formed under the law to be formed into household servants. For there was a spirit of bondage upon Israel, and for them to be lazy was not without penalty; for the law punished them as household servants. But if one is formed in Christ, he is formed into a son of God, according to the ways just mentioned. Therefore it is necessary to remember both the loving-kindness of the one who justifies, and that we have been formed for sonship and glory, and, as it were, repaying to God the Father the returns for the things that have come to us from him. And how this might happen, he instructs well, saying: And you, Israel, do not forget me. For one might forget God by neglecting piety toward him, or by departing from it altogether. Those from Israel have done this by worshipping gods that are not; and to this day some do it, going backwards after the faith, whose judgment is just, according to what is written. But that forgetting God in many places signifies fleeing from piety toward him, we shall know, when he says to those of the blood of Israel: "You who forget me, and prepare a table for the demon, and fill a mixed drink for Fortune, and forsake my holy mountain. I will deliver you to the sword, you shall all fall by slaughter." And concerning this very thing he cried out against those from Israel through the voice of Jeremiah, saying: "Shall a bride forget her adornment, or a virgin her breast-band? But my people have forgotten me for many days, of which there is no number." Therefore, forgetting would often indicate apostasy. But remembrance, on the other hand, indicates steadfastness in faith, and immovability in love, and strength for anything whatsoever that seems good to it. Therefore do not forget me, he says, but remember rather. For behold, I have blotted out your iniquities like a cloud. And in these words he says "I have blotted out" instead of "I will blot out," and as if dispersing some darkness and cloud, I will make it disappear. For that he says "I have blotted out" instead of "I will blot out," the following very well shows. For, he says, "Return to me, and I will redeem you." For how has he blotted out, who calls to repentance? As though they have not yet returned, but will come to this in due time, when Christ shines upon the world, through whom is all remission of sins, and the return and calling to God, both through faith in him, and an evangelical life, and most excellent deeds. Rejoice, O heavens, because God has had mercy on Israel. Sound the trumpet, O foundations of the earth, cry out, O mountains, with gladness, O hills and all the trees in them, because God has redeemed Jacob, and Israel will be glorified. From this one might easily discern that the remission of sins, and indeed the return and redemption of all, as something that will be through Christ, is proclaimed beforehand in due season by the holy prophets. For since God, being Lord, has appeared to us, and conversed with those on earth as a man, the true lamb, who takes away the sin of the world, the all-holy victim; then indeed, the event became an occasion of festival for the rational powers above and in heaven, that is, for the orders of the holy angels. For they sang, they sang at his birth, I mean his birth according to the flesh, and they said: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." And if it is true, and it is certainly true, that according to the voice of the Savior there is joy in heaven in the presence of the holy angels over one sinner who repents, how could one doubt that when Christ was bringing the whole world to the knowledge of the truth, and calling to repentance, and justifying by faith, and making illustrious through sanctification, there was joy and celebration among the spirits above? Therefore, the heavens rejoiced because God had mercy on Israel, and not at all only on the one according to the flesh, but also on the one understood according to the spirit; the foundations of the earth sounded the trumpet, that is, the ministers of the evangelical ordinances; their piercing sound was carried everywhere, and like some sacred trumpets they cried out, proclaiming the glory of the Savior to all everywhere, and calling to the knowledge of Christ both those of the circumcision and those who formerly served the creation rather than the Creator. But for what reason do we say they are called foundations of the earth? For Christ is the foundation and unshakable support of all, upholding all things, and holding fast for their well-being the things that have been established; for upon him we are all built up, a spiritual house, being joined together through the Spirit into a holy temple, for his dwelling place. For he dwells in our hearts through faith, but the apostles and evangelists might be understood as nearer foundations, and closer than in our case, having been both eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, and having become a foundation of faith. For, having recognized that we must follow their traditions, we will keep our faith in Christ straight and unperverted. For it was said somewhere by him to the divine Peter (when wisely and blamelessly confessing his faith in him he said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God): "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will found my Church," saying, I think, "rock" for the unshakeable faith of the disciple. And it has been said somewhere also through the voice of the Psalmist: "His foundations are in the holy mountains." And the holy apostles and evangelists are very well likened to holy mountains, whose knowledge is established like a foundation for those after them, not allowing those who have been netted by them to fall away into what is unapproved in faith. Therefore the foundations of the earth sound the trumpet; but observe the care. For Moses was of a feeble voice and slow of speech. For the law was not widely heard, except by those only in Judea. Sound the trumpet, however, those who are ambassadors for Christ. "For their sound went forth into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." And he commanded the mountains to shout for joy; calling the foundations of the earth 'mountains' again in these things; for the divine disciples are conspicuous and manifest, distinguished in both deed and word, and most well-known everywhere, to whom the prophetic word also cried out: "Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good news to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good news to Jerusalem." So then, he commanded these intelligible mountains to shout for joy. And from this it is possible to see both the power of the law, and the superior difference of the evangelical proclamations. For the law, threatening punishments to transgressors and subjecting the convicted to inescapable penalties, did not shout joy, but rather dejection; but the ministers of the evangelical oracles and the deacons of the gifts from Christ proclaim joy to the world. For where there is remission of sins, and indeed justification by faith, and participation in the Holy Spirit, and the splendor of adoption, and the kingdom of heaven, and a hope for good things beyond understanding that is not disappointed, there surely is joy and gladness. And we say that the hills and the trees in them are again those inferior to the mountains, and seated somewhat lower, according to the measure of the good life in them, while the holy apostles and evangelists clearly stand higher. Therefore, the hills would be those who are seated somewhat below their good repute and are inferior in the magnitude of virtue, yet they themselves also endure, and are beyond earthly affairs, and think on things above, and have been allotted to be conceived of as high in virtue. And the trees in them, those nourished by them, might be understood as those who believed through them, and as it were have grown into a perfect man, and have reached the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. And these might also be teachers of peoples, and leaders of flocks, winning over those who approach them by their own intelligible good fruits. Therefore the hills and the trees in them have cried out together with the foundations of the earth the joy understood in Christ, and they rejoice because God has redeemed Jacob, and Israel will be glorified. For he was not only redeemed by wiping away the pollutions of sin and being rescued from fire and judgment, but he was also glorified, having become one of God's own, and being called His son, and having obtained brotherhood with the one and by nature and truly Son, that is, Christ. Thus says the Lord who redeems you, and who formed you from the womb: I am the Lord who accomplishes all things. I stretched out the heaven alone, and established the earth. Who else will frustrate the signs of ventriloquists, and divinations from the heart? turning the wise backward, and making their counsel foolish, and establishing the words of his servant, and making the counsel of his messengers true. Most providentially indeed does the God of all speak with us in these things, and he tries to fully convince those who have behaved insolently toward his glory, transferring it to others, clearly to those who are not gods, that he himself is the author of all things, and steward, and creator and maker even of those who are being instructed. And since he made promises concerning very many and wonderful matters, which it was likely would be disbelieved by some, he usefully, as I said, reveals beforehand to them his own power and pre-eminence, so that they might know that in every way and entirely, whatever he might choose to accomplish, this will run to its conclusion. For at what would he be powerless, or how would he not be able to redeem some, he who formed them from the womb, that is, he who even called them into being, and brought into existence those who once were not, he who accomplishes all things, that is, the steward of all, governing and directing each thing according to what seems good to him? And this is entirely right. For God would not fail in what is most fitting for His own glory. Or how would he not be all-powerful, and beyond all, and mind, and reason, who stretched out this immense heaven, and made firm the earth? As the Psalmist says: "He established the earth upon its own security." And He who has ascended to this power, or rather He who is all power, will surely bring to completion whatever He wishes to do, with no one preventing him. But He says that He alone stretches out the heaven, not setting aside the only-begotten God the Word from His own substance, through whom are all things, and in whom are all things; but that absolutely none of the falsely-named gods worked together with the God over all. For those who do not exist at all, how could they be accepted as workers, or rather, to say, as co-workers with God the creator? Therefore we do not say that the contrast in these things is made with respect to the Son who is by nature and begotten of Him, but that the stretching out of the heaven, or the earth having unshakable foundations, was not the result of another god. Having shown, therefore, through these things His own glory, and His incomparable preeminence, and the greatness of His power, He clearly shows and relates in what follows what things He will be the accomplisher of at the proper times. For who else, he says, will scatter the signs of ventriloquists, and divinations from the heart? For before Christ, the Savior of us all, shone upon us from heaven, the rapacity of the devil's tyranny was extended over all, and a deep darkness consumed all upon the earth. For there were, there were in both country and city, altars and sacred precincts, and a swarm of statues, and an unnumbered multitude of falsely-named gods, and sorceries and false divinations everywhere, and deceptions of demons, pretending to know and to be able to foretell future events, though saying or knowing absolutely nothing. But since the true light, that is, the only-begotten Word of God, has illuminated all that is under heaven with the evangelical decrees, the mist of sin has been driven away, and that deep darkness has ceased, and those who were wandering have been called to the knowledge of truth; then indeed the signs of the ventriloquists were scattered. And he calls ventriloquists the false prophets, that is, the pythians, those who belch out what seems good from their own heart, and know nothing of the truth. Concerning such people the prophet Ezekiel also says: "Woe to those who prophesy from their own heart, and who see nothing at all." Therefore the signs given by some from false divination, that is, the predictions of such people, were scattered. For the Greek oracles everywhere have become inactive, and the gods among the Greeks, accustomed to speaking falsehoods, have fallen silent; and the wise have been turned back, and their counsels have been made foolish. And it seems that by 'the wise' in these things, he means either the magi among the Greeks; for they were called wise among them; or perhaps also those who were held in repute as wise among them, and were keen in understanding, and possessed a powerful style of speech, and were excellent in eloquence, and were not incapable of being able, by their eloquence, to embellish falsehood. We say that such men have been turned back; since their wisdom has finally been shown to be useless and unprofitable, which is both psychical and earthly, demonic. And the all-wise Paul also says that the wisdom of the world has been made foolish, clearly by God. But when the wise have been turned away, he says, and all their counsel has been shown to be completely unintelligent and foolish, God the Father established the words of His own Son, that is, the evangelical and saving decree, which Christ Himself spoke to us. And He proved the counsel of His angels to be true. For angels could be understood as those who are ambassadors for Christ, and who proclaim to the world. And their counsel was good, and an exhortation to all everywhere to depart from ancient accusations, to be strengthened for good works, and to hold fast to better things, and to know the God who is by nature and in truth, and to the to submit one's neck to his laws, and so to run towards salvation and life. Therefore, the words from them are full of all truth; but the things of the Greeks have been made foolish, not having the beauty of the truth; for all things among them are false, both prophecy, and understanding, and the multitude of supposed gods, which is unknown even to those who are deceived. Who says of Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited;’ and to the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’ and her desolate places shall spring up. And so follows the, "I am," that is, Jerusalem, the one who redeems you, who accomplishes all things, and who stretched out the heaven. I am, therefore, he says, the one who says of Jerusalem, "You shall be inhabited." For the Babylonians indeed captured it by force, having ravaged the entire land of the Jews. But they were redeemed by God, and they threw off the yoke of captivity, when the one who burned down Babylon permitted this to be done, I mean Cyrus the son of Cambyses; and indeed having returned to Judea, they rebuilt both the cities and the temple, and have dwelt in peace. Most skillfully, therefore, the prophetic word, by saying that Jerusalem will be built, gives the hearers to understand that it will be captured in due time, and destroyed. And he makes the prediction of the things that will happen to them not from the painful things, but rather from those things at which it was likely to rejoice greatly; along with coming to thoughts, as I said, of the more somber things. Therefore, when God commands Jerusalem to be built, the word of prophecy indicates that it had certainly been captured before. But if someone should wish to engage in even deeper contemplations, we say that the truer Judea, that is clearly the Church, whose inhabitants and citizens might be understood as those who bear the circumcision in spirit. Though once desolate, He who commanded this to happen made it populous, that is, clearly, God in Christ, and her desolate places have sprung up. For she was found full of spiritual trees, and as it were most abounding in good trees, and having the lofty heads of saints. For it is a custom for the divinely inspired Scripture at times to liken the choir of saints to plants and trees. For the God of all things said through the voice of saints, that "I will put in the waterless land the cedar, and boxwood, and myrtle, and cypress, and white poplar." And it has also been said through the voice of the Psalmist concerning the saints to God, at one time, that "The trees of the plain shall be satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which you have planted;" and at another time again: "Then all the trees of the forest shall rejoice, before the face of the Lord, because he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his truth." And we do not say at all that rejoicing belongs to insensible trees, but the matter would be more fitting for saints, whom he says rejoice when Christ shines upon the world. For so he judged the world in righteousness, justifying in faith those who were once deceived, and condemning the destruction of Satan and his angels. Who says to the deep, ‘Be desolate, and I will dry up your rivers.’ Who says of Cyrus to be wise, and he will do all my will. Who says of Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built;’ and of my holy house, ‘I will lay the foundation.’ Israel was carried away captive, as I said, in due time; for the Babylonians captured the land of the Jews. But when the seventieth year had now been completed for the captives, and the time for clemency towards them had arrived, that is, clearly, the clemency from God, he raised up against the Chaldeans Cyrus the son of Cambyses, who was ruling the empire of the Persians and Medes, who captured them, and released the Jews, having learned that the God whom they served had foretold concerning him, that being strengthened by His aid, he would be superior to his enemies, and completely unassailable to those wishing to resist, and that he himself would raise up the divine temple. That therefore the land of the Babylonians, although very populous, was about to be utterly desolated, he indicates, saying: I am he who says to the to the abyss: You will be made desolate. For in these things he called the multitude of the Babylonians, greater than number, an abyss; and its rivers, the nations flowing into it, which were both its neighbors, and possessing the bordering lands, were called by them for aid. And it is again a custom for the divine Scripture to compare the multitudes of the nations to rivers and seas and waters. For indeed the divine Psalmist said concerning both our Savior of all, Christ, and the multitude of the nations, which has been caught by his words: "The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of glory has thundered, the Lord." For indeed the voice of the Lord, that is, the evangelical and saving proclamation, was brought against all the nations, when it, so to speak, thundered down upon them. For the sacred and saving proclamation resounded, as it were, throughout the whole world under heaven. And again it is written: "The rivers have lifted up their voices." For we say that in these verses the holy apostles are called rivers, whose voices, that is, their teachings, have become known to all everywhere. And it is said somewhere also concerning Babylon itself, and Nineveh, that its waters are a pool of water. Therefore it was God who said to the abyss: You will be made desolate, and I will dry up your rivers. And he was likewise the one who told Cyrus to be wise, that is, to do everything with understanding, and to fulfill all things that seemed good to him. These things were to make the Babylonians pay the penalty for what they had done by cruelly ravaging Judea, and burning the sacred and divine temple, and in addition to this, for Israel to be released, and the house to be rebuilt, that is, to be founded. For it is more true to say this. For Cyrus commanded, and adding resources of money, for the temple to be raised, and he laid the foundations. But since in the meantime he departed from human life, the progress of the works was hindered by the envy of some, under the one who came after him. Nevertheless, it was brought to completion after this again, with God's assent. And we have the accurate account of the history in the divinely-inspired Scripture; and to choose to spend long words on these things, I think is somewhere superfluous. And let no one say that the divine word was proven false, because Cyrus, being an idolater, did not do all the things that seemed good to God. For the phrase, "He will do all my will," is ordered entirely concerning those things that it is likely God means to will, I mean the capture of Babylon, the release of Israel from bonds and slavery, and the raising of the temple, and the building of the cities of Judea. Thus says the Lord God to my anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations might hearken before him, and I will break the strength of kings, I will open doors before him, and cities will not be shut. I will go before him, and I will level mountains, I will break bronze doors, and I will shatter iron bars. And I will give you dark, hidden, unseen treasures; I will open them to you, so that you may know that I am the Lord God who calls you by your name, the God of Israel. For the sake of Jacob my servant, and Israel my chosen one, I will call you by my name [ῃυλγ. your], and I will receive you. But you have not known me, that I am the Lord God, and there is no God besides me. But you did not know me. So that those from the rising of the sun, and those from the west, may know that there is none besides me. I am the Lord God, and there is no other. I am the one who prepared light and made darkness, the one who makes peace and creates evils. I am the Lord God who does all these things. We say that the most valiant Cyrus encountered this prophecy, and was greatly pleased at the things foretold about him by God, and came to this opinion, so as to make the proclamation of the glory of God in the cities and lands under his hand, confessing clearly that He alone is God, and Lord of all, who is worshiped by the Jews. And the power of the prophecy, that is, of the prophetic predictions, is very clear, as I think. But running through each of the things said, as it is possible for what seems to be, he says [unclear] sometimes also the arduous things, let us make clear. For he names Cyrus "anointed," and not as one of the saints, to whom the name would apply, but improperly, as taken from the anointing, but because it was the custom to anoint with oil those called to kingdoms by God, even if they were not holy and revered. For we will find that the holy prophets have said to some of those brought to this, that "The Lord has anointed you as king over Israel." Cyrus, therefore, is anointed as a king; yet that he has prevailed through God, and was raised to an extraordinary glory, he gives us to understand by calling him anointed, that is, called to the kingdom by His anointing and decree. For this reason he says, that he has grasped his right hand. And this would be a clear sign of help, according to what was said by the saints in the book of Psalms: "You have held my hand, my right hand; in your counsel you have guided me." And he says that he has held his right hand, so that nations might hearken before him, that is, be subjected and yield to him, and that the strength of kings might be shattered. For they say there were seven kings under the one pre-eminent king among the Babylonians. And that the cities were about to be opened automatically, and that nothing of the enemy's strength could at all hinder Cyrus as he ran through, he shows by saying: Cities will not be shut. I will go before you, and I will level mountains, that is, I will make all things bare for you, and easy to traverse, so that there will be nothing to oppose you. But even if someone should attack, and like a mountain meet your forces, this too I will level, that is, I will render it pitiable, and thrown to the ground, and weak. I will shatter bronze doors, and I will break iron bars, and I will give you hidden treasures, I will open unseen ones to you. They say that the Babylonians, after the city was taken, buried themselves in dark caves, especially the most illustrious among them, who, fearing death, hid themselves by sinking into every cave and cleft of the rocks like snakes, but were not strong enough to escape notice. For some people informed this [perhaps this] Cyrus about them; and he ordered torches to be lit and the terrified to be dug out from the dark recesses, and thus to be subjected to bitter punishments. But others say that he emptied the treasures of the Babylonians that were under the earth and hidden. You will therefore be so illustrious and renowned, that you may know that I am the Lord God, who calls you by your name, the God of Israel, for the sake of Jacob my servant, and Israel my chosen one. For I, the only God, have called you for this, he says, and I have honored you with such brilliant glories, so that Israel, being my servant, might be well-treated by you. I have called you, he says, and have crowned you with glories. But you have not known me that I am the Lord, and there is no God besides me, and you did not know me; it is as if he were to say clearly: You did not receive such glory from me in return for brilliant deeds of valor that look toward piety; but I have honored you, although you did not know my divinity and pre-eminence, nor were you numbered among those who worship me, but so that those from the rising of the sun and those from the west may know that there is no one besides me. For if I should choose, he says, to deliver my own, I will accomplish the matter even through those who do not know my glory, for the sake of those throughout all the earth knowing clearly that there is no God besides me. For I am the Lord of hosts, and Master of every nation and race; and wherever I may wish, I direct the hearts of those on earth, so that even those who are not mine appear as ministers of my will. I, therefore, am the Lord God, who prepared the light and made the darkness, that is, both day and night, or rather, light for the redeemed, but darkness for the ravaged. For the one group rejoiced, as being freed from their bonds, while the other was in inescapable calamities. I am he who makes peace, and creates evils. You will take this also in the same sense, as I just said: Peace for the redeemed, But evils, that is, things that cause suffering, or productive of all suffering, to the cruel and savage ones who had been brought against Israel. For that the matter grieved God would become clear, when He says through the voice of an angel to the prophet Zechariah: "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and with great wrath I am angry against the nations that joined in the attack, for whereas I was but a little angry, they helped for evil." And indeed also to the Babylonians themselves: "I gave them into your hands, but you did not show them mercy." But that Cyrus, bold and all-powerful, and employing the cruelty befitting those who were suffering, attacked the arrogance of the Babylonians according to the will of God, we shall know when He says, through the voice of Jeremiah, as to Cyrus: "Go up against her bitterly, and against those who dwell in her, and avenge with the sword, and destroy, says the Lord, and do according to all that I command you." And in addition to these things: "The Lord has opened his treasury, and has brought forth the vessels of his wrath, for the Lord has a work in the land of the Chaldeans, for her times have come. Open her storehouses, search her as a cave, and utterly destroy her. Let there be no remnant of her, dry up all her fruits, let them go down to slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come, and the time of their vengeance." And the prophet Isaiah himself also said somewhere, as from the person of God to the Babylonians: "Behold, I am stirring up against you the Medes, who do not reckon silver, nor have need of gold. They will shatter the bows of the young men, and they will not have mercy on your children, nor will their eyes spare your children," that is, of the Medes. Let the heaven rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth bring forth, and let mercy spring forth, and let righteousness spring up together. It is a frequent custom and practice for the divinely-inspired Scripture to conduct its discourse from things that have happened to some in particular and in part to the universal and to all, and, as from a living image of things historically done, to elevate elegantly the mind of those being instructed to more mystical contemplations. This is indeed what one can see in the verses at hand. For a long discourse has been spent in the preceding concerning Cyrus, the ruler of the Persians and Medes, how he ravaged the land of the Babylonians and took it by force, and released Israel from the servitude there and from the bonds of captivity; and founded the temple in Jerusalem; and it has been recounted also that he was stirred up against the Chaldeans, with God also urging him on, opening for him bronze gates and shattering iron bars. But this was a partial narrative. For it was only for those of the blood of Israel to be cheered and to be released from the labors of captivity. But he now transfers the force of his thoughts to Emmanuel himself, who was revealed by God the Father to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, that he might deliver from evil those who were inextricably bound by the chains of their own sins, and having declared them free from the tyranny of the devil, might prepare those on earth to return to him, and thus through himself bring them to God the Father. For he became the mediator between God and men, and through him we have received reconciliation in one spirit to the Father, and he is our peace, according to the Scriptures; he himself built the divine, that is, his own temple, that is, the Church. For he himself presented her to himself as a pure virgin, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but rather holy and blameless. Therefore, as in an image, in Cyrus and in the things done by him, one might well perceive the divinely fitting achievements granted by God to those throughout all the earth. This then is the aim of the things set before us. But we will interpret each of the things written in detail, as is possible. Let it rejoice therefore, he says, heaven from above, that is, those who inhabit the city above, and who have the brilliant and admirable dwelling place, both angels and archangels, and those beyond them, both thrones and authorities, and rational powers, and the attendants of the highest seats. And we say that a cause of gladness has arisen even for the fathers in heaven, the return to God of those who had gone astray on the earth, I mean, through Christ the Savior of us all, the recovery of sight for the blind, and simply the salvation of the lost. For if they rejoice over one sinner who repents, how is it right to doubt that they are pleased and gladdened seeing the whole world under heaven saved? Therefore, let heaven rejoice from above, he says, and let the clouds rain down righteousness. And we say that the intelligible clouds are the powers above, through whom the exhortations of the spirit descend like rain, and drip into the hearts of the believers, according to what is clearly said elsewhere concerning the vine, about those of Israel: And I will command the clouds not to rain upon them; that is, the holy mystagogues themselves, and those who are on the earth, of whom the divine disciples were the first and first-fruits, who indeed, travelling over the whole earth, scattered the divine and sacred word, and gladdening those everywhere, like a thirsty and barren land, and, as it were, watering them spiritually, they became for them the cause of spiritual fruitfulness. Therefore, to the Jews, inasmuch as they had become deicides, and had acted insolently toward Christ himself, the giver of spiritual streams, God commanded the clouds not to give rain, but to those who believe in him, they are commanded to let it down, and to water abundantly the hearts of those who approach him. "When the rains are sent down, let the earth spring forth, he says, and let mercy sprout, and let righteousness spring up together." For it was necessary that from the intelligible clouds, as I said, watering the world under heaven with the lessons of righteousness, as from good seeds, good fruits should appear and sprout forth. For just as when the inventor of sin ruled upon the earth, and through the wise of the world was casting down abominable and profane seeds everywhere, there was no one who did good, not even one, but all had turned aside, together they had become corrupt, and the whole earth was devoid of the fruits of goodness, since the lessons of righteousness had not yet been sent down like rain to all everywhere; so then, it was consistent for there to be fruits of piety toward God; and we say that mercy is love, which is the fulfillment of the law, with righteousness accompanying it, and certainly the evangelical kind; of which Christ himself has become for us both the arbiter and teacher. But one might say that the mercy and righteousness rising up or sprouting from the earth is our Lord Jesus Christ himself. For he has become for us mercy and righteousness from God the Father; since it is true that in him we have received mercy, and have been justified, having received the remission of our old accusations, that is, that from him we have received the righteousness that is able to bring us to the attainment of every good, through which we have also been saved. But if the earth is commanded to bring forth righteousness, let no one be troubled, considering that the Psalmist also says somewhere about God the Father, and about Emmanuel himself: "He has wrought righteousness in the midst of the earth." For Christ did not bring down his flesh to us from above and out of heaven, but rather was born according to the flesh from a woman, who was one of those on earth. Therefore, when it is said that he became the fruit and sprout of the earth, you will understand, as I said, that he was born according to the flesh from a woman taken for this ministry, although she was one of those from the earth. I am the Lord God who created you; what better thing have I fashioned as the clay of a potter? He gives the reason, as it were, in these words, why the Son, being God by nature, emptied himself, and chose also to suffer for of us, and to deem those on earth worthy of so great a sparing love, as to give His own soul as a ransom; or rather, even to endure to take the form of a servant, and to exchange the highest glory for the lowliness of human nature. For this reason he says, that I am, must now be taken to mean, I exist and live, being true God, and Lord of hosts, and having brought all things into being, and not having made death, but rather having created all things for incorruption. Then, honoring human nature, and that of all the living creatures on earth, nothing at all could be of equal weight to it, "What better thing," he says, "have I fashioned as the potter's clay?" For we were formed by Him, who took dust from the earth, and like a potter shaped it very well. But the dignity of human nature does not stop at these things, but there is also in us a greater thing, a gift of hospitality and a gift of God's artistry. For we have been made in His image and likeness, and we have been enriched with the character of His glory, intellectually flashing in our souls, even if according to the flesh we are earth and from the earth. Therefore, man is not a contemptible creature on earth, but rather one worthy of admiration; and thus God glories in him. And indeed He said to the much-suffering Job, making His own great works manifest: "Did you, taking clay of the earth, form a living creature, and place it with the power of speech upon the earth?" And the divine David somewhere also sings: "Lord, what is man, that you are mindful of him? or the son of man, that you visit him?" Then he explains the distinction of human nature, saying: "You have made him a little lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For the all-wise Paul applied some of the preceding verses to Christ. But it might not unreasonably be said also of every man like us; for there is nothing false in them. Does the one plowing plow the earth all day long? Shall the clay say to the potter: What are you doing, since you are not working, nor do you have hands? He who says to his father: What will you beget? and to his mother: What will you bring forth in labor? The saying is deep, and overshadowed with much obscurity, but you will nevertheless go straight to what is useful, and true; but I think it is necessary to unfold briefly the purpose of the thoughts. For thus it will be both easy to grasp and easy to accept for those who listen. Therefore the God of all redeemed Israel from Egypt, and delivered them from polytheistic error and the deceit of demons, leading him by the law through Moses into the light of the true knowledge of God. For He taught them to worship one God, and to adore one Lord; then through types and shadows He wished to lead them up to things yet greater, and more perfect, that is, the things in Christ. For the law was a pedagogue, and it was established until the time of reformation; and this was the time of the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, when, having put away the shadow of the legal ordinances, and the types in the letter, He introduced to those on earth the beauty of worship in spirit and in truth, nakedly and unveiled. But at this very thing the Jews were displeased, and still advocating for the types they opposed Christ, and they accused Him of annulling the Mosaic ordinances, at one time saying: "If this man were from God, He would not break the Sabbath;" and at another time assailing Him with even worse words. Therefore, since they made unacceptable the benefit of the evangelical proclamations, which was leading them up to spiritual fruitfulness out of the unprofitable shadow, for this reason He says: Does the one plowing plow the earth all day long? O foolish ones, He says; for the farmer cuts up the field with plows, but he does not do this forever, nor will he spend all the time of his farming with plows. For he cuts up the field, not so that it might appear to have suffered this alone, but so that it might be receptive to what is cast into it with seeds, and be seen as fruitful. Therefore, having once been wild and, as it were, uncultivated, the hearts of all of us, using the law of Moses as a plow, I have prepared, and cutting them like a farmer, I make them beautiful for the casting of good seeds. But the sower of every good thing is my Son. Receive, therefore, what is from him, and do not wish to continually cherish and love the plowing law. For it plowed, as I said, not so that you might have this; for what benefit is there from this? but so that you might bring forth the fruits of truth. And since we have been intellectually re-formed in Christ, that is, we have been transformed, some from Hellenic error to the knowledge of the truth, and to a holy life, through Christ the Savior of us all; and others from circumcision to the acceptance of evangelical teachings, and to a newness of worship, no longer having the harshness of the types, but rather the spiritual having the most beautiful splendor shining forth; and it was granted to us and to them, having been enriched with the regeneration through water and spirit in Christ; likewise, to the Jewish peoples the grace upon these very things was both rejected and unacceptable; for they acted against, as I said, the ordinances from Christ; For this reason he says: Shall the clay say to the potter: What are you doing, because you are not working, nor do you have hands? The one who says to the father: What will you beget? And to the mother: What will you bring forth in labor? For I, he says, wish to re-form you towards better things, and as it were, to re-fashion you towards what is superior through an intellectual birth, that is, of course, the one through water and spirit. But you act foolishly against my plans. Did the clay, he says, ever rebuke the potter, as not having a craftsman's hand, or as not knowing in what way it is necessary to shape what is in his hands? But did the one about to be born, he says, bring a question to his own father, whether he will beget? Then how do you, being as clay in the hands of a potter, and not knowing at all in what way the intellectual regeneration concerning you will be, not fear to be contentious? and have you not rather known to yield how these things might happen to the craftsman and father? For that the Jews were contentious with the words of the Savior, which were spoken to him concerning these things, is not at all difficult to perceive. For he said to Nicodemus: "Verily, verily, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But he, foolishly leaping at things beyond understanding, stood up against him, saying: "Can a man when he is old enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" And he added to these another mystic teaching, How can these things be? What then did Christ say to these things? "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" It is necessary, therefore, to yield to what God might say. He himself knows the way of his own works, and the things crafted by him are not to be meddled with, and it is fitting for us to honor with undoubting faith the things that are beyond our understanding. But it must be known that the prophet Jeremiah was also sent to the house of the potter, to see him at work; and when the clay had fallen apart, and was re-fashioned into another vessel, God said to him: "Shall I not be able, like this potter, to do with you, O house of Israel? Behold, as the clay of the potter, so are you in my hands." And that we are intellectually re-fashioned into a holy and all-beautiful life, Paul will make clear, saying: "But we all, with unveiled face, reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit;" through whom we are also born again, having a seed no longer corruptible, but through the living and abiding word of God. For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, who made the things to come: Ask me concerning my daughters, and concerning my sons, and command me concerning the works of my hands. I made the earth, and man upon it. I by my hand established the heaven. I commanded all the stars. Of the In these words, a rendering of a higher meaning is seen to have been made. And the sense of the verses is as follows: For if the clay, he says, ever rebuked the potter, and accused the hand of the one who formed it as somehow unskilled or rather slow; if anyone of those not yet being or having been born, but expected to be born, meddled with what sort of children his own father would be the begetter of; ask me, you also, who will be my sons and daughters in due time; how it might happen, and in what manner you will be sons and daughters to me. Command me also concerning the works of my hands. And 'command,' he says, instead of 'give orders,' and as to one who does not know the way of things to be done, do not hesitate to give your opinion to God. Therefore, worthy of admiration and very rightly so is the all-wise Paul for having written thus: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" For the wisdom that is the artisan of all things needs absolutely nothing in what pertains to herself. Nor would anything concerning us be difficult or impossible for her. For she can do all things, possessing the all-powerful; or rather, she is all power. For the God of all is the Lord of hosts, and He alone knows the way of His own works. Therefore, His ways are not to be meddled with, and the things beyond mind and reason are unattainable for human thoughts, but are known to Him. And so we believe that the spiritual regeneration through water and spirit is given to those who have recognized the appearance of Christ. When Christ wished to make the grace clear to Nicodemus, He explained the way of the matter; but he, understanding nothing of what was said, declared the words of the Savior impossible. And He, having this mind, urged him to receive the wonder by faith, saying: "That which we know we speak, and that which we have seen we testify." Therefore, if we do not understand the way of the divine works, freeing our mind from all doubt, let us say to God: I know that you can do all things, and nothing is impossible for you; let us not ask Him concerning His daughters and His sons. Nor indeed let us command, that is, give orders to Him concerning the works of His hands; but as clay to the potter let us yield ourselves to be worked as seems good to Him. For He effortlessly changes our affairs to whatever He wishes, and refashions the mind from baser things to the better, and places in us a new heart, having uprooted the first one. And indeed He said something of this sort through the voice of Ezekiel, that "I will take away their heart of stone out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh, that is, tender and pliant, that they may know me, that I am the Lord." For departing from all wickedness and defilements, then re-tuning their own mind to be willing to fulfill the good; and having received in addition to this the spiritual regeneration from water and the Spirit, we shall be sons and daughters of God. For that the all-powerful is in Him, He shows by saying: I made the earth and man upon it. And He who is the author of man's generation, who brought into being him who was not, how will He be powerless for the spiritual re-formation? And is it not clear that by His own nods, the nature of His creations would change to whatever is according to His will? What is so strange if He who established the heaven with His own hand reforges the mind of man to what seems good to Him? Indeed, we say that the all-working hand of the Father is the Son, through whom are all things and in whom are all things. For by the word of the Lord, he says, the heavens were made firm. He Himself commanded all the stars, that is, He ordained, how each of them should be. For the sun is set to rule the day, and the moon the night. But as the Psalmist says: "The sun knew its setting. The God of all made darkness, and it was night." And so again the divine David sings, and says: "Yours is the day, and yours is the night. You have prepared the sun and the moon." Therefore each of these traverses its appointed course with an orderly motion and in measured intervals of hours. Likewise also the rest of the stars according to the law given to them by God, rise in their seasons and set. To them He gave command, being God by nature and Lord, the creator of all things. I have raised him up a king with righteousness. All his ways are straight. He shall build my city, and he shall bring back the captivity of my people, not with a ransom, nor with gifts, said the Lord of Sabaoth. Some might perhaps say that these things were said about Cyrus son of Cambyses, because he both released Israel and freed them from the bonds of captivity, and founded the temple in Jerusalem; but the contemplation of what follows will establish rather the power of the thoughts, not on him rather, but on the Savior of us all, Christ, who was raised up with righteousness. For God being Lord shone upon us, as God the Father was pleased to sum up all things in him, things in the heavens and things on the earth. Therefore He was raised with a righteousness that is not adopted or learned, but being himself the very essence of righteousness. And it is written somewhere else about him: "Behold, a righteous king shall reign, and rulers shall rule with judgment." For the only-begotten Word of God was always king of all things together with God the Father, and having all creation, visible and invisible, under his feet, but the man on the earth who had leaped away from the kingdom under him, and had scorned his scepters, because he had come under the hand of the devil and was entangled in the snares of sin, He, the arbiter and giver of all righteousness, brought again under His own yokes. For all his ways are straight. And we say the ways of Christ are the divine and evangelical ordinances, through which, by going to every virtue, and adorning our heads with the boasts of piety, we come to the prize of the high calling. And indeed the ways are straight; for there is nothing crooked or perverse in them, but as it were upright and easy to drive. For it is written that, "The way of the pious has become straight, and the way of the pious has been prepared." For the path of the law was somehow rough, going through many types, and of no portable difficulty, but that through the evangelical ordinances is bare, having nothing at all that is steep or rough. Therefore the ways of Christ are straight, and he himself built the holy city, that is, the Church, in which he himself also dwells; for he dwells in the saints, and we have become temples of the living God, having Christ in ourselves through participation in the Holy Spirit. Therefore He has founded the Church, being himself the foundation, upon which we also are built, as costly and precious stones for a holy temple, for a dwelling place of God in the spirit. And the Church is altogether unshaken, having Christ as the foundation, and an unshakable base; "For behold, I lay, he says, the foundations of Zion, a chosen stone, a cornerstone, precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame." He therefore who founded the Church, also brought back the captivity of his people. For us on the earth, being tyrannized over by both Satan and sin, he has saved and delivered, and has brought under his own yokes; yet not with a ransom, nor with gifts; for as his disciple says, "We were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver or gold, from our futile way of life handed down from our fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." For He gave His own blood for us, and we are not our own, but belong to Him who bought and saved us. Therefore, and very rightly, those who transgress the noble rule of the orthodox faith are accused by the voice of the saints, as denying the Master who bought them. Thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans men of high stature shall cross over to you, and shall be your slaves, and they shall follow behind you bound in manacles, and they shall worship you, and in you they shall pray. Because God is in you, and there was no God but you. For you are God, and we did not know, the God of Israel, the savior. All who oppose him shall be ashamed and confounded, and shall go away in shame. Having introduced the word concerning Christ the Savior of us all, and having announced beforehand that he will restore his people not with ransom, nor with gifts, he immediately points out those who will be called to redemption, clearly those from the nations, upon whom Christ is seen to have shone especially. and yet he says clearly; "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But to them first the divine and evangelical light flashed. But since, as it is written, the beloved Israel grew fat, and grew thick, and kicked (for they killed the author of life); for this very reason and very fittingly Christ shone upon the flocks of the nations, and this very thing we shall find present in the considerations of the preceding texts. And he names the most superstitious of the nations, so that the power of the one calling to repentance might be marveled at. For just as the skill of those who know how to heal is praised most of all, when they are able to free from their afflictions some who are suffering from desperate illnesses, using their own experiences at the opportune time; so also God makes His own transcendent glory more manifest, when he persuades some of those who have strayed too far, and have been brought down to the very lowest depth of depravity and impiety, to swim up and return to the desire for virtue, and to the rejection of evil, and as it were to the clothing of what is praiseworthy. The Egyptians, therefore, and the marketplaces of the Ethiopians, that is, the cities of the Thebans, whose neighbors and borderers are the so-called Sabeans, that is, the nations of the Ethiopians, or rather of the Indians (having perhaps received the name from Saba who at times ruled their country and land), have grown weary, he says; but the phrase, They have grown weary, must be understood in two ways: for either it means to show that they have grown intolerably weary, during the time of their wandering, yoked to the cruel tyrant Satan, and serving the flocks of demons who demand sacrifices, and even their own offspring, I mean both sons and daughters; or that formerly they were terrible and unbreakable, and as it were champions of the ancient deceit, and using all their strength to cling vigorously to the Hellenic impiety set before them. But when Christ shone forth, and sent the true light into the hearts of all, and rose like a spiritual morning star, they grew weary, that is, they have not remained resistant, as before, but have relaxed, as it were, their former intensity, yielding the victory to the proclamations about him, and the word concerning these things was in no way proved false. For as the all-wise Paul writes: "Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more." For the land of the Egyptians is seen to be full of venerable and holy churches. Altars everywhere and flocks of monks, and swarms of virgins, and the labors of asceticism with much gladness and a race toward virtue, and much zeal, both vigorous and not tolerating being cut off, and the worship of [or, the] Christ extends even to the Sabeans themselves, that is, the Indian nations. For it is possible, it is possible to see among them also as many things as in Egypt, and in the marketplaces of Ethiopia, that is, in the land of the Thebans. These Egyptians, therefore, he says, and the Sabeans, being men of high stature, that is, conspicuous, and most well-known to those everywhere, and unknown to no one that they are outstandingly worshipers of demons, and champions of diabolical inventions, will cross over to you, that is, having abandoned their former deceit, and having leaped away from the foundations of perdition, they will come to you, and will be your slaves, and of your evidently ministers of His wills. For this is what the name of servitude signifies when applied to God. They will follow behind you bound in handcuffs. For they will walk, he says, in your footsteps, guided by the evangelical laws in each of their actions, and they will travel the path of the exceptional life bound in handcuffs, that is, by the bonds of love, and the chains of ineffable love for God, so as to be able to say: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" These will worship you, he says, and in you they will pray, for God is in you, and there is no God except you. For you are God, and we did not know, the God of Israel, a savior. For to Christ, the Savior of all, every knee bows, and every tongue confesses, and to him comes every end of prayer. For in Christ we ask for our requests from God the Father, and in him we pray, confessing that God is also in him, and there is no God except him. For so he taught us to think, saying to the divine disciple (this was Philip): "Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. I and the Father are one." Therefore, 'God is in you,' and 'There is no God except you,' has the same force as, "And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." But if someone should wish to skillfully apply the force of what has been said to the person of Christ alone, we say that according to the voice of the divine Paul, in Christ all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. And He Himself was God, not divided into two sons, but as the Word possessing His own flesh, in which He is also said to have dwelt. Therefore, even in this He is understood as God, just as a soul in a human body; but nevertheless, God is one Son. Indeed, it must be known that we say the flesh of the Lord was ensouled with a rational soul. They confess, therefore, that 'And God is in you, and there is no God except you.' For you are God, and we did not know, the God of Israel, a savior. This is the voice of those repenting, and of those now turning to the light from deceit and darkness, and who have come to the knowledge of the truth, and have recognized the one who is by nature and truly God, and the creator and Lord of all. Indeed, they name as the Savior of Israel the one who became human and was incarnate, believing him to be that very one who was long ago a helper to those of Israel. That is, you will understand Israel not at all as only according to the flesh, but also as anyone else who is able to see God. For Israel is interpreted as 'a mind seeing God.' And he sees God with the eyes of the mind, the one who sees the character of God the Father, that is, the Son, at whom, he says, those who oppose him will be put to shame, and will also go away in shame. For those who did not accept faith in him, but fought against God, as indeed the Jews also did, will all be put to shame, defeated by the invincible hand, yet in no way harming his glory, but drawing down destruction on their own heads, they will be for shame and reproach. For they will be a spectacle for all flesh, according to the voice of the prophet. Be ye renewed unto me, O islands. Israel is saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation. They shall not be ashamed, nor shall they be confounded unto the age, says the Lord Almighty. He again broadens the prophecy of the calling and conversion of the nations; and he does not stop only at the Egyptians, the merchants of Ethiopia, and the Sabaeans themselves; but indeed, that those who are throughout all the earth will be called, and there will be a showing forth of holy Churches everywhere, he has declared in these things. For the all-powerful word of God addressed the Churches, as it were, to be renewed to him, which indeed he deigns to call islands. For just as the islands in this sea are always struck by the assaults of the waves, yet remain unshaken, and also receive ships when they are in danger, and save them from the waves, offering them a waveless bay; so the Churches of Christ, lie as it were in the very midst of life's turmoil and confusion, and they endure innumerable temptations, yet they have in Christ that which is unshakable. They house those fleeing the useless and empty confusion of the affairs of this world, and those who are, as it were, storm-tossed by both Satan and sin. They must therefore be compared to islands. For this is what the divine word intends in these things. Be renewed therefore to me, he says, O islands. Indeed, the name of the Church signifies the multitude of those who have believed in Christ, both priests and laity, shepherds and teachers, and those yoked under their authority, but all these were renewed in Christ, clearly at the times when God, being Lord, shone upon us. For then, then we were renewed to newness of life, of morals and of ways, and also of worship. For we have cast off the oldness that comes from sin, and we have become a new creation in Christ, being instructed by his laws, towards a glorious and desirable way of life. And indeed the all-wise Paul writes to those called through faith and says, at one time, that "Put off the old man, with his passions and desires, and put on the new, who is being renewed in the image of his creator;" and at another time, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." And he says that our old man has been crucified with him, so that we may put on the new through the way of life and life in Christ. We are renewed in the manner of worship, those who are of the Jewish orders, leaving behind shadows and types. For they will no longer use sacrifices of oxen and incense, but spiritual, and immaterial, and as it were in the order of the most well-ordered incenses; while those drawn from the multitude of the nations will be transferred to better things, and incomparably superior. For they will no longer have the ancient darkness in their mind, but having welcomed the divine and intelligible light, they will be holy and true worshippers. For they will cease from worshipping creation with deaf and senseless materials; and they will abstain from divination and sorcery, and will cleanse the harshness of Greek buffoonery and the deceit of demons, and in short, having abandoned the more shameful things, and having turned away from abominable pursuits, they will be in the beauty of all virtue, and knowledgeable in the doctrines of truth. Renewal, therefore, are the things concerning us. For the things in Christ are a new creation. Indeed, the God of all promises all according to the flesh, I mean, and him who is numbered among the children of Abraham by promise ("For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel, but the children of the promise, these are counted as children"), to save with an eternal salvation, to be far from shame and disgrace, and these things perpetually. For having stripped off in Christ profane sin and having been freed from the yoke of the devil's greed, and along with these casting off corruption, and having put on incorruptibility, in these things we will be forever. For sin will no longer dance over us; nor will Satan subject us again to his former greeds; and the power of death will also depart completely in the age to come, being trodden down in Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory and power with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Discourse 24

Thus says the Lord who made heaven, he who established the earth, and made it, he set its boundaries. He did not make it in vain, but to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth. I did not say to the seed of Jacob, Seek in vain. I am the Lord who speaks righteousness, and announcing truth. Having proclaimed beforehand the arrival of our Savior of all, Christ, and having marked out the season of salvation, in which all, having abandoned the darkness of ancient ignorance, will cross over to the light of the true knowledge of God, he makes a necessary exhortation in these things to both Jews and Greeks adding the clear things through which they will know very plainly, that he himself is God and creator of all things, and that there is no other besides him. For this reason he says: Thus says the Lord, and not simply Lord, for there are very many both in heaven and on earth, who have received the name by misuse; but he himself who is by nature and in truth that which he is also called, and as one who has his glory from his accomplishments, not a counterfeit one. For this, he says, is the Lord who made the heaven; a mighty thing for a demonstration of the highest renown and of all-powerful preeminence, to make the heaven and establish the earth, and to found it. For he himself defined it, that is, what was once hidden in the abysses, invisible and unformed, he rendered visible and wrought. For he defined it; for he said according to the faith of the books of Moses: "Let the water be gathered together into one collection, and let the dry land appear." So then, it appeared out of the waters, and being submerged and entirely inactive, he set it apart in its place, placing bolts and gates upon the abysses, and separating it very well from the waters. That he produced it usefully and necessarily for this purpose, not that it might only be seen, but that it might have inhabitants—clearly those formed from it, just as, indeed, he also previously clarified concerning heaven, that it has the holy angels, saying: He did not make it in vain, but to be inhabited. Therefore it was shown to be a vehicle and as a kind of house for those who tread upon it, that is, for us. But if we were brought into existence by him, how is it not true to say that we came to be entirely for this reason, that we might worship him and him alone, and recognizing him as the creator of all things, offer up hymns of thanksgiving? I therefore am, and there is no other. For if he is the one who made the heaven, and established the earth, and did not make it in vain, but to be inhabited, what other could be thought to be God besides him? Or who could equal him in power and glory? Or who at all is near or close by a little? How is not the whole nature of created things overcome by such great and all-surpassing glory, strength, and wisdom? There is no one. Therefore, he alone, and no other besides him at all, could be thought to be God by nature and in truth. But yes, someone might sometimes say: Who has known his purpose? Or who is able to say whether he ever wishes others to be crowned with the glory and title of God, or, that is, himself and himself alone? Therefore, he makes his defense and says: I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, "Seek vain things." Laws, he says, I ordained for them concerning these things, not speaking in a corner, nor striving to be hidden, but clearly and openly. For the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai in the form of fire; there was darkness and storm and smoke, and the piercing sound of trumpets. For all the people stood by while Moses mediated, and laws were announced by God, not urging Israel to seek something vain, that is, an idol, or, a falsely-named worship, but commandments restraining them from the contrary. For it was said to him: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve, and you shall have no other gods besides me. And you shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth." Therefore it has been said to him; and the phrase, I am the Lord, is like as if he should say, and not once but many times, that I alone am God, and Lord of all, speaking righteousness and announcing truth; and by righteousness, as I think, he means the law; for the law is the arbiter of righteousness; but by truth, the teachings of Christ. There is in it but the formation of the truth is in the law, and the mystery of Christ is hidden in the shadows. For Moses wrote about him. Therefore, in speaking of righteousness, the power of truth is also announced with it, if indeed it is true that the law was a shadow, but now in it is the formation of the truth. Be gathered, and come, take counsel together, you who are saved from the nations. They did not know, those who carry the wood, their carved image, and who pray as to gods, who do not save. The apostate dragon indeed beguiled those on earth from their relative intimacy with God, and having stripped them of the true knowledge of God, he scattered them into deceit, and polytheistic error, and by establishing them in the ways of wickedness, he rendered the net of his own perversity hard to escape and indelible for them. But Emmanuel appeared, who leads forth those who are bound in manliness, and he endured death in the flesh for our sake, so that, as the evangelist says, he might gather into one the scattered children of God. For what Satan scattered, leaping on them like a cruel and savage wolf, these things Christ, the good shepherd, who laid down his own soul for the sheep, gathered together. Therefore he indicates this very thing, saying: Be gathered, that is, be bound together by one faith, and unanimity. Be gathered to the God who rules over all through sanctification and righteousness; come near, you who are still far off and separated by sin, and by being brought into a most shameful and abominable disposition of mind. But we say that those who have been led astray have departed from God, who will also be near through faith in Christ. For the all-wise Paul addressed those who ran to this: "But now you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ." And again concerning him, that "Coming, he preached peace to us who were far off, and to those who were near." For this reason it was said through the holy prophets to those still far off: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." Come then, he says, and take counsel together, you who are saved from the nations. But, Take counsel, he says, instead of, Let the things pertaining to the return to God be done by you, not without counsel, or unadvisedly, but with admirable prudence. For through faith to advance to understanding, if indeed there is no doubt that having condemned the bad counsel in being led astray, and turning away from the harm of the ancient deceit, we run swiftly to God, receiving the light of the true knowledge of God, and incomparably casting our vote from a right mind for the better things. Take counsel then, that is, be prudent, you who are saved from the nations. For he commands those who are full of foolishness to depart to a prudent mind, an admirable and irreproachable understanding, through which one might perceive the power and glory of the God who rules over all. But they did not know this, he says, that is, they might be considered completely witless, and full of the utmost lack of understanding. Those who carry the wood, their carved image. And "carrying" in these things, you will understand as "exalting," so as to attach to it the glory befitting God, and to this wood that was carved by them. Then praying as to gods, who do not save. Ignorant therefore, and not far from those they worship in their lack of sensation, are those who worship their own crafts, and seek help from senseless matter, and assign the title of God to things made and crafted by their own hands. Let them hear the lyre of the Psalmist mocking them and crying out: "May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them." If they will declare, let them draw near, that they may know together, who made these things heard from the beginning. Then it was announced to you: I am God, and there is no other besides me; a just God and a Savior there is none besides me. Turn to me, and you will be saved, you who are from the end of the earth. Setting terrible and various snares for those on the earth, and digging the pits of destruction, the sinners demons, both unholily plundering the glory of divinity, and binding it upon their own heads, the all-daring ones were zealous to establish the workshops of their own deceit. And pretending to know the future, and to be able to announce it to those willing to learn, they have indeed continued to plunder for a time. Indeed, oracles throughout countries and cities, and false prophecies were everywhere, and divinations by omens, and a multitude of impostors speaking from their own heart, according to what is written, oracle-mongers, and necromancers, and those who speak from the earth, and ventriloquists and diviners by barley meal, and in short the world was filled with liars and impostors. Therefore, there was among them no true knowledge of future things, but falsehoods, and buffoonery and deceit, and guile, and nothing else. For this reason, the God of all says: If they will declare, let them draw near, that they may know together. For if they are able, he says, to announce, let them come that they may know together, so that in person all gathered into one (for there were, as I said, oracles in many places in part. And different people visited in different ways, and honored the lying unclean demons); but if they are truly able to announce, he says, all coming together at the same time, let them know something of the future, who made these things heard from the beginning. For who of the superstitious, or of their prophets, or of those who attend the oracles, ever knew and announced that in due time Christ would shine upon the world, and that the cloud of deceit will be gone, and the darkness of falsely named knowledge will be scattered, and there will shine upon those on the earth, as an intelligible morning star, as dawn and day, Christ as the sun of righteousness? But neither, he says, did the demons who feign to have knowledge of the future announce these things from the beginning, nor indeed the ministers of their falsehood. For no one of the poets or prose-writers among the Greeks mentioned such splendid matters. Who then has made these things heard from the beginning? Then it was also announced to you, that is, from the beginning. But it was announced not by any other, but rather by me who knows all things, and has announced them before they came to pass. For I have spoken them to you both through Moses and the holy prophets, who conveyed the words from me to you. Therefore I am, he says, God, and there is no other besides me. And I am just, and a savior. For unjust indeed are the pestilent demons, as they are also destroyers, and bloodthirsty, and pushing those upon the earth into destruction. Just and a savior is the God of all, helping the wronged, and releasing from bonds those who have been seized, and bound tight with chains of sins, and enlightening those in darkness, strengthening the weak, and raising up the fallen, and turning back the wandering. For this reason, he says: Turn to me, and you will be saved, you who are at the end of the earth. In these things one might see very well the magnitude of the grace through Christ, extending to all who are on the earth. For confined indeed was the grace and salvation through Moses, going to one nation, Israel; but long, as it were, and running to the ends of the earth is that through Christ. For the whole earth has been caught in a net for salvation and life through faith in him. I am God, and there is no other. I swear by myself; unless righteousness shall go forth from my mouth, my words will not be turned back; that to me every knee shall bow, and every tongue will swear by God, saying: Righteousness and glory will come to him. With the falsely named worship having been destroyed, it was necessary for the truth to come into the midst, and with the darkness, as it were, having been driven away, for the light to shine around. For this reason, and very fittingly, after this beneficial and profitable exhortation, he makes his own glory manifest. For I am God, he says, and there is no other. Then he foretells the power of the things expected to be through Christ, confirming it by an oath, that in every way and altogether the righteousness spoken through him, this is, that which in Christ through faith was graciously given to those throughout all under heaven, and his words, that is, the evangelical and saving proclamation, will in every way and entirely shine forth in due time. For, I think, this very thing makes clear the phrase, They will not turn back. For when God promises, and says that something will in every way and entirely be, who is able to hinder? So then he swears by himself. For men indeed swear by the greater, and for them an oath is for confirmation, an end of all dispute. But God, who is beyond all things and raised above others by incomparable excellences, swears by himself. For it was not possible to swear by another, since he himself is, as I said, the highest of all, and that which stands at the limit, both in nature and glory. What then was promised? Salvation, and the conversion of every nation upon the earth. For to me, he says, every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear to God. But the phrase, "a knee will bow to God," and that his name is to be sworn by all, what else could it be understood to be except the conversion of all, and full knowledge, and a declaration of their relationship to him? For those who through conversion come to God completely refrain from bowing the knee to unclean spirits, and from having them on their tongue as gods (for they will not swear by anything as by God), but knowing the one who is by nature, and truly is, they submit their neck to his yokes, and bow the knee making their prayers, and if they should somehow choose to swear truly, they will make mention of him and him alone, saying, that All righteousness and all glory shall come to him, that is, it is fitting for him and him alone. For it is necessary that the best of all works, and everything in words that results in the glory of God, that this be attributed by us to him alone. All who separate themselves from the Lord shall be ashamed; they shall be justified, and in God all the seed of the sons of Israel shall be glorified. The saying is true in both respects, and the divine word would not be proved false. For it will certainly follow those who wish to depart from their relationship with God, a spiritual one, of course, that they must be put to shame; while for those who love him from a sincere heart, it is to receive glory in him and to be distinguished in righteousness. And these would not be in any way at all Israel according to the flesh, but rather the seed of the sons of Israel. But making the meaning of the preceding things clearer, we say this. For the only-begotten Word of God shone forth to those on the earth, in a form like ours, that is, having become flesh, according to the Scriptures; and he came proclaiming release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, setting at liberty those who are oppressed, and healing the brokenhearted, and proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord. But although it was necessary for the Jews especially to bring faith to him, since they indeed had the law as a tutor and the holy prophets as mystagogues, this they have not done, but they leapt away from him, as it were, and have become full of confusion, having the sin that puts them to shame irremovably. Therefore it is true that, All who separate themselves from the Lord shall be ashamed. For they heard him say, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins." But those who have recognized his appearing have been justified through faith, and have gained a long and unending glory, having been shown to be partakers of the Holy Spirit, and having been enriched with the splendid dignity of adoption as sons. For he gave them authority to become children of God, and besides this, they have a worthy and unassailable hope; for they will inherit the kingdom of heaven. And these might be understood as the seed of the sons of Israel. And by 'sons of Israel' in this context we say the holy apostles and evangelists are named; for they were from the Jews according to the flesh. And their sons are those called through them to the knowledge of Christ. At any rate, the divine Paul addressed those who had believed through him: "For even if you might have ten thousand tutors in the Lord, but not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus through the Gospel I begot you." And we find in many places also other of the holy apostles, calling 'little children' those who through them have been drawn into the net for the salvation that is in Christ. Bel has fallen, Dagon is shattered, their carved images have become as beasts and cattle. Somehow there always follow the prophecies, which were made through the holy prophets concerning the Savior of us all, Christ, necessary predictions of the things accomplished by Him, that is, of the good things set right for the world. And the most excellent achievement of all is the removal of Satan from the midst, and the profane and murderous multitude. Therefore, when He shone upon the world, the long-standing, great and accursed mist of sin was dispelled, which Satan had instilled in the minds of all, so that they might not see the light of truth. And the tyranny of the demons has ceased, and the games of idolatry. Therefore, necessarily, as I said, the discourse concerning these things was introduced to us, and it says that Bel has fallen. This is an idol especially of the Babylonians, but honored also in other cities. And they say that Bel is the Kronos of whom the atheistic Greeks tell myths, whom they also say is cruel and bloodthirsty, and a lover of manslaughter. For it has been recorded in Greek histories that on one day some people sacrificed three hundred foreigners to him, celebrating a festival that was foul and hateful to God and men. And indeed the God of all, being indignant at such terrible impieties, says somewhere through one of the holy prophets to those accustomed to do such things: Sacrifice men; for the calves have run out. For he says that the unclean demons have arrived at such a point of misanthropy and savagery as to thirst insatiably for human blood, and to delight in the destruction of those who are captured. For perhaps a lowing calf upon the altar does not seem pleasing to them, nor incense and sheep; but they yearn more for the slaughter of men. Therefore, he says, Bel has fallen, that is, he has been cast down, and the strength of the demon has fallen; so that henceforth, casting off the yoke from their wickedness, those who were once held fast by his depravities might run to God with a free and uncoerced mind. And Dagon was also shattered. This too is an object of worship for those who inhabit the coast, which is also bordering on Judea, I mean of the Ascalonites and the Gazans, whom the divine Scripture in many places names Philistines or foreigners. And very well does he say, 'He was shattered,' as if from what had happened to him at times, the prophet now also conducts his discourse about him. For we have read in the books of the Kingdoms that the foreigners, once having taken the divine ark, brought it into the house of Dagon; then the worshippers of the demon, entering, saw the idol fallen before the ark, and having undergone a shattering so as to have lost its hands and feet, and head. Therefore, very elegantly, as if from what had happened at times, he says, 'He was shattered.' And we say that the prophetic word signifies to us the abolition of idolatry, by naming in part both Bel and Dagon. For it was not possible to make mention of all the idols on the earth, but as from a part he again sets forth concerning the whole. Lift them up, bound, as a burden for one weary, and hungry, and faint, not being strong at the same time; they will not be able to be saved from war; and they themselves, as captives, have been shamed. In these things the word again shows us the uselessness and vanity of things made by hand, and from the games performed in their honor, it reveals that the worship of those who are led astray is full of shame. For they used to celebrate for the demons festivals that were at times frigid and ridiculous; then carrying the statues out of the shrines, and some of the priests placing them upon themselves went about in the public squares, shaking and as if drunk as though bearing a burden- excessively, and wherever that which they wished to carry might become heavy, there they would somehow even push together, pretending not to be able to bear the burden. But the senseless and vulgar crowd, and women bereft of sense, would applaud with acclamations, seeing the lifeless matter formed into the shape of a man or perhaps a woman, and they thought in truth that what was being carried placed an unbearable weight on those who had set it on their shoulders. Therefore, in these things the divine Word laughs at the greatness of Hellenic insensibility, and says concerning the statues in the shrines, which they senselessly wished to worship: Lift them up, bound, as a burden for one who is weary, and for one who is faint with hunger, being at once unable. For these things, as I said, some of the priests would pretend while carrying about the handmade things. How then will the inactivity of the worshiped things be known? One might perceive it from many other things. For wood or stone or some other matter is the origin of such things. But since it is necessary to show this from the most useful examples, it brings them to the memory of their future captivity, that under the Babylonians, I say, which indeed they also suffered, since, having abandoned the need to fulfill the law and to worship the one God who is by nature, they went off to every one of the most discordant things, and have worshiped the works of their own hands; and besides this, they have sacrificed also to the host of heaven, as it is written. From where, then, will the inactivity of the supposed gods be seen? They will not be able, he says, to be saved from war, but they themselves were led away captive. For when a city or country is captured, if there are indeed any gods covered with gold and silver among them, they are taken first of all by the conquerors, who it was fitting, if they were gods, to also help their own worshipers, and to show them to be stronger than the hand of the enemies. What then does a carved image profit, that they have carved it, according to the prophet's word, they have made it a molten image, a false fantasy, which are able to help neither themselves, nor indeed others? For how could any such thing come from wood and stone? Hear me, O house of Jacob, and the remnant of Israel, who are carried from the womb, and taught from childhood even to old age. I am, until you grow old. I am. I bear you. I have made, and I will bear; I will take up, and I will save you. Again the discourse is most artfully arranged, and proceeds in a fitting order, and according to a good plan. For since he made mention of the war, in which it happened that a countless multitude of men and women died, and the land of the Jews became very sparsely populated, for this reason he speaks as to one house, as to a remnant, and a leftover from barbaric cruelty: Hear me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of Israel. And the discourse would have benefited the hearers not a little, if they had been shrewd, and examiners of useful things. For surely one might easily have also passed by the grim and unbearable things if they were foretold, having fled the causes of their assault; but when they have arrived and, as it were, leaped upon him, how could he ward them off? He therefore calls them the remnant, all but crying out that they will be consumed by the war, and will be prey to barbaric cruelty, unless they cease from such outlandish practices. But that stubbornness is in the souls of the Jews, and the study of the law has become for them an unprofitable thing, he shows by saying: Who are carried from the womb, and taught from childhood even to old age. For from infancy and up to old age, though studying the sacred and divine Scriptures, they have benefited nothing; but as if they had been deemed worthy of no admonition at all, they went away to apostasy from God. But even if a long time was spent by you, he says, in unprofitable studies, and seeing that you are most ignorant, I will not cease from my innate gentleness; and I make myself thus clear to you by saying: I am, that is, I live and I exist; not as having a beginning of generation or knowing how to come to an end, but is always the same and unchanging, and until you grow old, I will be the same. For old age does not come upon me as upon you, but I am living and all-powerful. And I, for my part, brought upon you the calamities of war with a holy decree, calling to justice those who had insulted my glory. But I will relent, that is, I will release, and through amnesty I will reclaim you who have toiled. I will take you up and save you. For I who gave you into the hands of enemies will again make you my own, and I will release you from the bonds of captivity. Therefore, as with a multifaceted medicine, he heals the hearts of those who have acted insolently toward him, and from too much ignorance have slipped into what is unlawful, partly with threats, and partly also with good promises. For his purpose is to save that which was lost, and to snatch that which is wandering from the hands of the devil. To whom have you likened me? Devise, you who are wandering, who contribute gold from a purse, and silver in a balance; they will set it on the scales, and having hired a goldsmith they made handmade things, and bowing down they worshiped it. They lift it on their shoulders, and will go. And if they put it in its place, it will remain, it shall not be moved; and whoever shall cry to it, it shall not hear, from evils it shall not save him. He convicts the worshipers of idols of being insolent and foolish, and of sinning against the divine and highest nature itself. For they bring down, as far as it depends on them, the high excellence of its inherent glory to things unfitting, and bring it down to lifeless matter, bestowing it on their own handiworks, then piously declaring their own heads subject to the utmost penalties. To whom then have you likened me, he says, who by nature am distinct from all things, and raised high with incomparable superiorities, and beyond every created thing, the creator of all things, at once both king and Lord? And it is likely, I suppose, that God also wishes to make something else clear, saying to those who have gone astray: To whom have you likened me? See, contrive something, you who have gone astray. For, he says, by contributing gold and silver, then hiring a goldsmith, they fashion the form of either a man, or a woman, or rather a beast, so to speak, or a domestic animal, and the name God is immediately given by them to the thing fashioned. Understand, therefore, he says, to what have you likened me? For it is either to a man or a woman, or even to beasts or irrational animals. Then how is this matter not beyond all impiety? Devise something for a defense; absolve your sins. But you would not find the helpful argument for this. For bringing down the nature that is above all things to beasts and cattle, what arguments then will you use that are sufficient for being able to escape the accusations? And that the making of idols attempts to teach nothing other than vulgarity of thoughts; for this reason he also speaks very sparsely. For they collect from a purse, he says, silver and gold, and will place it on a balance, on an equally measured scale, with each one perhaps contributing, so that, as is likely, the thing being crafted might belong more to the one contributing more. And someone might say, I think, that if they were in need of money, they would not have had a god at all, and if the world under heaven did not abound in craftsmen, there would be no one at all who was worshiped by them. And they have come to such a point of ignorance and foolish thoughts, that though they themselves pre-existed their own gods, they honor those who were born late, and they themselves create those who should rather be seen as creators; and being lords of the matter, and having taken it for necessary use, they ask to be saved by it. They will be burden-bearers, carrying their gods on their shoulders; they see that they are immobile, and carried off wherever someone might choose, and to them they bring their prayers. Therefore, when you see them having received the prayer, then expect that help will come. But if you see that they are both senseless and immobile, then what benefit do you expect from them? Suffering from the same malady, you are not aware. For you have fallen into the utmost insensibility. Remember these things, and Groan; repent, you who have gone astray. Return in your heart, and remember the former things from of old, that I am God, and there is none besides me; declaring beforehand the last things before they happen, and at once they were accomplished. And I said: All my counsel shall stand, and all that I have purposed, I will do, calling a bird from the east, and from a land far off. Concerning what I have purposed, I have spoken, and I have brought it, I have created, and I have made it. I brought him, and made his way prosperous. Seeing them held fast by deceit and darkness and terrible ignorance, God again pities them, and commands them to go backward, as it were, applying the accurate eye of the mind to the facts, so that having learned in what evil they are, they might change their mooring to better things, and having unending memories of the words spoken to them, they might choose to repent, and not doing this simply from the tongue only, but from the heart itself. For the manner of such a repentance would be most praiseworthy and true. Therefore, that the making of idols is a ridiculous thing, he commands them to know from what he has already said before. But that he himself is God of all, he persuades them to understand from the most God-befitting dignities inherent in him by nature. For I am he says, the one who has the knowledge of all things, both announcing a thing before it happens, and bringing what has been promised to fulfillment. And I affirm this, that whatever I have purposed has been accomplished, and nothing of what seems good to me would ever fail. And this is a very great thing for the demonstration of invincible and God-befitting strength. For men, although they have obtained the highest honors and possess dynasties to the end, propose some goal, and plan to accomplish something, but what they have considered does not in every way and entirely go smoothly for them. For very many things fall in between, and their frustration is hard to meet; But God of all things, if he should wish to do something, what could stand against it, and oppose it? For what the holy God wills, who will scatter? And his high hand, who will turn back? Therefore, for a proof that he is God by nature and truly, it might be said reasonably by him, ‘All my counsel shall stand, and all that I have purposed, I will do.’ Then to this he says, ‘Calling a bird from the east, and from a land far off concerning what I have purposed’; and to this will also follow, ‘I am.’ Now, the bird called from the east, and from a land far off, we say is the Babylonian, who, having burned the whole land of the Jews, took Jerusalem and shook the temple in it; then having roused very many of both the common people and the notable ones, he carried them away from the land that bore them, and deposited them in the country and land of the Persians, casting upon them the hard and unbearable yoke of captivity. And this will be clear to you from what God said to the blessed prophet Ezekiel. It is as follows: “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, relate a tale, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, and you shall say: Thus says the Lord Adonai: The great eagle, long in its expanse, full of claws, whose tale is to enter into Lebanon, and took the choice parts of the cedar, nipped off the tips of its tenderness, and brought them into the land of Canaan, he set them in a walled city, and he took from the seed of the land, and gave it as a plant in the field, by much water, he set it to be watched over, and it became a weak vine, and small in size so that its branches would appear upon it, and its roots were underneath its earth. And it became a vine and made shoots, and stretched out its climbing branches.” These things, then, God said to the blessed prophet Ezekiel. But since the word was hard to grasp, and the force of the thoughts not very clear to the hearers, he himself again makes it plain, saying: “Say then to the provoking house of Israel: Do you not know what these things are that I said. When the king comes of Babylon against Jerusalem, and he will take its king, and its rulers, and will lead them to him in Babylon. And he will take from the seed of the kingdom, and will make a covenant with him, and will bring him into a curse, and he will take the leaders of the land that the kingdom might become weak, and that it might not be lifted up at all to keep his covenant, and to establish it. For as we read in the book of Kings, after the holy city was taken, the Babylonian carried off Zedekiah as a captive, and some of the notables bound with him, to the land of the Chaldeans; and these are the choice parts of the cedar. I am, therefore, he says, the one who calls a bird from the east. Concerning what I have planned, I have spoken and I have brought it to pass, I have not been mistaken, he says. For I announced beforehand that it would come in its time, but what was foretold has been brought to completion. I have created, that is, I have brought about evils, that is to say, afflictions, and the calamities of war for those who dishonored my glory, and have turned to lifeless idols. And I have done it, I have led him, and I have made his way prosperous. For it was not the work of his hand to overcome Israel, if indeed God was its helper. But I myself, saving and presiding, have prospered his way, that he might bring to judgment those who thought little of piety toward him, or rather who utterly rebelled, so as to assign to wood and stones the honor and glory most fitting for him and him alone. Hear me, you who have lost your heart, who are far from righteousness. I have brought near my righteousness, and the salvation from me I will not delay. I have given salvation in Zion to Israel for a glorification. Behold, then, again he promises salvation to them, and does not allow them to despair, lest somehow, being overcome by despondency beyond measure, they should become far from the hope that they will be saved, having chosen to repent. Heartless, then, are those who wander, and the word against them is true. For with what mind do they themselves create the ones they worship, assigning reverence to wood and stones, asking from them to be saved? Nevertheless, God endures even so, and rather pities those who have been deceived, and has mercy on those who have fallen, and with good promises he restores them to understanding, and commands them to become sober, and though they are far off and separated from righteousness, that is, from God, he commands them to come to him. And it seems that with the promises of partial salvation, he also interweaves the declaration of that which is universal and most general. For he saved from the land of the Chaldeans those who were carried off to it as captives, and one might say, I think, that this is a partial assistance, but the most general is that through Christ, which he had long ago promised to reveal not long after. For I have brought near, he says, my righteousness, and the salvation from me I will not delay. And we say that this is like, "Yet a little while, and he who is coming will come, and will not delay." And salvation has been given in Zion to Israel for a glorification. And in these things he names the spiritual Zion, that is, the Church of Christ, in which we all who belong to the spiritual Israel receive his salvation in glory. For just as a Jew is not one according to the flesh only, but if someone has also been deemed worthy of the circumcision in the spirit; so also Israel is not only those who have come from the blood of Israel, but also all who have had a mind that sees God, who also have been appointed as children, and according to the promise of Abraham, and we say that these are the truer Israel. Come down, sit on the ground, virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground [there is no throne; enter into the darkness], daughter of the Chaldeans, for you shall no longer be called tender and delicate. Take the millstone, grind meal, uncover your veil, expose your gray hairs, bare your legs, cross the rivers. Your shame will be uncovered; your reproaches will appear. I will take what is just from you. Having said that I have given salvation to Israel for a glorification, and that from the having promised them redemption from captivity, he then remembers and clearly narrates, in what way she was captured and has been plundered, and as if on a tablet he depicts the condition of the captives. For just as he had previously announced to the land of the Jews the devastation from the war of the Babylonians, going through each detail meticulously, and saying: "Because the daughters of Zion were exalted, and walked with a high neck, and with winks of their eyes, and in the gait of their feet, at once dragging their tunics, and at once playing with their feet, and God will humble the ruling daughters of Zion; and the Lord will reveal their form in that day, and the Lord will take away the glory of their clothing, and their ornaments, and their braided hair, and the fringes," and the things that follow these; then he adds to these: "And instead of a sweet smell there will be dust, and instead of a girdle you will be girded with a rope, and instead of the golden ornament of the head you will have baldness because of your works; and instead of the purple-bordered tunic you will gird yourself with sackcloth;" so also now what the daughters of the Babylonians, that is, their inhabitants, will suffer, with the Persians and Medes dragging them about, he shows, saying: Come down, sit upon the ground, which would imply, be humbled, although long grievously sick with arrogance. Come down, therefore, from the mountain and high mindset to humility, from glory to dishonor, from luxury to misery, from immeasurable wealth to utter poverty, from freedom to slavery, and in a word from all the sweetest things to the worse and most wretched. Sit in darkness, that is, the darkness from incurable calamity. For a sharp grief poured over the soul enslaves the mind, and the assault of unexpected toils, and fear falling like a burden. And that the time of her ancient prosperity has passed, he shows by saying: No longer shall you be called delicate and luxurious. For the women of the Chaldeans, it is not unlikely, had a luxurious lifestyle, and were lovers of adornment, and held the art of hairdressing in no small account; because they say that even their military experts prided themselves on gold and stones, and hastened to distinguish themselves with no unremarkable adornment, even in battles themselves. You will no longer be called luxurious, therefore, he says, but you will rather endure, and not willingly, the misery of servitude; you will grind meal, you will be seen bare of the coverings of your head; that is, with your hair flowing unkempt everywhere, although formerly it was bound up in various ways. Uncover your grey hairs, and this would be a clear sign that the captors have come to such cruelty as not even to spare an old woman. Hike up your lower legs, cross rivers. Your shame will be uncovered, your reproaches will appear. For those who have once fallen into captivity, and are carried away from their native land to that of the victors, must cross the intervening rivers on foot, clearly by hiking up their garments, and no longer bearing in their eyes the modesty befitting females; but as if by necessity also exposing to many the secret parts of the body. And one might say that her shame was seen and her reproaches appeared in another way, as she was captured once and for all, and came to be in abominable circumstances, although formerly she was luxurious and prided herself on unending prosperity. Then he says, that I will take what is just from you, that is, what you ought to suffer, this I will take from you. And what this is, he has foretold through another of the holy prophets, saying: "As she has done, do, I will do to her." And again: "As you have done, so shall it be to you; your recompense shall be returned upon your own head." And it is said elsewhere concerning everyone who is accustomed to sinning: "Woe to the lawless one, evil things will happen to him according to his works." No longer will I deliver you to men, said the Lord Sabaoth who redeems you; the Holy One of Israel is His name. Another word is inserted in between, and as if to Israel, and God promises the things at no time under to fall into the hand of enemies, for he would pity them as having paid punishments equal to their sins against him, or rather even punished beyond this. For he said somewhere concerning it: "Priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, comfort her, because her humiliation is accomplished, her sin is forgiven, because she has received from the Lord's hand her sins." Therefore, He who delivered you, he says, the Lord Sabaoth, whose name is also the Holy One of Israel, said, You shall no longer be given over to wicked and unmerciful men, meaning, of course, to those who formerly conquered, since God was angered, and left Israel destitute of compassion and love, seeing them turn to apostasy and uncontrollably proceeding to do what is forbidden by his divine laws. Sit down, contrite, enter into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans; you shall no longer be called the Strength of a kingdom. I was provoked against my people, you defiled my inheritance. I gave them into your hands, but you did not give them mercy, you made the yoke of the elder very heavy, and you said: I will be a ruler forever. You did not consider these things in your heart, nor did you remember your latter end. He shows himself everywhere using a just decree, and bringing upon certain ones who might sin, balanced punishments. For the crimes of the Babylonians were very many, and he describes them with very great cruelty and inhumanity, and also shows her to be arrogant, and unwisely trusting in her own powers, so as to even think that the change for the worse would in no way ever befall her. Therefore when, he says, you endure the capture, then sit down contrite. But "contrite," he says, means, having understood, even if at last, and especially in yourself; but accept dizziness from darkness. For he said that irreparable evils pour down a kind of darkness on the mind, and like dust fall upon souls. Therefore, he says, you will no longer be called the Strength of a kingdom. For Babylon was so named, since it had a multitude beyond number, and a most warlike hand, and sufficient for resistance, if indeed there were any who resisted, and went out against those who held power among them. Then what was the pretext for the Babylonians to have inflicted upon them the things brought on by divine wrath, he makes clear, saying: I was provoked against my people, you defiled my inheritance. I gave them into your hands, but you did not give them mercy. He appears to say something similar also through the voice of Zechariah: "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and with great anger I am angry with the nations that attack, because I was a little angry, but they joined in for evil." For at times God disciplines out of love, and some who have become unadmonished and have set a proud neck against him, he brings through toils to obedience, either by bringing the hands of enemies against them, or by inflicting them with other griefs somehow. For just as fire or iron often heals incurable wounds, since they do not endure the measure of medicines, in the very same way, I think, our God who loves virtue, when he sees a soul going with unrestrained impulses against rocks, and clinging tightly to the ways of wickedness, he heals it with bitter toils. But there are those who, having been appointed in the role of punishers, use terrible and unrestrained angers, and are carried beyond what is reasonable, unbearably burdening those who have come under them. Therefore, the matter is very difficult, and God is provoked by those accustomed to do this. We must therefore abstain from evil, and if any should suffer punishments, with God disciplining them, let us look to what is gentle, knowing well that the discipliner is greatly provoked, if the things of justice are brought upon them by us beyond measure. Therefore, he says, you did not pity the old man, and you captured them not by your own strength, but rather because I gave them. But you have become hard and fierce of temper, and what is still more burdensome than this, you have come to such arrogance, as to think and say, that you will have an unending rule, and that which is in to be unshakable dominions. Then these things happening to you, he says, you did not deign to take into your mind, nor did you receive into memory the last things. What were these things? Those of the captivity, clearly, and of the suffering brought upon her by God. But now hear these things, you delicate one, you who are seated, you who are confident, who says in her heart: I am, and there is no other; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know orphanhood. But now these two things shall come upon you suddenly in one day: widowhood and childlessness shall come suddenly upon you, in your sorcery, in the strength of your enchantments, greatly, in the hope of your wickedness. For you said: I am, and there is no other. Know that the understanding and fornication of these things will be a shame and disgrace to you. He speaks as to some profane and wanton little woman, both given to luxury and practiced in self-adornment. But we say this: There were very many magi among the Chaldeans, whom they indeed also called wise men, by whose suggestions and false prophecies the Babylonians did everything. For pretending to have precise knowledge of future events, they prophesied to the rulers of the land nothing gloomy, but rather those things by which it was likely that the hearers would be delighted. It is necessary, therefore, to understand that, even when Cyrus was threatening them with his attack and already bringing on the assaults of the enemy, they were certainly present in their midst, speaking falsely and saying that they would very soon overcome him, and they would prevail very effortlessly, and they would destroy their enemies, and would dance over the fallen. But they said these things. But now hear, you delicate one. And through these things he disparages the lifestyle of the Babylonians, as being rather weak and dissolute. For they were delicate, anointing themselves with the most fragrant perfumes, using embroidered robes, and honoring the splendor that comes from adornment, so that among them the art of hairdressing was held in esteem, and there was also a rivalry of beauty. Therefore, for this reason she has been called delicate. And he also calls her seated, instead of, reigning over, the neighbors, clearly, or rather, even over the nations yet far away. And she was also confident, that is, taking courage in the immeasurable multitude of her warriors, so as to even say: I am, and there is no other. For she thought that besides her there would be absolutely no other. But she was mistaken in her hope, and has missed the truth. For Cyrus has risen up against them, leading the Persians and Medes; and having suffered the capture, she barely came to know that there was another, and a better one than she, that is, the country and land of the Persians and Medes, by which she has become a widow and childless, although never expecting to suffer it. For she has been widowed of the one ruling in her, who was brought down to death, and she has been made childless by the multitude of her warriors being consumed by the swords of those who captured them. Therefore widowhood and childlessness came upon her. And these things will happen to you, he says, in your sorcery, and in the strength of your enchantments, greatly in the hope of your wickedness. For since, he says, you had a wicked hope in your sorceries and enchantments, for this reason you have become childless and a widow; for raising your brow on high, and having a mind full of arrogance, you thought yourself to be better and stronger than all other lands. For you said that there is no other. Know therefore that the understanding of these things, and your fornication, will be a shame to you. I have already said that they called the magi wise men, that is, intelligent ones. Know therefore, O Babylon, he says, that the wisdom of the magi, that is, of the false prophets, and of the enchanters, and your fornication in addition to these will be a shame to you For you have fallen under the hand of your enemies, having taken courage in these things, from which it is possible to derive no benefit, except only to be put to shame for having had a vain hope in them. And he calls the fornication of the Babylonians in these things, not at all the physical kind, but rather the incontinent and unbridled apostasy from God. For it was a land of carved images, and it was carried away, as it were, with full sails by the deceits of demons. And you said in your heart: I am, and there is no other; and there shall come upon destruction upon you, and you will not know it; a pit, and you will fall into it. And misery will come upon you, and you will not be able to be cleansed; and destruction will come upon you suddenly, and you will not know it. He writes again of her arrogance, and how she has completely turned her heart away from knowing how to love, as if nothing among men is fixed, but the existence or not of those on earth depends on divine decrees. But those who do not endure to know this, attribute to their own heads the ability to set all things right, and whatever can bring them to prosperity, such men admire, and as if they had set up a reed for themselves as a staff, they would be caught; for they fall unexpectedly, and lament their unforeseen destruction. Therefore, since you said in your heart: I am, and there is no other, the bitter end of such terrible arrogance will seize you. For destruction will come upon you, and you will not know it, that is, even your divination will be useless to you for this. For you will suffer what you did not know, and a bitter and unexpected calamity will befall you. A pit will come, and you will fall into it; it is as if he said, a terrible and inescapable evil. For to those who have once been cast into a pit, if it be a deep one, the ability to escape is sometimes among the impossible things. And misery will come, and you will not be able to be cleansed; destruction will also come, and you will not know it. For it was not for the magicians to know the future simply; but divining things to please, and speaking from their own heart, as it is written, they saw the outcome of what was hoped for happen in a way inconsistent with their predictions. Stand now in your incantations, and in the multitude of your sorceries, which you have learned from your youth, if you will be able to be helped. You have grown weary in your counsels. Let the astrologers of heaven stand up and save you, those who gaze at the stars; let them declare to you what is about to come upon you. Behold, they will all be burned up like stubble in a fire, and they will not deliver their soul from the flame, for you have coals of fire, sit upon them; these will be your help, you have labored in change from your youth; a man has gone astray on his own, but for you there will be no salvation. He laughs and, as it were, scoffs at the superstition of the magicians, their empty toy, and he declares their practice to be utterly useless. For when the warriors are gathered, he says, and Cyrus is against you, and the phalanx of the enemies is overwhelming your arrows, the shields will be weak, and the power of archery will avail nothing, when the riders of the horses fall like hoplites and foot soldiers. Stand in your incantations, and in the multitude of your sorceries, which you have learned from your youth, if you will be able to be helped. Raise up, he says, against the besiegers the magicians, those who know well the frigid sayings of the tactics of incantations; but you will not be able, he says. You have grown weary in your counsels. For the seemingly wise counsels of the magicians have profited you nothing at all. But if you think my word of truth has missed the mark, let the astrologers of heaven stand up and save you, let those who gaze at the stars declare to you, what is about to come upon you. This is another order of buffoons, after the magicians and the enchanters, I say. For some among them pretended, to know the risings and settings of the stars, and to measure the motion of each, where they are and whence they come, and they asserted that through this false precision they received knowledge of future events. Therefore, if they are not liars, and if the stars that have obtained the firmament fulfill for them the role of prophets, let them tell what will happen. But they will not be able to say, he says, for they will be with the others, like stubble, the work and food of fire, and not one of them will escape. Then, smiling in a way at the Babylonians, as having gone astray, he adds and says, You have coals of fire, that is, the hot and burning men of whom the word speaks, when you will sit upon them. The and the sitting might signify rest. These will be a help to you; for if you should choose, it says, to rest upon the false words of magicians, and upon the buffooneries of others, you will find much assistance from them. Then again to her: You have labored in your changing from your youth. Again, 'you have labored' must be taken to mean 'you have become weak'. For having apostatized from God and gone over to worthlessness, by yielding to the deceptions of demons, and this from your youth, you have become weak and easily captured. For you were not rich in the assistance from the only one who knows how to save, who is indeed the Lord of hosts. And he adds to this, that A person wandered on their own, but for you there will be no salvation; which is as if he were to say: Many people have wandered in a human way, offending God with moderate apostasies, either by stooping to the things of the flesh, or perhaps by being sick with some other passion. But you have advanced to such a point of unholiness, that no way of salvation is left for you; for judgment follows unrestrained deviations. Hear these things, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord God of Israel, making mention of it, but not with truth, nor with righteousness, and holding fast to the name of the holy city, and bracing themselves upon the God of Israel; the Lord of Sabaoth is his name. The former things I declared of old; and they went forth out of my mouth, and they were heard. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. Having completed the discourse concerning the Babylonians, he again transfers the force of the admonition to those of the blood of Israel, seeing that they had completely declined, and had been carried off into apostasy as if with loose reins. For after the death of Hezekiah, Manasseh his son, who administered the thrones of the kingdom, became a most impious man, and was completely carried away by the deceptions of demons; and he advanced to such a point of evil, wickedness, and unholy enterprises, that he filled the holy city with altars and images, and even set up an abomination in the divine temple itself, that is, an image made in the place of God. At any rate, the God of all accused Jerusalem in these matters, saying thus: "Why has the beloved wrought abomination in my house? Shall vows and holy flesh take away your wickedness from you, or shall you escape by these things?" And again at another time. that: "According to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you set up altars to burn incense to Baal. Why do you speak to me? You have all transgressed, and you have all been impious against me, says the Lord." Indeed, when Jeremiah fell down and offered up supplications on behalf of Israel, God said:" And you, do not pray for this people, and do not ask for them to be pitied, and do not approach me for them in supplication and prayer, because I will not listen. Do you not see what these are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? Their sons gather wood, and their fathers kindle a fire, and their women knead dough to make cakes for the host of heaven; and they have poured out drink offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger." For as I said before, Manasseh the son of Hezekiah served the host of heaven, and was willing to esteem sorcerers and false prophets, enchanters and diviners, of every account, and he sacrificed some of his own children to idols. Therefore, the God of all wished to bring back Israel, who had slipped into such wickedness and impiety, to the light of truth with frequent admonitions. For this reason, he graciously gave them a very frequent word of exhortation, so that, opening the eye of their mind and freeing it from a demonic mist, they might at least late and with difficulty be strong enough to see who is the Creator and Master of all. For this reason, he says: Hear these things, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who have come forth out of Judah. Very providentially of the fathers of nobility, that which is in character, I say, and in manners, he makes mention for the shame of those who have turned away. For they were, they were from them according to the flesh, but stran- gers, and far from their gentleness, both of different man- ners and of different minds, and having only the name from them, but being incompatible in mind with those whose nobility they boast. But that this was in vain for their benefit, our Lord Jesus Christ clearly showed. For the Jews, being very proud of the splendor of their fathers, and making a boast of their virtues, foolishly said: "We have Abraham as our father." But he to them: "If you were children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham." Therefore the name is not sufficient for the power of good repute for those who are from illustrious fathers, unless they become imitators of the brightness inherent in them. Therefore he shames them, saying that they were call- ed by the name of Israel, and came forth from Judah, that is, and sprung from the seed of Judah, but not at all resembling them in any way. And in addition to these things, he accuses them as swearing by the name of the Lord the God of Israel, and indeed fulfilling a commandment of the law; "For by his name, he says, you shall swear when accepting the need for oaths," not rather on true and just matters, but on those things falsified by the law; then also holding fast to the holy city, and relying on the God of Israel. For they wished to raise a high brow as inhabiting a holy city, and one called God's. For they heard in the divine temple the priests chanting about Jeru- salem: "Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God." The Lord himself also mentions this, saying, that one should not swear by one's own head, because they cannot make one hair white or black; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king. For they swore by Jerusalem, calling it, as I said, the city of God. And they also relied on him, saying their strength was the Lord of hosts. But it was necessary for those who then supposed this not to defile the city of God with altars and sacrifices, and being restrain- ed by the deceits of demons, nor to provoke against themselves the one in whom they trusted, but rather to please him with good endeavors, and offering to him, as a kind of sacrifice, that which is steadfast in piety. But hear these things, he says; and what things are these? The former things I have already declar- ed, they went forth from my mouth, and they were heard. Suddenly I acted, and it came to pass. For since, as I said, in the beginning the God-hated Manasseh, having gathered from all sides those called know- ers and augurs, was always prying into the future, and being carried away by their buffoonery, he thought perhaps he even knew it clearly; for this reason the God of all says: I have declared to you even the first things, and these things were not spoken to you by any other of the falsely named gods, but went forth from my mou- th; and it has become audible to you, and sud- denly I acted, and it came to pass, that is, even if you did not expect them to come to fulfillment, yet you knew through the events themselves, and by experience itself, that I both acted, and it came to pass. And he seems to be speaking of the former hard- ship brought upon them by the war, when, carried away from the land that bore them, and having taken up the yoke of bitter slavery, they were carried away to the land of the Persians and Medes. For second, after those things, happened to the Babylonians the things brought upon them by divine wrath, which have already been said by us in very many words. I know that you are stubborn, and your neck is an ir- on sinew, and your forehead is of bron- ze. And I have announced to you the things of old before they came upon you, I have made them heard by you. In these things he shows the incomparable gentleness of the highest nature, and how much mercy he has toward men, even if there are any among those accustomed to grieve him. For he has a tranquility equal to his own glory. And just as with immeasurable excellences the [nature] of created things surpasses measure, so also is He incomparably philanthropic. For observe how, although He knew Israel to be hard, having a proud and unbroken neck, so that it even seemed to be an iron sinew, that is, clearly hard and unbending, and a brazen forehead, that is, again, shameless, and unyielding, and devoid of all reverence, He foretold to him the things that would be, and made them heard before they came to pass. And He did this not in vain, but since they had an unadmonished heart, He made the predictions of grim things, so that perhaps, being somewhat broken by terrors, they might depart from their absurd and most abominable life, and might adapt themselves to seeking what is better, and leaving behind the accursed and most abominable false worship, which they offered to falsely named gods, they might choose to worship the one and by nature and truly existing God. For those whom reason does not turn from their absurd undertakings, fear sometimes turns them, even unwillingly. And indeed, the divine David seems to suggest such a thing to us, psalm-singing and saying to the Savior God of all: "With bit and bridle you shall curb their jaws, of those who do not draw near to you." Do not say that 'My idols have done them for me,' and do not say that 'My graven and molten images have commanded them to me.' You have heard these things, and you did not know, but I have also made new things audible to you from now on, which are about to happen. And you did not say: 'Now it happens, and not long ago,' and you did not hear them in former days. Do not say, 'I know them.' You neither knew, nor did you understand, nor from the beginning did I open your ears. For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and you would be called a transgressor even from the womb. For the sake of my name I will show you my wrath, and my glorious things I will bring upon you, that I may not destroy you. Behold, I have sold you, not for silver; but I have delivered you from the furnace of poverty. For my own sake I will do it for you, because my name is profaned, and my glory I will not give to another. In the words of Jeremiah the prophet we find that when those from Babylon had once taken the holy city, and laid waste all of Judea, and carried Israel away captive, the remaining women wished to go down to Egypt with those who had been saved from Israel, but when the prophet resisted, persuading them to remain at home, and explaining the reason, they in turn cried out to them, saying: "Because we stopped sacrificing to the queen of heaven, all these evils have come upon us." For they thought, although they had suffered the capture, that having offended the falsely named gods, and being deprived of their help, they had fallen under the feet of their enemies. For this reason the prophet Jeremiah also said to God: "O Lord, your eyes are upon faithfulness; you have scourged them, and they did not feel pain; you have consumed them, and they were not willing to receive correction." Since I, therefore, He says, made the events audible to you before they came to pass, do not say again, 'My idols have done them for me.' What did they do? To be captured, clearly, by the calamities of war; you were not led away captive by their wrath, nor, when they withheld their help, did they bring upon you an inescapable judgment. For they are graven and molten things. Nor indeed, He says, should you say to yourself, 'The idols commanded me,' that is, they threatened, or rather, they foretold that I would suffer such evils. You heard these things from me, and you did not know, that is, you did not understand, nor indeed did you become wise. For this we say is to understand according to truth. For it was a work of intelligence, and the fruit of admirable wisdom, to turn away from the things foretold, and not to await the end of the grim things, but to be outside of all wrath and judgment. Therefore, I made new things audible to you from now on which are about to happen. For the predictions were made by God before they had yet happened or come to pass. Therefore, do not say that you did not hear them long ago and in former days, for I foretold them from the beginning. Do not say, that I know them, that is, through the false prophets and false speakers. For you neither knew them nor understood them, nor indeed from the beginning did I open your ears. that is, not before my words came to be, have I made this known to you through another; but I brought about the end of the things foretold. For I knew that you would utterly deal treacherously, and you would be called a transgressor even from the womb. It was necessary for those dealing treacherously and choosing to be lawless, and this from the womb; for they were taught from infancy to worship foreign gods; that the punishments fitting for them be inflicted. I showed you my wrath, for my name’s sake, and I will bring my glories upon you, so that I might not utterly destroy you. For it was necessary for my wrath to be shown to Israel who had been contemptuous, and had driven all wickedness to its end, and deemed the honor due to God as altogether of no account, but so that they might see again the greatness of his inherent love for mankind, the wonders were added to the grim things, so that they might not be utterly destroyed. For he saved them from the hand of enemies, and when they had fallen into the net of justice, he rescued them again, and he loosed them from the snares of captivity, so that he might not utterly destroy Israel. Behold then, I have sold you, he says, not for silver, that is, not for the sake of money. For I did not ask for any such things from you, nor have I been in need of anything earthly, or of the slaughter of calves, or sheep, or goats; but because you sinned, and were neglectful concerning the honor and glory owed to me from you. Nevertheless, even so I rescued you, he says, from the furnace of poverty; for he had been enslaved to the Babylonians. And it certainly follows the evils of slavery to lie in want of every good thing. For my own sake I will do it for you, because my name is profaned. For those who had taken them supposed that, although God was willing to save them and was their protector, they still had conquered, and had taken advantage of the one being helped against His will. Therefore, my name is profaned, he says, since they have such opinions about me. But I will not give my glory to any other. And the glory of God is to save, and to have mercy, and to be able to rule over all, and to be able to fulfill without effort whatever he should choose to accomplish. Hear me, Jacob, and Israel whom I call. I am the first, and I am forever; and my hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand established the heaven. He brings them again to the remembrance of the honor and glory given to them, and in addition of the forbearance and love. For they have been deemed worthy of the highest rewards, they who also from all the nations have been called alone to intimacy with him, and have become his portion and inheritance. And so the divine Moses once addressed those of Israel, saying thus: "Behold, the heaven of heaven is the Lord's your God, and the Lord has chosen you out of all the nations to be his people;" and again, "When the Most High divided the nations, as he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God, and the people of Jacob became the Lord's portion, Israel the measure of his inheritance." It was necessary, therefore, it was necessary for those so honored, who had obtained a glorious and chosen name, who were appointed as God's inheritance, and who were enriched by being among the chosen, not to turn aside to anything that is not lawful, nor to choose to grieve their benefactor with relentless rebellions, who is the giver of all honor to them, and the provider of such choice and most desired good things. But taking none of these things to mind, the wretched ones were ensnared in the mire of idolatry, and leaving the true God, they have worshipped the elements of the world. Nevertheless, even so he has compassion on them again; for he calls them to right feeling, crying out, Hear me, and what was better to choose in the beginning to fulfill, so that they might have unshaken prosperity, this he commanded them to accomplish at least late, so that they might set their foot outside of judgment, and be loosed from the bonds of the servitude brought upon them. But since they worshipped the host of heaven, and leaving the Creator, for those things brought into being by him they kindled reverence, he initiates them again. For as the blessed Paul said: "For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need again that one teach you, what are the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food." That therefore he is "the one who is," and is before all things, and has an unending existence, being God by nature, he shows by saying: I am the first, and I am for ever. For who could be conceived as before the first? For just as no beginning could be conceived before that which is truly the first beginning; so no one else could be conceived as first before the first. Therefore, the God of all things is forever and before all things and for endless ages. For he who has no beginning, to what end will he ever come? And these things concern the divine glory. But the swarm of falsely named gods, that is, the elements of the world, could neither be conceived as first, nor can they remain the same and in a like manner forever. For the stars, the sun and moon, and in addition to these, heaven itself, were brought into being, having received a beginning and a genesis, and they will one day run to the end of their being; and one could observe nothing in them which is not completely and in every way subordinate to the glory of the divine and incorruptible nature. That the word on this matter would not err from the truth, he showed immediately by saying: My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has established the heaven. Then how shall that which was made compete as an equal with its craftsman, and contend with the glory of its creator? Therefore, he shows that it is most absurd, or rather, even containing an indictment of all impiety, to choose to worship creation rather than the Creator, and, abandoning the one who is forever and first, to assign the name and reality of true Godhead to things made in time, and to grant this to their own skillful works. For they worshiped what their fingers have made, according to what is written. But God the Father calls the Son his own hand and right hand. For thus we will find him called in many places in the divinely-inspired Scripture. And indeed the divine Moses said: "Your right hand, O Lord, is glorified in strength, your right hand, O Lord, has shattered enemies." And the blessed David: "Let your hand be strengthened, let your right hand be exalted." I will call them, and they will stand together, and all shall be gathered together, and they will hear. Who has declared these things to them? For I wished, he says, to add an inquiry to them when they were gathered, and indeed to ask them clearly, who they think was in truth the foreknower, that is, the foreteller, of the things unexpectedly brought upon them, that is, clearly, of the disaster from the war. For of the false prophets, no one is seen to have foretold it. For they claimed to be divinely inspired, and some to be possessed by spirits and demons. However, there is no foreknowledge of future things in unclean spirits, nor indeed in lifeless matter shaped into gods. Therefore, of the gods held in glory, there is absolutely no one who announced it. But I have revealed each thing in detail through holy prophets; then, when it was possible to escape the evil, and to be borne out of the snare, you slumbered, awaiting the experience of evils to testify to the truth of my words. What need, then, do you have of sorcerers? What benefit from false prophets? And what would the workshops of those accustomed to observe omens know? who, taking possession of the precincts of idols, and settling down at the unclean altars, sell for the cheapest obols the falsehood from their own heart as if from God, and belching out to those who approach them whatever they please for the sake of a handful of barley and a piece of bread, according to what was said by the voice of Ezekiel. Loving you I have done your will against Babylon, to take away the seed of the Chaldeans. I have spoken, I have called, I brought him, and I made his way prosperous. Draw near to me, and hear these things; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; when it came to be, I was there, and now the Lord has sent me, and his Spirit his. He does not permit them again to be carried away to untrue suspicions. For it was indeed very likely, since they had an untutored mind, and one all too easily led into apostasy and susceptible to the snares of deceit, that they should think and say that they suffered what befell them in the war perhaps from the wrath of the falsely-named gods—with the worship proper and due to them having been neglected, and their sacrifices no longer being offered—and that these gods, taking pity again, had measured out to those who suffered such things what came from their wrath; and there is nothing improbable in this reasoning. For we have shown before that, when Jerusalem had been sacked, and all of Judea burned along with the temple, the women who were left said that these things happened to them because they had ceased sacrificing to the queen of the. Therefore, so that they might know the Redeemer, not ascribing the grace for being saved to other gods, but rather to him, he says most clearly that, being moved by compassion and love for him, he prepared to bring to fulfillment that which was for them greatly longed for and much-prayed for, namely, the extermination of the seed of the Chaldeans, since they had indeed captured them, and shown every manner of inhumanity, and had encompassed them with evils unto their end. Therefore, by love for you I was spurred on to the need to accomplish what seemed good to you concerning the Babylonians, so as to also root out the seed of the Chaldeans. Then he speaks concerning Cyrus, how by his beckoning he was led and called for the purpose of ravaging the land and taking it by force. I led, and I made his way prosperous. And I have spoken these things from the beginning, he says, and not in secret; I have proclaimed them clearly beforehand through the holy prophets: Thus says the Lord to my anointed, Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to make nations hearken before him, and I will break the strength of kings. Therefore I have not made the word concerning him secret nor in a hidden place, but I led him, and I called him, and I made his way prosperous; and I have not only spoken, but indeed as he was doing the things dear to you and according to your prayer, I was present with him, overthrowing the strength of the Chaldeans, and making him who ravaged them all-powerful and irresistible; so that the things being done were not so much from the hand of Cyrus, but from my most powerful right hand, bringing judgment upon them on account of their insolence toward you, or rather on account of their immeasurable misanthropy and unrestrained cruelty. For he said, "I have given them into your hands, but you did not show them mercy." Then, in the midst of such words, he places the utterances of Cyrus himself, confessing that it was God who was sharpening him, and showing him to be most difficult to fight against, and superior to the strength of the Babylonians. For "And now," he says, "the Lord has sent me, and his Spirit." And he puts "And now" instead of this: even if none of the things that have happened were foretold by God, yet behold now Cyrus has confessed that it was God who raised him up and crowned him with glories unto the end, through his overpowering of the Babylonians. For Cyrus, having learned from the Jews dwelling in Babylon that God had spoken concerning him in the holy prophets, that he would come in due time, and would take the land of the Chaldeans by force, and that he himself would release Israel; then, as he says, when they had also shown him the books themselves, they prepared him to come to this opinion, so as also in his own proclamations to name the God of Israel Lord and Most High. And it is written thus in the first book of Ezra: "In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king of the Persians, and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also by writing, saying: Thus says Cyrus the king of the Persians: The Lord Most High of Israel has appointed me king of the inhabited world, and has instructed me to build him a house in Jerusalem in Judea. If any one of you, therefore, is from his nation, let his Lord be with him, and having gone up to Jerusalem in Judea, let him build the house of the Lord the God of Israel. This is the Lord who having pitched his tent in Jerusalem." Therefore, when you understand, he says, that it was not through falsely named gods, but rather through me that the things that have happened were made known among you before they occurred, hear Cyrus saying that "The Lord has sent me, and his Spirit." Thus says the Lord, who redeemed you, the Holy One of Israel: I am your God, I have shown you so that you might find the way, in which you shall walk in it. And if you had listened to my commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like a wave of the sea; and your seed would have been like the sand, and the offspring of your womb like the dust of the earth; nor now shall you be utterly destroyed, nor shall your name perish before me. Go forth from Babylon, fleeing from the Chaldeans. Indeed, he again works in them a firm disposition and a well-established mind, so that they might know the one who is God by nature and in truth; and he reveals his own glory to them, so that they might not be carried away by the voices of deceivers somewhere toward what is worthless, that is, toward thinking and believing that the falsely named gods, who do not exist at all, can help them. For this reason, as I suppose, he says, "I am your God," with "I am" signifying "I exist." This he also proclaimed to the all-wise Moses, saying: "I am the one who is." For the God of all is properly and truly "the one who is." But those things brought into being by him might also be said to be beings, except that they have come into being and have obtained a beginning of being. Thus then says the Lord who redeemed you, the Holy One of Israel: I am your God. But, O Master, one of the blood of Israel might say, I suppose, you have redeemed and saved, you have delivered from fire and justice, from yoke and bondage, from a barbarian's hand, as one who is all-powerful, clearly, and accomplishing whatever you choose with mere nods. Then how have we, who are under your care and love, always boasting in you as our helper, been brought down to this misery, so as to fall under the feet of enemies, and for those who are free from free parents to serve contrary to what is fitting? What then does God say to these things? I have shown you so that you might find the way, in which you shall walk in it. I have laid down a law for you, he says, the definer of what must be done, one that knows how to direct toward anything whatsoever of the things most pleasing to me, a guide to righteousness, a teacher of piety, leading to a straight path, through which if you had wished to act, you would have arrived at being a genuine and true servant, and very well crowned with boasts from virtues. But you have gone outside the straight path, and leaving the highway, as it were, you have turned aside to what is not lawful; you have served the host of heaven, you have sacrificed to idols, you have worshiped gods that are not, you have forgotten the Creator, you have considered the given law as nothing. For if you had been obedient to my commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like a wave of the sea. And what he wishes to make clear, is something like this: They say that torrents, when a violent rainstorm strikes the mountains, rush down terribly and irresistibly, so that absolutely nothing can withstand their force. And that other thing is also quite clear, I suppose. For the onrush of the sea's waves is terrible and hard to meet, not only for sailors, that is, for the ships, but sometimes even for the rocks themselves. For these are broken off, as the waters burst upon them like a torrent. Therefore if you had been obedient to my words, he says, if you had brought your mind to be compliant, your peace would have been like a river and waters, unconquerable by enemies, that is, by those wishing to oppose it. Or perhaps also, in another way, so that he might show the matter of their peace to be abundant and continuous, he compares it to a river and waves, to a river that is always and lavishly flowing and moving, and to waves that are always swelling and, as it were, continually running toward the shore. And your seed would have been like the sand, and the offspring of your womb like the dust of the earth. This is similar to if he were to say. With no one raising a sword, nor the hand of the enemy destroying anyone, you would have been populous and innumerable, so as to be compared to sand and dust- your children. But since you have acted insolently toward God, and have offended not moderately, having lapsed into every sort of transgression, you were contracted to a small number, and you do not have the widely spreading increase of your race into a multitude, nevertheless, even now you shall not be utterly destroyed. For the remnant of Israel has been preserved everywhere. And God said that he would nowhere fall root and branch, because of the promise given to the fathers. Then he says, that, Go out from Babylon, fleeing from the Chaldeans. This is a royal command, releasing Israel from captivity. For just as those who hold power over earthly affairs, and manage the thrones of the kingdom, sometimes grant release from their exile to those under their power, signifying the matter with a philanthropic nod and voice; so also the God of all granted a philanthropic nod to those who had suffered, and clearly says, "Go out," so that they might know the Redeemer and the provider of all good cheer to them. Proclaim a voice of gladness, and let this be heard. Proclaim it to the end of the earth. Say: The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob, and if they thirst, He will lead them through the desert, rocks will be split and waters will flow, and my people will drink. There is no rejoicing for the wicked, says the Lord. Confessedly, all things that God does are wonderful. But those things that surpass the others, and have obtained the highest glory of His works, if they remain hidden, they wrong those who happen to be deprived of knowing them, but when they are known, they are of no small benefit. For from these it is possible to see both His ineffable glory, and His pre-eminence over all, and His exceedingly strong hand, and His all-powerful glory. For He redeemed Israel from Egypt. But in order that He might be seen as a worker of great things, so that His glory might become manifest to those throughout all the earth, Pharaoh was brought into the middle like some vessel, so that by resisting the words spoken through Moses, he might call God to the necessity of finally making His own glory manifest to all, and to show the greatness of His immeasurable power. For it was said to him: "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be declared in all the earth." And those things happened to them of old, but they were for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. It was necessary, then, it was necessary that the redemption from Babylon of those of Israel should not be kept silent, but rather be proclaimed, as it were, to those everywhere. For this reason he also says: Proclaim a voice of gladness. And we say that the voice of gladness is the doxology, which one would make while hymning Him for such great and splendid achievements. This is properly and truly gladness, a voice befitting the righteous, for whom it is fitting and necessary to give glory. At any rate, the divine David also psalms, and says: "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous." And he wishes the voice to be a nar- rative of the redemption of those from Israel, such as the one in the book of Psalms. And it is as follows: "You have been gracious, Lord, to Your land; You have turned back the captivity of Jacob, You have forgiven the iniquities of Your people, You have covered all their sins." For even if these things contain the declaration of spiritual matters, they are nevertheless also useful for history. And He promises that if they thirst while journeying through the desert, He will bring them water from a rock. A rock will be split, and water will flow, and My people will drink. And we say that He shows in these things that it was not some other God who freed Israel from the harshness of the Egyptians, and led them through the midst of the sea, and gave food in the desert, and brought forth water from a rock; but He Himself is always the same, acting in the same way, and able to work the same wonders as of old. For if they should go through a desert, he says, and then be in need of drink and in want of water, that ancient sign will be shown to them; for water will be brought forth from a rock; and yet one would not find that this happened as those of Israel were going up to Judea from Babylon. But it was said, as I have stated, providentially, so that they might know that God He who was of old, is also now, able to use equal power and rivaling wonders, and having unchangeable strength, he cries out and issues, as it were, a general law. For there is no joy for the impious, says the Lord. And this is true. For somehow the face of the ungodly is always downcast, as their heart is likely smitten, and their mind is burdened by the rebukes of conscience. For he expects not crowns, nor the honor of praise, but rather fire and justice, which have been prepared for transgressors. Or perhaps this saying might also be fitting for the Babylonians. For they were rejoicing as if they had conquered the people of God, and they thought that having prevailed over His right hand, they had taken possession of Judea. But they were mistaken about the truth. For the former, because they were caught transgressing, were outside of His clemency; but the latter, because they were hard and unyielding and did not know how to show mercy, paid the penalties fitting for them, and were deprived of joy, still having their brow chastened, their pride already chastened. For it was not that they could still rejoice because they had once conquered those of Israel, but because, being evil, they perished evilly, as their country was destroyed, they received the bitterness of grief.

Discourse 25

Listen to me, O islands, and pay attention, O nations; after a long time it will stand, says the Lord. From my mother’s womb He called my name, and He has made my mouth like a sharp sword, and under the shadow of his hand He has hidden me. He has made me as a chosen arrow, and in his quiver He has concealed me, and said to me: You are my servant, Israel, and in you I will be glorified. Through very many exhortations and admonitions he benefits Israel, he transfers the sacred teaching to the flocks of the Gentiles, and indeed he once again makes clear to them the mystery of Christ, through whom they were destined to abandon their brutish and accursed life and be brought back to the way of life most dear to Him, and to receive the true light into their mind; so as to know clearly who is God by nature and in truth, and the nature that holds sway over all things. And he addresses the islands, which we say are the Churches of Christ, lying as it were in the sea, that is, in the surge of the present life, and encompassed by the unbearable assaults of waves, that is, by persecutions and tribulations, which the enemies of the truth, who fight against the call of God, bring upon them. Concerning such islands, it has been said in many places in the God-inspired Scripture. And somewhere the blessed David also sings, and says: "The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice, let the many islands be glad." For when Christ had reigned over what is under heaven, taking all things under His hand, and snatching them from the tyranny of demons; then also they rejoiced, that is, they became full of gladness, the Churches throughout all the earth. For that the prophet in these things, by naming the islands, indicates the Churches from the Gentiles, would become clear through what follows. For he immediately added to, Listen to me, O islands, the phrase, Pay attention, O nations. Then he says, that After a long time it will stand, says the Lord. He promises, as I said, the manifestation of the Savior of us all, Jesus Christ, and that the Word, being God, would associate with those on earth in a form like ours. But that the time was then of prophecy, and not yet of the appearance of the events themselves, he shows by saying that After a long time it will stand, that is, what was promised, or rather, what was prophesied. What this is, the very person of the Savior was brought in, saying: From my mother's womb He called my name. He immediately included in these things the deep and great mystery, one needing initiation from above. For so it was revealed to the divine Peter. It was For the Word is indeed God, of equal glory, and enthroned with God the Father, co-existing and co-eternal. And the names before the incarnation that are somehow proper to his nature, God, and wisdom, and light, life, and power; and others besides these which are found in the sacred Writings. But since he sent himself down into emptiness, being made in the likeness of man, and found in fashion as a man, he receives the common name, that is, Christ and Jesus, or "God with us." "With us" signifying "in our condition." For it is written, that "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel;" for blessed Gabriel, revealing the mystery to the holy Theotokos and virgin, says: "Fear not, Mary. For you have found favor with God, and behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins." Have then the blessed angel and the prophet spoken words inconsistent with each other? By no means. For the divine prophet, speaking mysteries in the spirit, has foretold God become with us, naming him thus from both his nature and the economy with the flesh. And the blessed angel gave him the name from his work; for he has saved his own people. Therefore he is called Savior for this reason. And so when he endured the birth according to the flesh for us, the hosts of angels proclaimed the good news of the birth to the shepherds, saying: "Fear not ye; for behold, we bring you good tidings today of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David." Therefore, Emmanuel, because being God by nature he became with us, that is, man. And Jesus, because it was necessary for him, being God and having become man, to save what is under heaven. When, therefore, he came forth from his mother's womb, for from her he was born according to the flesh, then was his name also called. Therefore I say the name of Christ is unfitting for God the Word before the birth according to the flesh. For not yet being anointed, how could he be called Christ? For when he came forth from a mother's womb as a man, then he receives the calling concurrently with the birth according to the flesh. And he says his mouth has been made like a sharp sword. This also is true. For it is written somewhere about him, or rather the prophet Isaiah himself says: "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and truth the girdle of his reins, and with the spirit through his lips he shall slay the ungodly." For the divine and heavenly preaching, that is, the Gospel, spoken through the mouth of Christ, has become a sharp and most cutting sword against the tyranny of the devil, slaying the world-rulers of this darkness, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness. For he scattered the mist of deceit, and sent into the hearts of all the dawn of the true knowledge of God; for he transformed the world under heaven into a pious way of life, and made all to be lovers of holy practices, he reaped the sin of the world, justifying the ungodly by faith, and filling those who approached with the Holy Spirit, and making them sons of God, instilling in them a strong and most warlike mind, and giving to them the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, so that resisting those who once held sway, they may run toward the prize of the upward calling, with no one hindering. And that the instruction and initiation through Christ became destructive of the devil's tyranny for those on earth, the prophet Isaiah will make clear, saying: In that day God will bring the holy and great sword upon the dragon, the crooked serpent, and will slay the dragon. And he adds, that "And under the shadow of his hand he has hidden me." And he speaks in a human manner, yet to the sound-minded it is in no way difficult, even through these things, to see that the Son is inseparable from God the Father, and that he became man. For he says that he is under the shelter of his right hand, so that he might indicate that the unassailable and invincible quality of his own nature is preserved for him, even if he has come to be in our condition. For no one will prevail over the all-powerful right hand, but the Word, as I said, has been set apart by the measures of humanity. For the Word from God the Father is still all-powerful, and he himself is the Lord of powers. Since he has become man, the Father, not dishonoring the power of the mystery, accommodates himself to the economy, and says to him through the lyre of the Psalmist: "An enemy will not prevail against him, and a son of iniquity will not add to afflict him. And I will cut down his enemies from before his face. And I will put to flight those who hate him. And my truth and my mercy are with him." Consider then, consider, also through the voice of the prophet, the one who for our sake is like us, speaking in a manner befitting a man: Under the shelter of his hand he has hidden me. He has made me, he says, as a chosen arrow, and in his quiver he has concealed me. For very many have been the arrows of God, at times hidden as in a quiver in his foreknowledge, but brought forth at the fitting time for each, but a chosen arrow and above all, Christ, hidden indeed, as I said, as in a quiver in the foreknowledge of the Father. For he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but brought into the midst when it was necessary to visit the whole earth, which had fallen into ruin and destruction through worshiping creation rather than the creator, and being subject to unclean spirits, and being bound by the snares of sin. This chosen arrow destroys, as I said, Satan himself, and the wicked powers with him. It likewise destroys the enemies of the truth, and those who have impiously opposed his sacred proclamations. But it also wounds in another way for benefit and salvation. For thus says the bride who is struck in the Song of Songs: "I am wounded by love." And the Father said to me, he says, and it is clear that: You are my Servant, Israel, and in you I will be glorified. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! according to what is written. For the Son was, and is, free, as having sprung ineffably from the substance that rules over all. But he heard the Father saying: You are my Servant. Therefore the Word, who is free by nature, is made a servant through the economy of the flesh, that is, that which is understood according to the flesh, so that you may again understand his birth according to the flesh from a woman in time. But he names him Israel, because he was born according to the flesh from the blood of Israel; but also, "And in you," he says, "I will be glorified." For the God of all was glorified also through holy prophets, yet not in them. But in Christ in a strange and unusual way. For he was being glorified in him. And when Christ is glorified, the Father is glorified in him. We see him shining forth in him through dignities befitting God and power and activity in every respect whatsoever, of sanctification and righteousness, and of utter gentleness. For in this way the Divine is given form intellectually. And so Christ said: "He who has seen me has seen my Father." And the all-wise Paul also said that the one who begot him is glorified in the person of Christ. Therefore, "in you," he says, "I will be glorified." For to the Son, who has appeared in the flesh, every knee will bow, as it is written, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And I said: I have labored in vain, and for nothing and to no purpose have I given my strength. Therefore my judgment is with the Lord, and my work is before my God. The Savior of all appeared, in order to deliver all under heaven from the wickedness of the devil, and from death, and sin, and those who approach him through faith, having been made brilliant with sacred gifts. And to this were called, even before the others, those from the blood of Israel; and they were so preferred over the gentiles that Jesus said: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But they the Having thus received a glorious and exceptional honor, they have become faithless, and insolent apostates, and terrible and arrogant herds of dishonor. And yet, though it was necessary to approach grace most gladly, and to profit from the faith, and the good things from it, this they did not do, how could they? But they rose up against him, as he called them to salvation, blaspheming unguardedly, reviling unrestrainedly; and what terrible thing did they not utter freely, and finally they crucified him. Therefore, as far as concerns the harshness of the disobedient, and the contradiction outrageously practiced by them, the Savior has labored in vain, and for nothing, and to no purpose has he given his strength. For frantic Israel, as I just said, did not endure his sacred proclamations; it has not honored his labor. For it was a labor for the Word to become as we are, and to endure human littleness. But my judgment, he says, is the Father, for the labors I have expended for the sake of their salvation. For this reason, the judgment has also been brought forth from him. And what was the judgment? They have been cast out from intimacy with him, they have been thrust out from being the people of God, they have become without share in the salvation from him, they have remained without a taste of the hope of the saints, but in their place the multitude of the Gentiles has been called in. And instead of their shepherds, others have been ordained, righteous men, and beloved of God, and overseers of holy endeavors, and able to lead the people, luminaries in the world, holding forth the word of life, as the all-wise Paul says. Do you wish to see the judgment of the Father, that is, the verdict against them? Hear the Savior saying to the leaders of the Jews: "There was a certain householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenant farmers, and went into a far country." Then he says: "He sent servants to receive the fruits, and all were endangered. But when afterwards he sent his son, and when they saw him, he says, they said: 'This is the heir among themselves, come, let us kill him, and let us have his inheritance for ourselves.' And so they killed him." When this parable was spoken to them, the Lord spoke again, saying: "When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers? And they to him: 'He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out the vineyard to others, who will give him the fruits in their seasons.' And in response to these things Christ says: 'Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of heaven shall be taken from you, and shall be given to another nation that produces its fruits.'" Which has indeed been brought to pass. For others have been appointed as keepers of the vineyards, and wise husbandmen, that is, the divine disciples. Upon these the clouds have sent down rain for us, although they were commanded no longer to water the Jewish vineyard. From these not thorns rather, but Christ has gathered the grape. For we have been taught to say that "The Lord will give goodness, and our land will give its fruit." And one might say, in another way, that the labor of the Son has been in the eyes of the Father, and a right judgment has resulted. And again, consider for me the power of the word, having understood the economy, which the all-wise Paul himself clarifies for us, saying: "The Son, being in the form and equality of the Father, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, and became obedient to the Father unto death, even death on a cross; and for this reason he was also highly exalted and the name was bestowed on him that is above every name, that at his name every knee should bow," For he was, and is, God the Word. But since he has been called man, and has become this in truth, he has ascended to his own glory with the flesh. For he was known to be God, and he has not labored in vain. For the manner of the economy has resulted in glory for him, not attributing to him something silly and strange, but revealing him as Savior and Redeemer of what is under heaven, which indeed also being made known, prepared heaven and earth, and the things yet lower, to fall down to him. And now thus says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be a servant to himself, to gather together Jacob and Israel; To him I shall be gathered, and I shall be glorified before the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said to me, It is a great thing for you to be called my child, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to bring back the dispersion of Israel. None the less, we say that in these things it is the Lord Jesus Christ himself who uses such human-like words, even though he especially makes clear the great mystery of godliness, and renders the manner of his emptying plain. For behold how he says that he who is his by nature and in truth formed him as a servant to himself, but from the womb. For he does not say that he, being the naked and still fleshless Word, was brought into the formation of servitude, with God the Father approving this; but rather from the womb, that is, when he was born according to the flesh from a woman. For then, being God by nature, and free, as from a God and free Father, he receives the form of a servant, or formation. For no one, if he had sense, would say that what is by nature a servant is formed into servitude, but rather he who is beyond servitude and a yoke, and is adorned with the boasts of natural freedom, would reasonably receive the formation, or form, of a servant. For that the Son, being free, willingly lowered himself to this, how could anyone doubt when Paul says that he was in the form of God, and did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but from the equality and likeness in all things whatsoever, he descended not unwillingly into the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. For he was God with this, and he showed us no less that which is by nature and truly free, and not unwillingly a servant, in the contribution of the didrachmas. For the tax collectors asked the divine Peter whether Christ would contribute the didrachma with the others, or if he would refuse the payment. Then the Lord said to him, "From whom do the kings of the earth take taxes or tribute? From their own sons, or from others?" And when the disciple spoke the truth, for the kings collect what is appointed from others: "Therefore, he said, the sons are free. But lest we should offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up; and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and you." Therefore, he who is free by nature is formed as a servant according to the economy, when he was also born from the womb of his mother according to the flesh. For this is the time fitting for the measures of the emptying. And that he was formed for service, he has fully assured by saying, 'to gather together Jacob, and Israel.' For the Word, being God, came down into our state for no other reason than to save Israel and to gather Jacob. For the inventor of all wickedness scattered all those on earth into multifaceted and multiform sin. For some he caused to turn away completely from the one who created them, making them subject to himself and to the unclean demons, and casting upon them the inescapable yoke of sin, and turning them away completely from knowing who is by nature the God and Lord of all. And others, who had the law of Moses as the arbiter of their actions, he showed to be slothful and indolent, leading them away to every kind of transgression, so that they paid little regard at all to the law, but rather acted according to what seemed right to each one, and taught for doctrines the commandments of men. But when Christ appeared to the world, what Satan had scattered was gathered through faith into one right and irreproachable mind, and those who had formerly departed from the love of God have run to him, and in their zeal for good things casting the sin that makes enemies behind them, they are at peace with Christ. For the divine prophets also urged them to go eagerly toward this. Isaiah, for instance, says, Let us make peace with him, let us who are coming make peace. And the divine disciples also cried out: "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." And we make our reconciliation to God, when we come to Christ through faith. For as the most sacred Paul says somewhere again: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." For in Christ the world is reconciled to God. Therefore, he makes the ministry of the incarnation clear, saying that he was formed by the Father as a servant from the womb, in order to gather Israel, and Jacob. And if anyone should say that the nation of the Jews is signified by these, he would not be far from the mark. For Christ said somewhere: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But if he should wish to name all those saved through faith Israel and Jacob, this too would be well. If it is true that a Jew is not only one who is so outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is in the flesh, so might circumcision be spoken of; but rather a Jew is one inwardly, and having the circumcision of the heart in spirit, not in letter, whose praise is not from men, but from God. If, therefore, a Jew is one who has circumcision in spirit, it would not be at all inappropriate for such ones to be called Israel and Jacob. And in the middle of the discourse there is inserted by those called through faith, a voice declaring that I will also be gathered to him, and I will be glorified before the Lord, and my God will be my strength. For at the same time God commands something to happen, and almost immediately upon the command, what was spoken of comes to pass. For Israel has not been saved once and for all, but some have disbelieved because of their own wickedness, not having accepted the grace of the evangelical teachings. But the multitude of the Gentiles has been called in with the remnant; who have also been made children of Abraham, so that in every way what pertains to the economy might not miss the purpose of the advent; for everyone who is Israel has been gathered, and indeed, also Jacob, according to the arguments just now presented by us. Therefore, the people called in Christ promise that they will both be gathered to God, clearly through faith, and that they will be glorified before God, gaining the splendid boast of adoption, and having become a partaker of the divine nature, and being made resplendent by the Holy Spirit, and having been shown to be a curator of the best practices, and that they will consider God their strength. For it is fitting for those who long for salvation and glory from him to be so disposed. He adds to these. And he said to me: It is a great thing for you to be called my servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to bring back the dispersion of Israel. To speak in human terms, the Father does not allow the Son to shrink from the economy, nor for the meanness of the form of a servant to be unrewarded, but rather he shows the matter to be fruitful, and the humiliation not without reward, and the burden of the economy not to be without wonder, and indeed glorious for this very reason, even though it seems to be inglorious. For it was admittedly a small thing, for the Word begotten of God, to be called a servant, that is, a house-servant. For the name signifies sometimes the Son, and sometimes, as I said, the servant. But the need of the contexts causes this or that to be brought in, according to the time fitting for each. But since the discourse is about the economy with the flesh, it would be fittingly understood that the servant be understood as a slave. Therefore, even if the shame of servitude was a small matter for the Son, as I said, yet it was otherwise. And indeed it has become not a small thing for him; for he is glorified by all, as one who did not consider being equal with God a thing to be grasped, and consorted with the ways of servitude, and descended into emptying, and endured a cross, and the things in it, and laid down his own soul as a ransom for the life of all, in order to destroy diabolical tyranny, and the things of the may drive away the hordes of demons of the unbearable covetousness against us, so that he may remove deadly sin from our midst, so that he may abolish death, and may reshape human nature to what it was from the beginning, and may hand over to God his own kingdom, no longer tyrannized by anyone, but rather casting off the yoke of the greed of others. Behold, I have set you as a light to the nations, that you should be for salvation to the end of the earth. The Father was not ignorant of the hardened and unadmonished mind of the Jews, and their being completely turned to willfulness. For they in no way accepted the teaching through Christ, although it was necessary to admire the gentleness and incomparable love for mankind of the Redeemer, and to receive his generosity as if with upturned hands. Therefore, so that the economy of our Savior might not seem to have failed its purpose, seeing that the leading people had spurned it, and did not accept, as I said, his redemption, the Father added, that he will show a path of salvation, and will send forth the light of true knowledge of God to those in mist and darkness. For Israel was called to this, Christ saying clearly: "I am the light of the world." And: "While you have the light, walk in the light, so that the darkness does not overtake you." But since they loved the darkness more than the light, they were abandoned by him, although the holy prophets had foretold to them the grace in Christ. For one said: "Be enlightened, be enlightened, Jerusalem; for your light has come, and the glory has risen upon you. Behold, darkness and gloom will cover the earth over the nations. But upon you the Lord will appear, and his glory will be seen upon you." And another: "And for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will arise, and healing in his wings." But since, as the holy Scripture says, they made their ears heavy so that they might not hear, they closed their eyes; Christ shone upon the nations, and rendered the world under heaven full of divine light, so that those from east to west, and to the ends of the earth, might enjoy his generosity, and with the pure eyes of the mind might behold the divine and highest nature, and might consecrate the ways of spiritual worship to it and it alone. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel who redeemed you: Consecrate him who despises his own soul, him who is abhorred by the nations, the slaves of the rulers. Kings will see him, and rulers will rise up, and they will worship him for the Lord's sake, because the Holy One of Israel is faithful, and I have chosen you. Thus says the Lord: In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. From this you may learn with how much compassion God the Father has deemed worthy those called through Christ. For he initiates them, and reveals the profound and great mystery of the incarnation, not allowing some to be shattered on the stone of stumbling, and to trip out of foolishness on the rock of offense. For thus was shattered the stupefied Israel. What then does he say? I, the God who redeemed you, say this to you: Consecrate him who despises his own soul, that is, consider him venerable and holy, and be eager to make so him who despised his own soul, that is, who humbled himself. For having become man, God, the only-begotten Word of God, has laid down his own soul for us, and chose to suffer death according to the flesh for us, having endured nothing in his own nature. For he, being beyond suffering as God, nevertheless, so to speak, cast it aside, and this for sinners. And indeed the all-wise Paul marveled at this. For he said that "God demonstrates his own love for us; for while we were still sinners, at the right time he died for the ungodly." And Christ himself says somewhere: "The good shepherd lays down his soul for the sheep." Therefore he laid it down for us, for by his stripe we were healed, and he was bruised for our iniquities, and for our sins he was delivered up. Let him therefore be sanctified, he says, That is, let him be considered holy, or rather, let him be confessed. This would be fitting for God, and for him alone properly and specifically. For even if there are many holy ones, both rational powers and, indeed, men upon earth, yet they are called holy by participation in him who is holy by nature, and who alone is truly this. For just as he himself is the true light, he has given the dignity to others also; "For you are," he says, "the light of the world." So also, being alone holy together with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, he gives sanctification as from his own fullness to those who partake of him. Thus we say also in our prayers: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." And we are certainly not saying that we ask for an addition of holiness to be made to the Father's name; for that is altogether foolish; but rather we pray that it may be among all what it is truly, that is, holy and awesome. So here also "Sanctify" is to be understood, even if, he says, he has despised his soul, that is, even if he is said to have suffered some human things, and prepared his own flesh to taste of death, and has laid down his soul for many. But the discourse goes on, and also mentions other things, which might at times be an obstacle to believing in him for those who do not see the depth of the economy, yet to the sound-minded it would cause no harm. For when Jesus was delivered to Pilate, some of the soldiers reviled him, some impiously mocking him, and some dishonoring him with spitting, and insulting him with the crown of thorns, and jeering and saying: "Hail, the king of the Jews." For this reason he speaks of him who is abhorred by the nations, by the slaves, by the rulers. But "Sanctify" will surely follow this too, but that he suffered economically the mockeries from the nations; but after this he will shine forth, and will be glorified by all in the highest pre-eminences, and in the honors of those who are seated below, he foretells, saying: Kings shall see him, and shall arise, that is, from the thrones of their kingdom. Rulers also shall worship him. And they will see not with the eyes of the body, but as in the contemplation of the mind and heart. For thus we see the glory of Christ. And they shall worship him for the sake of the Lord, that is, for my sake. For he is glorified as Son of God the Father, and because the Holy One of Israel is faithful. And "faithful" in these things signifies the one who ever abides. For the kingdom of God the Father is unshakable; and likewise also that of the Son; the falsely-named gods not being faithful. For they are recently born, and perishing, and do not abide. But the Savior and Lord of all is truly faithful, that is, firmly established in his own pre-eminences, and having them unshakably, and he himself has chosen those who are called through Christ. "For whom he knew," he says, "he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, these he also called, and besides this he sanctified, and glorified." It was necessary then, it was necessary for the chosen to sanctify him who despises his soul, and not, by looking at the things of his humanity, to be deceived from what is fitting, and to be carried away from the accurate knowledge of him, but rather, understanding the wisdom of the economy, to worship him, and to be firmly disposed, that he is by nature and truly Son of the faithful Lord, even if he appeared economically in our form, and underwent the measure of the emptying. And he addresses the chosen, and says that, In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. Christ was indeed foreknown before the foundation of the world, and his mystery; but he shone forth at the times the Ruler willed, at which he has helped us, and he says the time of the incarnation is a day of salvation. For thus also says the divine Paul somewhere; "Behold now," he says, "is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation." And the prophet David also sings, and says: "This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." And I have given you for a covenant of the nations, to establish the earth, and to inherit a desolate inheritance, saying to those in bonds: Come forth; and to those in darkness, Be revealed. And in all their ways they will be fed, and in all the roads shall be their pasture. They will not hunger, nor will they thirst, nor will the scorching heat strike them, nor the sun; but he who has mercy on them will comfort them, and through springs of water he will lead them. And I will make every mountain a way, and every path a pasture for them. Behold, these come from afar. These from the north, and these from the sea, and others from the land of the Persians. It seemed good to some of the previous commentators to make a beginning of the present chapter. Thus says the Lord: In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. And they say these things were spoken by God the Father to the Savior of us all, Christ. And they weave into it some such meaning. For he prayed, he says, before the precious cross, saying: "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me;" and he was not heard, for he drank it. But since he has trampled death with the Father assisting him, it was necessarily said to him, In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. But it seems to me that the argument is very weak in its plausibility. For although he knew that it was necessary to drink the cup, and that the salvation of the world under heaven could not come about except through the death of his own flesh and his resurrection from the dead, the form of the prayer was enacted very providentially, so that the plea to be spared the passion might accuse the murderousness of the Jews; for in what way has Israel become guilty of the charges of impiety against him, if it was not against his will to suffer because of its shamefulness? nevertheless, even so it became his will, both to take away the sin of the world, and to reform our condition to a newness of holy life. For understanding in this way also what was said by him, that "I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me, that is, the will of the Father who sent me, that of all that he has given me, I should lose nothing from it, but should raise it up on the last day." For Christ appeared to the world, and was devoted to the sacred preaching among those from Israel. But since they were disobedient, and hardened, unruly, and insolent, they did not accept the faith, but sinned against it in many ways, and then finally they crucified him. Here, behold for me the power of the ineffable wisdom. For from the perversity of the Jews death was brought upon him, I mean. And it is clear that he made this an occasion for the salvation of the flesh for those throughout all the earth, and death was abolished by his resurrection, and corruption has been trampled [variant: corruption], and we have flourished again into life, we who through the transgression in Adam were brought down to the contrary. Therefore we do not say that there was a failure in the prayer of our Savior Christ, may it not be, but rather a divine plan, which must needs be followed by wonder. And in another way too we say that the intercession, I mean, before the precious cross, was wise. For it has become for us a model and an example of a necessary matter; for when temptation hangs over us, and fear rages like a storm, we must not be lazy and reclining, but rather watchful, and then be intent on prayers, and to beg God who saves, so that, if it be dear to him, we may carry our foot out of snares and traps. But if indeed he knows that the necessity of suffering will be more profitable for us, this too comes to its fulfillment, with him granting the endurance. Therefore, since the opinion of some has been shown to be unpersuasive, come, let us take up again the matters at hand. For he says that he has given him as a covenant to the nations to establish the earth, and to inherit a desolate inheritance, saying to those in bonds: Come forth, and to those in darkness, Be revealed. For when Israel had kicked him away, and had departed from love for him through unbelief, Christ gave a law to the nations, and the New to them He established a covenant, that is, the evangelical and saving proclamation, and He settled the earth that was clearly in turmoil, and not in a good state of understanding. For it had gone astray, worshiping creation, and submitting to the herds of unclean spirits. For it did only what seemed good to them. And they brought it into every form of impurity, and commanded it to live a life befitting beasts. Therefore the earth was not moderately disturbed and troubled; but it was settled through Christ, and has passed from a storm, as it were, and a squall into fair weather. For it became His portion and inheritance. And this, then, was what was said to Him in the second psalm, as from God the Father: "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession." He calls the multitude of the nations a desert, comparing it to a fruitless and waterless land. But, as I said, it became the inheritance of Christ. But how, and in what way? For to those who were in bonds, and bound tight by the chains of their own sins, He proclaimed: Come forth. And to those who were in darkness, and in intellectual gloom, and separated by what was almost a deep night, He commanded them to be uncovered, and to come into the light, to open the eyes of their mind, and to let in the divine light from Him. And those who were deemed worthy of these things, he says, will be fed in all their ways, and in all their paths shall be their pasture. For the ways of goodness are many, but for the nations none was passable, but was rough and steep. They were also overcome by the assaults of their own passions, and by the greed of the devil, who made what is good inaccessible to them. But when the grace of the Savior shone forth, it loosed their bonds, enlightened their heart, and they were then able to run along every way, and to gather intellectual nourishment; for this is what "they will be fed" signifies, and to go swiftly into every path of good works. Nothing prevents us from saying that paths and ways also bring our minds to God, that is, the divinely inspired Scriptures bring them to a holy and excellent way of life; but these were least known to those who had gone astray. But since they have been called to the light of truth, they have become pastures for them, and feeding-grounds that nourish them toward spiritual manliness, and to the desire for every good thing. And God promises them the abundance of His grace, and help, and spiritual consolation. For they shall not hunger, nor shall they thirst, he says. For long ago they were in want of spiritual consolation, for there was among them no divine law, no prophet, no guide, no instructor, no teacher, no spring of spiritual waters. But since they have received mercy from God, the supply of spiritual goods has now become most abundant for them, as they have received soul-profiting nourishment. For they ate bread from heaven, they drank living water, about which Christ Himself spoke, addressing the woman in Samaria: "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will have in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." And the prophet Isaiah also said somewhere concerning those justified by faith, and who submit the neck of their mind to the evangelical decrees: "He will dwell in a high cave of a strong rock; bread will be given to him, and his water will be sure." But neither shall the burning heat strike them, nor the sun. For Christ has become their protector. He who long ago also suspended a cloud for the sons of Israel by day, and led them by a pillar of fire by night. Therefore, they will be outside of the sun and burning heat, he says, that is, they will obtain protection from God, so that no burden befalls them, that is, one that leads to faintheartedness. The divine Paul also said something of this sort: "God is able, who will not allow us to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, so as to be able to endure." This, I think, signifies that the one having mercy on them comforts them. For he will lead them through fountains of waters, and he will make every mountain into a road, and every path a pasture for them. And by fountains in these things we mean the holy prophets, and apostles and evangelists, from whom, by conversing wisely and skillfully, we draw a life-giving and divine word, sufficiently able to strengthen our souls unto piety, and to work for us spiritual delight. For so it is written: "And you will draw water with joy, from the fountains of the Savior." That nothing of the exceptional great deeds is steep or impassable for those saved through Christ, the saying that every mountain will be made into a road would indicate. For it seems somehow to be raised and on high, and to be inaccessible to many for one to become manifest, for example, in self-control, temperance, long-suffering, forbearance, gentleness, love, and the rest; but the Savior has shown us every path to be smooth and easy to travel, so that even what seems difficult to traverse and hard to travel is laid bare for those who wish to walk through him. And this, I think, is what was clearly said by one of the holy prophets: "Every valley shall be filled, and all crooked things shall be made straight, and the rough way into smooth roads." And again: "The way of the pious has become straight, and the way of the pious has been prepared." But that those who have been called have become more than number, and have been gathered from every part under heaven, he has declared, saying: Behold, these come from afar, and these from the north and the sea, and others from the land of the Persians. For 'from afar' seems to indicate the southern parts, and 'the north' the northern parts, and 'the sea' the lands to the west. For so also the Psalmist makes mention of them, saying: "The north and the sea you have created." And those 'from the land of the Persians' would be those netted from the east. For the land of the Persians is toward the sun's rays. Or perhaps, it is fitting to understand this as the magi who worshipped him. For they came to Judea inquiring and saying: "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." For having worshipped, they also honored him with gifts, I mean, with frankincense, and gold, and myrrh. And the Psalmist makes mention of this, saying, concerning Christ the Savior of us all: "And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia." For in this he names the country of the Persians 'Arabia'. Rejoice, O heavens, and let the earth be glad. Let the mountains break forth into joy, for God has had mercy on his people, and has comforted the humble of his people. He calls heaven and earth into one company and strongly commands them to fulfill the festival for those who have been saved by him. And 'heavens' might be understood not as the element itself, but as those who dwell in the mansions above, and possess heaven as their rich abode, the holy Powers, Principalities, and Thrones, and Authorities, and those even beyond, the Seraphim. And 'earth' likewise those among them expecting his appearance to be, and knowing he would come for the redemption of those from Israel, and of all the nations that are throughout the whole earth; just as, in fact, Simeon the righteous, holding the infant Jesus still tiny in his arms, glorified God, saying thus: "Now you are letting your servant depart, O Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all the nations," and what follows. Or perhaps, we must also understand it as the saved themselves, celebrating the festival for their own sake, and crowning the Redeemer with fitting doxologies; and as for the mountains 'breaking forth into joy,' one must suppose them to be, as I just said, the rational powers raised on high in virtue, that is, the ministers of the evangelical proclamations, who speak of Christ and fill the earth with his intelligible joy. For they announce that God has had mercy on his people, and the humble of his people has com- he has called. For Christ, having shone upon them, has had mercy on all; if it is true, they have been rescued from the hand of the devil, and from the wickedness of demons. And they were delivered both from the sin that long tyrannized over them, and also from the bonds of death; and they were deemed worthy of grace and of a super-cosmic gift, having become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and adorned with the glory of adoption, and enriched with the hope that is beyond understanding. But observe the accuracy of the prophet's words: For the humble of his people, he says, he has comforted. And we say that the humble are those who have submitted their obedient neck to Christ, and have not dishonored the yoke of the kingdom under him, because they have accepted the faith, and have also been prepared for worship to him in spirit and in truth, and to perform service unlike those who have not accepted the faith, not being humble, but raising their horn on high [or, `ἱέντων`], and speaking injustice against him, and, as it were, stretching out the proud neck of their mind against his holy decrees. These have not been deemed worthy of spiritual comfort. For they were not worthy. For what portion has a believer with an unbeliever, according to what is written? For Zion said, The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me. Will a mother forget her child, so as not to have mercy, and the offspring of her womb? But even if a woman should forget these things, yet I will not forget you. For the Savior Lord of all proposed, even before others, to the children of Zion, that is, to those of the blood of Israel, the grace that is through faith, and through countless things he persuaded them, saying, Seize the opportunity in which it was possible for those who believed in him to be enriched with the bounties promised to the fathers. But they were unyielding and disobedient, and at any rate, scorning the laws given through the all-wise Moses, and caring little for the prophetic proclamations, they both slipped away from believing and were caught in the snares of deicide. Therefore, for this reason, they were cast out, and were placed far from intimacy with him, yet the remnant has been saved, and Israel has not perished root and branch. But those who have been saved have become very few, and altogether easily numbered compared to the multitude of the disobedient. Most elegantly, therefore, Zion, taking on the persona of the mother of Judaea, is now introduced all but weeping as one who has been overlooked by God who gathers. For this reason, also, few children have been left to her. For she said, he says, that The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me. And what does God say to this? He shows his love for humanity to be incomparable, and God promises to the spiritual Zion the good things that come from compassion, and he tries to assure that he would never forget his own creatures. For just as a woman who has given birth would not forget her own children, having as an arbiter of the highest love for humankind, or rather, natural affection, the law of nature; so neither would I forget, he says, my own; if perhaps those things of God even surpass the natural affection in mothers. For the one, it is not unlikely that she can even fall into forgetfulness. But for me to suffer this is not right. Therefore, the word is as from the Zion on earth, that is, from the mother of the Jews who has suffered childlessness, or rather, having few children; but the promise is to the spiritual Zion; to which also the all-wise Paul says that the believers have come; so that you may understand the Church gathered from Gentiles and Jews, bearing the type of the one above, which the all-wise Paul also mentions, saying: "But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all." For it is the city of the living God, and the nurse of the firstborn, and the mother of saints enrolled in heaven, which Christ would never forget. For he loves the Church, which he himself presented to himself, making the two peoples into one new man, and reconciling both in one body to the Father. How then could he forget his own body? that is, the Church, of which is the head. Behold, on my hands I have painted your walls, and you are before me continually, and you shall quickly be built by those by whom you were torn down, and those who laid you waste will go out from you. The meaning of the preceding is very difficult to find. For what might one suppose the hands of God to be, upon which it is right to think the walls of Zion have also been written? Indeed, in many places the holy Scripture names the hands of God his active powers, through which he brought all things into being, even if he effects something according to his own will; for instance, the Psalmist makes clear the coming into being of every person, saying: "Your hands have fashioned me and made me, because his is the sea, and he made it, and his hands formed the dry land." And again: "And you, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands." Then how could anyone suppose that on the active powers of God, as on a tablet, the walls of the Zion understood here have been written? Or of what walls at all does the text make mention? What then do we say? Nothing, I think, would prevent a disciple of Christ from applying some such meaning to what has been set forth. Zion was accusing the Lord of having forgotten her. But that this is not true our Lord Jesus Christ attempts to show, at least from the things of the incarnation and what he endured for us, having become like us. For although it was possible for him to exist in the form and equality of the Father, he did not consider this a thing to be grasped, but rather came down to emptying himself. He took the form of a servant and became obedient to the Father unto death, even death on a cross. For he was hung upon a tree, his hands having been nailed. But the saving passion cast down principalities, triumphed over the world-rulers of this age , freed all from the tyranny of the devil, brought us to God. For by his stripes we were healed, and he bore our sins in his body on the tree, and he was weakened, but we have been saved, and his passion has become for us both a security and a wall; for he redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, and in that he himself suffered, having been tempted, he has helped those who are tempted, and he suffered outside the city, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood. Therefore, for I will say it again, the passion of Christ, and the precious cross, and the nailing of his hands, have become a security, and a wall both inaccessible and unbreakable to those who have believed in him. Therefore he might reasonably say, "Behold, on my hands I have painted your walls." You will understand the piercing of the hands, that is the passion, as being made clear through this one thing. But "I have painted," he says, instead of "I have imprinted." And you are before me continually. For if he suffered for us, how could he forget us? Or how would those for whom he was nailed to the tree not be in his eyes? But if anyone should wish to approach the meaning of the preceding in another way, I think it is not unreasonable to think something of this sort: that all those who have believed in Christ are in the hands of God the Father, someone might say, I think, and would not err from the truth. For he himself said: "My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life." In addition to this, also that "No one will snatch them out of my Father's hand," since indeed they are under the protection from above, and are very well fortified by helps from on high. Therefore, since all are in the hands of God the Father, as holding us up, and saving us beside himself, and not allowing us to be carried off anywhere to things that are not lawful, nor indeed to be subjected to the perversities of those who plot against us, that is to become prey to diabolical wickedness, nothing prevents us from understanding that the walls of Zion are, as it were, painted on his hands, that is, trained for spiritual refinement, and having as an adornment to be very well distinguished by every virtue. And we say that the walls of the intelligible Zion are the holy apostles and evangelists, appointed for this by God, and having an unceasing mind with him. For their names were written in heaven, and they are placed also in the book of the living. And do not be surprised, if he says that the saints are the enclosures and walls of the Church. For he himself is the wall, and the outer wall; Just as ... being, and all security for those who have believed in him, he has given to the holy mystagogues, as in the rank of a splendid dignity, to be called walls of his Church. But quickly, he says, you will be built up by those by whom you were torn down. For the Jews, or rather, the teachers of the Jews, tore down the earthly Zion, that is, their own mother, leading her away from Christ, and teaching to make the faith unacceptable. For they were saying: "We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he is from." And having driven to the end of all evil, and having killed the heir, they became the cause of her falling. But just as Jews tore her down, so again, the divine disciples, being Jews, raised her up, having been transformed, of course, not remaining what she was, that is, disobedient, and a slayer of the Lord, but pre-eminent in faith, clearly, that which is in Christ. But those who had made her desolate went out from her. For the first teachers were cast out, and others rose up in their place, whom we have just now mentioned; for it was not possible for her to change in any other way, and to love Christ, and to choose a shadow in preference to the shadow of the law, unless the first ones were driven out from leading her unlawfully, and the chorus of the holy mystagogues was raised up in their place, of whom also the divine David makes excellent mention, singing somewhere, and saying to the Savior of all, Christ: "You will make them rulers over all the earth, and they will remember your name in every generation and generation." Lift up your eyes round about, and see them all. Behold, they have gathered together, and have come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you will put them all on, and wear them as the ornament of a bride. Through all holy and divinely inspired Scripture it is clearly declared, that the portion and inheritance of Christ is for those of the blood of Israel, or for the children of the earthly Zion, in the last times of the age. "For they will return," he says, "to the Lord their God, and to David their king." And they will be amazed at the Lord and at his good things in the last days. For when they disobeyed, there has been inserted the Church from the Gentiles, which we also say is the spiritual Zion. But those also will be called, there will be one flock, one shepherd, so that no longer will two Zions be named, but both will result in one Church, having come under the hand of the one chief shepherd of all. And that these things will be in every way and altogether, he fully assures, saying to the mother of the Jews: Lift up your eyes round about, and see them all. Behold, they have been gathered, and have come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you will put them all on, and wear them as the ornament of a bride. For they were scattered as a shepherd no longer existed for them. For it is said somewhere through one of the holy prophets, as from the person of Christ: And I said, I will not shepherd you; let what is dying die, and what is failing fail, and the rest. Let each one eat the flesh of his neighbor. For what has completely fallen away from the forbearance and love from God, what sort of harm would it not suffer? For they will be exposed to those wishing to tear them apart, and to carry them off to wherever it seems good to each of the wrongdoers. And they carry them away from God, both wicked and destructive demons. For it is written, that "They shall be portions for foxes." And this is done also by the manifold passions that are in us. For the all-wise Paul says that some were given over to dishonorable passions, and to a debased mind. What then in these things does the divine word promise? The calling and gathering of the scattered, and the return in spirit of the lost, and the coming back of those who fled, both a turning back and an awakening, and the rewards of love for Christ. Look around for, he says, and look at them all. Behold, they have been gathered to you. But that the promise might be shown to be faithful, he confirms what was said with an oath, and says: As I live, says the Lord, I will put them all on as a bride's ornament. For the assembly is the ornament of the churches. For because of this, it is the custom in the divinely-inspired Scripture to adorn the Church with golden and variegated clothing; for just as the many-formed and most precious of stones, I mean the Indian ones, set in golden rules, create a certain wonderful and sightly ornament; so also the souls of the saints, beautified by the glories of their virtues, gleam with a bright beauty in the eyes of the Godhead, so that each one, giving thanks to Christ, says: Let my soul rejoice in the Lord. For he has clothed me with a garment of salvation, and a tunic of gladness; as on a bridegroom he has put a crown on me, and as on a bride he has put a headband on me. Because your desolate places, and your ruined places, and your fallen places, will now be too narrow because of the inhabitants, and those who devoured you will be far from you. For your sons, whom you had lost, will say in your ears: The place is too narrow for me, make me a place, that I may dwell. And you will say in your heart: Who has begotten me these? But I am childless and a widow. But who has brought these up for me? And I was left alone. But where were these for me? As from things in sight and more manifest, he now weaves the form of the discourse; for when Israel disbelieved and laid hands on Christ himself, the whole land of the Jews was plundered, and Jerusalem itself was burned, along with the temple itself, and so great a lack of men took hold of Judea, that the blessed prophet Isaiah enigmatically indicated this very thing in many places. For he said, that "And seven women will take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own garments, only let your name be called upon us. Take away our reproach." For it was said through the law, "There will not be a barren or sterile woman among the sons of Israel." And they did not consider the reproach of childlessness to be bearable. Since, therefore, the war consumed the entire male sex, and very few were left at all, he said that seven women would be received by one man, so as to take away their reproach, that is, childlessness. But since it is burdensome for one to please seven women, they promise to eat their own bread and to wear their own garments, as if they will need nothing at all from him. For they affirmed that they only feared the reproach of childlessness, as I said. As, therefore, their land was brought into complete desolation, he promises a release from what has happened, and says that the desolate places and the fallen places will be too narrow because of the inhabitants. Evidently with those who devoured her being removed, it is clear that these were the ones who had been appointed to lead; who, almost like some wild beasts, destroyed and devoured her. And he shows the multitude of those who will be called, how great and innumerable it is. For your sons, he says, whom you have lost, will say in your ears, Make a place for me. And it has been said somewhere also to the spiritual Zion: "Enlarge the place of your tent and fix your curtains. Do not spare, stretch out further to the right and to the left." And we have also read in the books of Moses, that concerning the tent in the wilderness, which I say was made of skins, wide and long courts were arranged, on the one hand facing the east and the light, and on the other to the west behind the tent, and indeed to the north and south, the type prefiguring what would be in due time the breadth and length of the holy courts, that is, of the churches. Nevertheless, even as the grace from Christ is always increasing, the places everywhere are narrow for those who have believed, so that the rejoicing Church, which is the spiritual Zion, considers and cries out by herself: Who has begotten me these? And I would say that it is faith in Christ. For through it, being childless and a widow, she is great you have become [rich] in children; she has nourished your peoples for you, and you who were formerly left alone, have become unexpectedly rich, and you have been seen with many children, you who were formerly naked and alone. Thus says the Lord: Behold, I lift up my hand to the nations, and to the islands I will raise my standard, and they will bring your sons in their bosom, and they will carry your daughters on their shoulders. And kings will be your nurses, and their princesses your nursing-mothers on the face of the earth. And they will worship you, and they will lick the dust of your feet. And you will know that I am the Lord, and you will not be ashamed nor yet put to shame. Having promised to Zion that she will be with many children and blessed with children, and that her children will come to such a multitude, so that she would need wider places than before, and to ask that the tent be enlarged, he shows at once that not so much from Israel, but from the flock of the nations the multitude of children promised to her appears. And the matter is true, and it is possible to see it through the events themselves. For the remnant of those from Israel has been saved; but this is small and easily counted; but those under heaven have been caught in the net through faith in Christ, and the power of the apostolic and evangelical proclamations brought to him those throughout the whole earth. Therefore, that this will be, he shows by saying: Behold, I lift my hand to the nations. And "I lift" means I exalt and I raise up. And the hand would signify strength or power. For when Christ was made known to the nations through the evangelical proclamations, he became both lofty and distinguished through the wonders he worked, and through the resurrection from the dead, when the standard of the precious cross was displayed, and among those who had never known the God who is by nature and truly, then Zion became rich in a multitude of children, then runners arrived to her from all sides, running headlong, crying out to one another, and saying: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and they will declare to us his way, and we will walk in it." But that for those going to the divine house, there will be nothing at all uphill or rough or, in other words, an obstacle, he shows by saying: They will bring your sons in their bosom, and they will carry your daughters on their shoulders. For the blessed disciples have become like nurses to those from the nations, and those after them still holding forth the word of the sacred mystagogy, and presiding over Churches. For those approaching the faith, they practically, both carry them in their bosoms, and placing them on their shoulders, carry them, commanding nothing toilsome, but as it were nourishing them with milk, as is fitting for infants, and setting before them the simple and very easy-to-grasp word of the catechism. This again the prophet Isaiah himself taught us, saying somewhere else: "The way of the pious became straight, and the way of the pious has been prepared." For the way of the Lord is judgment. And he has also brought in the divine Baptist, crying out and saying: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low, and the crooked will become straight, and the rough into smooth ways." That, therefore, without any sweat, for those eager to go to Zion as to a mother, the arrival through faith will be, the being taken up into bosoms, and being carried on shoulders, both her sons and indeed her daughters, would signify. And that they will be full of the highest honor, and of glory and well-being, he further declares, saying that Kings will be their nurses, and princesses their nursing-mothers. For it is, it is possible to see through the piety of the rulers those who have believed in Christ being cared for with honor, and deemed worthy of all consideration, so that they seem to be their nurturers rather, and nothing else. For if they fall on their face, and will worship Zion, that is, the Church, and as if thrown to the ground with outstretched hands, they practically also lick the dust of her feet; how could it be doubtful that, having advanced to this in judgment, and by the grace of piety adorned, they would add to their own practices also the need to honor the chosen, and whosoever would believe in Christ, these they will count in the rank of children? When this has happened, Zion, who was made childless as far as the Jews are concerned, will no longer be ashamed as childless and a widow, but she will be crowned with glory. Shall one take spoils from a giant? And if one takes captives unjustly, shall he be saved? The form of the discourse fabricates a question, but it demands understanding. The sense of the preceding things is something like this: For the world under heaven was seized by both the devil and the herd of demons; there was no one on earth who had escaped the tyranny of their wickedness. For there was none who did good, not even one, but the single net of sin was stretched over all, and darkness and a mist, having descended upon the hearts of all, both carried them away from knowing the God who exists by nature and in truth, and assigned them to their captors. Therefore, some worshipped creation rather than the creator, and the elements of the world, while others served those very ones who imposed unbearable greed. They became, therefore, as if taken by the spear under a harsh tyrant, and captives, and as far as their indwelling mind was concerned, subject to the one who had subdued them. But there was no one at all who was able to help the wronged. Indeed, puffed up with unrestrained presumption, he said that, 'I will seize the whole inhabited world in my hand as a nest, and I will take it up as abandoned eggs, and there is none who shall escape me or speak against me.' Since the devil had such arrogance against those on the earth, the Savior inquires and says, 'Shall one take spoils from a giant?' which he says is difficult and hard to accomplish, to conquer the strong one—for in these words he calls the strong one a giant—and to take spoils from him. Then how is this doubtful? For such as these are very hard to encounter, and not easily overcome by those who wish it, but are rather captured only by those who are able to raise a surpassing and invincible hand against them. But I, He says, will take them, and I will set free the wronged, and having broken their yoke of slavery, I will make them radiant with the grace of freedom. But that a just decree of God will plunder Satan, and will demand justice from the sinner for the things committed against us, He will confirm by adding, 'And if anyone takes captives unjustly, he will be saved.' We shall take the verse again as a question and with a stop. For he who unjustly assails those who have done no wrong, then takes them captive and casts them into inescapable hardships, will not be saved, but rather will be made to pay the penalty for the things he has dared to do. Therefore, He will release those who have been in the position of spoils, that is, captives of their spears, and He will also require an account from those who were unjustly under them. He says something similar somewhere else: 'Just as a garment stained with blood will not be clean, so you too will not be clean, because you have destroyed my land, and you have killed my people, you shall not remain for all time.' And one will remind those who encounter this writing that the Savior Himself is found to have said something of this sort in the evangelical decrees: "Or how can one," he says, "enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his goods?" For He called the earthly region the house of the strong man, that is, of Satan, and not as being his in truth, but because it had been seized by him. But when the Word, having become incarnate, entered into it, binding the strong man with ineffable power, He transferred his goods to Himself, that is, those who once thought his thoughts. Just as we say the saints are vessels of election, so also there are diabolical vessels, those who have come under him and have chosen to think his thoughts, or rather have been compelled. Thus says the Lord: If one takes a giant captive, he will take spoils; and taking from the strong, he will be saved. I just said that by the powers that using ineffable and God-befitting means, our Lord Jesus Christ entered into the house of the strong man, that is, he has arrived in this world in the flesh, and the one who of old was taking advantage of, and doing violence to those throughout all the earth, and bringing them under the yokes of sin, and making them into the rank of captives, he both plundered him and, as it were, casting him into unbreakable bonds, having cast him down to Tartarus with chains of darkness, he delivered him to be kept for the judgment of the great day to be punished, and after this he plundered him, persuading those who had been under him to turn back, at least to the point of being willing to be subject to the true God, and to hold fast to his commands, and to hasten to accomplish what would lead them to the finding of salvation. And since Christ has conquered, he has also passed on victory to us ourselves, yet not without him; for he himself is the boast of the power of the saints, according to the voice of the Psalmist. And indeed the all-wise Paul says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Therefore showing us that the ability to plunder the strong man, that is the giant, I mean Satan, is a straightforward course. If anyone captures a giant, he says, he will take spoils. For when we overcome diabolical strength, and escape the attacks of the enemies, having Christ himself as our universal weapon of good pleasure, then we plunder the evil one, both carrying away the victorious vote, and having been shown to be superior to the wickedness and evil inherent in him. But that the ability to conquer comes from Christ to those who act manfully, and that one could not otherwise attain this glory, he shows very well by adding: But taking from the strong, he will be saved. For as he gives us the ability to overcome the bloodthirsty dragon, we shall plunder him, and we shall also be saved by this, as he sends us on from victory to an untold life, to glory, to boasting, and to the kingdom of heaven. And Christ himself also said somewhere, having plundered Satan, and having declared the way of exercising power to be clear and easy for those who have believed in him: "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." It is true then, that having received from the strong one, that is, from him, for he is himself the Lord of hosts, we have both been saved and have conquered. But one might also plunder Satan in another way, skillfully bringing those who have come under him and have been deceived into the light of true knowledge of God, and transferring them from depravity to a life befitting saints. But I will judge your case, and I will rescue your sons, and those who afflicted you will eat their own flesh, and they will drink their own blood as new wine, and they will be drunk, and all flesh will perceive that I am the one who rescues you, and who takes hold of the strength of Jacob. He makes his words as if to Zion, I say. And he seems in these words to name as her sons the holy apostles and evangelists, and those after them who were still called to the priestly ministry; who also became lights in the world, holding forth the word of life, and proclaiming everywhere the glory of Christ, and making manifest the power of the salvation from him to those throughout all the earth, upon whom indeed was a certain fierce and harsh beast, and the primeval dragon, heaping up afflictions and persecutions against them, and intolerably sharpening the champions of his own inherent wickedness. Indeed persecutions were very often attempted against the holy Churches, and the fiercely savage cruelty of tyrants, having leaped upon them, brought many to the contests of martyrdom. But I, he says, O Zion—and we say this is the Church, which he indeed also calls Zion—I will judge your case, and I will rescue your sons. For having done no wrong, those devoted to God, and having been condemned for no impropriety at all, then having endured contests even unto soul and blood with brilliant deeds of valor for the A monad running upward; but as for what came to the plotters' purpose, they are both dead and have perished. Therefore the judgment upon them, that is, a righteous judgment, will entirely and in every way come from God. For those who for piety's sake swam through the most glorious contests, and arrived at the prize of the upward calling, will bind on the crown of incorruptibility. But those who brought persecution upon them, and unjustly killed those whom it was better to hasten to emulate, will eat their own flesh, and will not so much sip the blood of those who suffered, but rather their own. For what they brought upon others, they will suffer not in justice but rather by the just decree of God, who crowns those who have suffered, but brings under a long and unending punishment those who did wrong. And such a righteous judgment will be most well-known to all flesh, that is, to every man. For they will be among those who are in danger for piety's sake. That the help from me, who also strengthens you, Jacob, will take hold entirely and in every way, that is, him from the seed of Jacob. And I said that the prophetic word in these things is somehow written in the person of the holy apostles and evangelists, who were from Jacob, according to the flesh, I say. And it is not unlikely that every supplanter be called Jacob, that is, the one who supplants Satan, and artfully and vigorously drives past the snares of sin. For Jacob is interpreted as 'supplanter.' Thus says the Lord: What is the bill of your mother's divorcement, with which I have sent her away? or to which creditor have I sold you? behold, for your sins I sent your mother away. The Divine is both incorporeal, and immaterial and invisible, and simple. And no one, doing the fitting things concerning it, would receive any corporeal image. But the sacred Scripture discusses things concerning it to us in human terms. For it was not possible for those who are in simple and thick bodies to be able to understand otherwise. unless our human affairs were brought forth as in the order of examples, so that from things perceptible and visible, we might be able, at least in part, to understand things concerning the divine and supreme essence, which is also beyond all corporeal imagination. Observe, then, that in these things the word to the prophet has become anthropomorphic. For as some man dwelling with and joined to a wife, he speaks to the peoples of the Jews, and speaks about their mother; I mean the earthly and perceptible Jerusalem; so that again through it, and as in the person of one woman, their system might be understood. For just as when we say Church, we are not accustomed to apply the force of the word to the circuits of the walls, but we rather denote the most holy multitude of those who have chosen to worship God in it; so too if one should speak of the mother of the Jews, again he no less signifies them. Therefore, "I have not," he says, "cast off your mother, although I have become to her as in the role of a bridegroom, and have cast down the seeds of equity through both the law and the prophets; but rather she herself has departed, having disregarded her duties toward me, and having thought it of almost no account at all to be with God." Since what bill of divorcement has been given to her by me? For God sends no one away from intimacy with him; nor does he shake off any of those accustomed to walk uprightly; but to those who would be genuine in faith, and knowledgeable of every good work, to these he grants the ability to be unshakeably enriched with intimacy toward him forever. Indeed, outside of such glory comes the one who has a mind inconsistent and incompatible with his divine ordinances, being a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God. Therefore, as in the role of a husband, having dwelt with the mother of the Jews: "What," he says, "is the bill of your mother's divorcement, with which I have sent her away?" "For no one," he says, "could show that it was I who thrust her out and hated her, but rather he will condemn her, as having chosen apostasy of her own accord." To whom being in debt have I sold you? In these things, the figure of speech is different. For he speaks as a master to slaves. For was it, he says, that like a man pressed by a lack of money, and having fallen among creditors, I sold to other masters those who were my servants? And yet how is this not utterly foolish, either to think or to say? For the Divine is beyond necessity, and absolutely nothing is beyond it. Therefore I have not sold, he says, nor would I have given away to other masters, those who love me and are devoted to my ordinances. How then did you endure the yoke of servitude to others? The cause of your evil has become sin. For because of this, the father of sin and the inventor of all wickedness has taken possession of all of you; and seizing for himself those who fall away from intimacy with God, and casting them into the pits of evils, and bringing them down to the springboard of Hades. For it surely follows for those who have slipped from intimacy with God that they must be entangled in inescapable snares. For Satan is terrible in his greediness, and whomever of those on earth he might see choosing to neglect being with God, these he brings under his own yokes, and brings them down into the worst evils, rendering them slaves instead of free, and dishonored instead of glorious. For such are always the wages of his wickedness. Why is it that I came, and there was no man? I called, and there was none who hearkened? Is my hand not strong enough to deliver? Behold, with my rebuke I will desolate the sea, and I will make rivers a desert, and their fish will be dried up from there being no water, and they will die in thirst. And I will clothe the heaven with darkness, and like sackcloth its covering. Having very clearly stated that the children of Zion, that is, those of the blood of Israel, and Zion itself, clearly the earthly Jerusalem, had been sold and cast out from intimacy with him for their own sins, he brings a charge, and an indictment of their terminal folly and ignorance. For when the Only-begotten shone forth in the flesh to those upon the earth, and appeared in a form like ours, they, unholily forgetting both the law and the prophets, have remained hard and unyielding, and are incurably sick with willfulness. For they did not want to know the Redeemer, the author of salvation, who justifies the impious, and is able to release from all accusation those who are entangled in human weaknesses. I came therefore, he says, that is, I became human and I appeared to those of Israel, and there was no man among them, that is, one with understanding, and able to know the time of redemption. I called, and there was none who hearkened. For as the prophet Isaiah himself somewhere says again in the person of the Savior of us all, Christ: "I was found by those who did not seek me, I became manifest to those who did not ask for me. I said, Behold I am, to a nation who did not know me. All the day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." And indeed in the evangelical writings we will find the Lord in many places calling his own [ηυμφρεδ. λεγιτ Ἰουδαίους] to faith: "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you." And again at another time: "He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Yea, and also showing that believing them is both fruitful and beneficial: "Amen I say, he says, to you, that he who believes has eternal life." And one could pile up very many other sayings having the same power, if one should choose to speak at length. Therefore, I called, and there was none who hearkened, he says. But perhaps those who have thus stumbled through long folly, who have a hard and unbreakable mind, will say that my hand would not be strong enough to deliver her to heaven. But in this too they have thought nothing of what is true. For he was, as I said, in a form like ours, although the Word was God. And he became human, having undergone a birth according to the flesh from a woman. But those who knew this, and were not ignorant of the depth of his divine mysteries, knew that being God by nature he can do all things, and was sufficient to redemption of all under heaven. But the unbelieving and ignorant approached him as a common man, so that they even assaulted him and said: "For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God." To these it would be fitting both to think and to say, as if his hand could avail to help those on earth, and to deliver those held fast by the devil, and by sin. But when you consider these things, he says, remember something better; for I am not simply a man as you are, but rather God, having become in your form through the economy, that I might deliver you from both death and sin. For I myself, who speak, am present, I who of old worked wonders through Moses, and with ineffable power divided the sea, that is, clearly, the Red Sea. For the waters were frozen like a wall, and the redeemed passed through, having cast off the yoke of bondage in Egypt. The phrase, I will make the sea a desert, he says here, instead of, I made it dry. And I will make rivers deserts. And the word ‘I will make’ must again be understood as ‘I have made.’ For he stopped the Jordan, and made it a desert of waters as Jesus led Israel across and brought them into the land of promise. And if he says that the fish in the waters shall be dried up, understand that this too was included to show that the Jordan was completely dried up, and the divine David, commemorating this so glorious and great wonder-working, says at one time: "What is it to you, O sea, that you fled, and you, O Jordan, that you turned back?" and at another time again: "The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you, and they were afraid. The abysses were troubled, the multitude of the sound of waters." And concerning the Jordan again he says thus: You dried up the rivers of Etham, that is, those in the south. He also commemorates another wonder-working, and says that I will clothe the heaven with darkness, and I will make its covering as sackcloth; and again, ‘I will clothe’ must be understood as ‘I clothed.’ For we remember that the all-wise Moses wrote that for three days a deep darkness was scattered over the land of the Egyptians, but it did no harm at all to the children of Israel. For they had both day and light. This too is strange, and beyond all description. When therefore I myself, he says, am he, and having appeared in the flesh, I who of old made the sea a desert, that is, made it dry, and did this also to the rivers, and clothed this immense heaven with darkness, and by experience itself made it manifest that I am the Master of all things, and that absolutely nothing is impossible for my powers, how should it not deserve laughter, or rather undergo an accusation of impiety, if anyone should choose to think and to say, my hand is not able to deliver? The Lord gives me a tongue of instruction, to know when it is right to speak a word. He has appointed me in the morning; he has added to me an ear to hear, and the instruction of the Lord opens my ears. It would not be improbable, but rather not inconsistent with the words of orthodoxy, to apply the preceding words to the choir of the holy apostles, that is, to all who have believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, and have been made wise through the Spirit, and have received abundantly from him enlightenment into their mind and understanding, who also have come to partake of divine gifts, and have been able to perceive the depth of the divinely inspired Scripture with pure eyes of the mind, and have entered into the art of a good evangelical life, and of a holy understanding. These, therefore, offering up hymns of thanksgiving, say that there has been given to them a tongue of instruction, that is, the ability to speak in an instructed manner, and to explain without rebuke the divine mysteries, and when and how it is fitting to use the words of consolation. This is indeed what the divine disciples did, having stored up in mind and heart a sound and blameless knowledge of the faith in Christ, and yet for each of those who approached the divine preaching, they offered the word that was fitting and suitable for him. For to those who are still infants, as it were, in the rank of milk, they offer well the word of simple catechesis, but to those who have attained to a perfect man, and have arrived at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, the solid and most nourishing. This, then, is a tongue of instruction, and a gift to know when it is necessary to speak a word. And they say that they are placed early, that is, in the mind, and the heart the dawning of the day, the shining of a divine and intelligible light, the rising of the morning star. And this again we shall know from the blessed Paul having written thus: "Giving thanks to God the Father, who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love in the light." For the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that the light of the Gospel of Christ might not shine in them. But for us the sun of righteousness has risen, shining around the mind with divine light, so that we are and are called sons of light and of the day. Then he says, He has added to me an ear for hearing, and the instruction of the Lord opens my ears. For having accepted the faith in Christ, and being enriched by the enlightenment from him, we have received an addition of an ear, that is, a power of hearing that was unusual, or of old. For the Jews, when reading the law, do not pass beyond the shadow, but are settled in the types, bare and alone. For the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, as it is written. For we, believing the law to be a tutor, whenever we receive into our ear the things through Moses, we understand them with other ears, transforming the types into truth, and making the shadow a pretext for spiritual contemplation. We have therefore received an addition of ears. For the instruction through Christ, that is, the evangelical proclamation, and the initiation through him, spiritually persuades to understand the law. It widens, as it were, the ears of those who have believed in him, which those of Israel did not have. For our Lord Jesus Christ said to them: "Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me, and you are not willing to come to me that you may have life." And the all-wise and divine Paul writes about them, that "when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart, not being unveiled, because in Christ Jesus our Lord and Redeemer it is done away."

Discourse 26

But I am not disobedient, nor do I contradict. I gave my back to scourges, and my cheeks to blows, and I did not turn away my face from the shame of spitting, and the Lord became my helper. For this reason I was not confounded, but I set my face like a solid rock, and I knew that I would not be ashamed, because he who justifies me is near. Through the things already read before, or rather examined before, he has made a very great outcry against the disobedience of the Jews. For he said that I came and there was no man, I called, and there was no one who obeyed, but the person of those who accepted the faith having been inserted in the middle, and saying: The Lord gives me a tongue of instruction to know when it is necessary to speak a word, and the things added to these, and those raising up voices of thanksgiving. The person of Christ himself runs in again, zealous to contrast his own obedience with the follies of the Jews, in order that he might completely convict them of being hateful to God, raising a proud and harsh neck to him who calls them to salvation. For I have called, he says, and there was no one who obeyed. They have become slow to obedience, tardy and completely without understanding in what is necessary to understand for their benefit, and the things through which it was likely to be able to run through, and very easily, both the tyranny of sin, and the plots of diabolical malice. But they disobeyed, but I do not disobey. For since God the Father willed to sum up all things in me, things in heaven and on earth, I submitted myself to emptying, and have descended into the measures of human poverty, having appeared as a man that I might become obedient, even unto death, and the death of the cross. Therefore I have given my back to the scourges, and my cheeks to blows. And my face I did not turn away from the shame of spitting. For these things happened for him to suffer, with the insolence of the Jews raging against him, and Pilate tearing him with scourges, and one of the unholy servants insulting him, and striking him, and others spitting upon him. But there was one purpose for the one suffering: to carry out to the end the good will of the Father. And so Christ said somewhere, that "I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me." And this is the will of him who sent me, "that of all that he has given me, I should lose nothing from it, but should raise him up on the last day." Therefore, for the sake of securing life for those who believe in him, he did not consider insults, or scourges, or the experience of being spat upon as something to be rejected, although he was God by nature, and true Lord. Then he says as a man, And the Lord became my helper, for this reason I was not confounded, but I set my face like a solid rock, and I knew that I would not be ashamed because he who justifies me is near. He speaks, therefore, in a human way, as I said, and in no way unfittingly to the measures of his emptying. Nevertheless, through these words he seems to allude to the judgment that befell the insolent, on account of their impiety toward him. For, he says, the Lord became my helper. It is as if he were to say, When I gave my back to scourges, and my cheeks to blows, and suffered also the passions on the cross, the Father became a helper. For he defended, and did not allow his own Son to be utterly confounded, nor indeed to be put to shame. For they have been punished, and those who dared to fight against God have paid the penalty for their offenses against me. And by adding that He who justifies me is near, he again subtly indicated that the matter of justice for those who had acted insolently against him would not run to a distant time, nor to a postponement, but would, as it were, follow close at hand, and at the heels of their deeds. But we say that the Son was justified in some such way as this. For since they dared to kill him who was just, and in no way guilty of any faults, they have been punished, as I said, and the punishment of the sufferers has testified to the complete innocence of the one impiously insulted by them. God the Father said something like this: "And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death." And by rich and wicked, he names the leaders of the Jews. For suffering from extreme love of money, they were carried away by it into wickedness against him. For although they had recognized him, they said: "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us have his inheritance for ourselves." Who is he who contends with me? let him stand against me at the same time. Who is he who contends with me? let him draw near to me. That he was righteous, and completely innocent—for he committed no sin—and endured the outrages from the Jews, the divine prophet himself will confirm, saying about him: "See how the righteous one has perished, and no one takes it to heart." And again, as from the person of the Jews concerning him: "Let us bind the righteous one, because he is useless to us." And the matter itself would cry out. For how was it possible for the divine and pure nature of the Word to sin against what is fitting and proper to it, and to sustain the blemish of an offense? For it has been said concerning Christ, the Savior of us all, that "He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth of him." Therefore, since he says that he, being innocent and just, endured the plots from the Synagogue of the Jews, he necessarily addresses those who did not know his complete sincerity, or perhaps, even thought that something wrong had been done by him, and that he suffered on the cross, and in justice, and says: Who is it that contends with me? let him stand against me at the same time. This resembles what was clearly said by Christ himself to the Scribes and Pharisees: "Which of you convicts me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?" For although the only-begotten Word of God was made like us, and took on a likeness in every respect whatsoever, yet in this one thing alone he is believed to have been beyond our nature. For since every man is subject to stumblings and sins, and no one at all has had a completely blameless life; he alone, even when he became man, kept for himself his God-befitting dignity. For the nature of God would reasonably be understood to be beyond sinning. Therefore he also said, that "The ruler of this world is coming, and he will find nothing in me." For he who was made like us, that he might deliver us from the snares of sin, how could he himself be caught with us, or how could he come under blame and indictment, he who frees from indictment and blame all who have believed in him? "For it is God who justifies, who is he that condemns?" Behold the Lord helps me; who will harm me? Behold all you shall grow old like a garment, and a moth shall consume you. He wishes to teach two useful and necessary things at the same time to those who have nursed an impious and unjust envy against him. First, that the plot against him, and the bloodthirsty enterprise, would in every way and entirely fail. Then, that bitter and unbearable punishments will be exacted from those who have sinned against him; for they thought they could subject to death the Lord who is the author of life. But as the Psalmist says, "They have devised a plan, which they shall not be able to establish." For it was impossible for him, being life, to be held by death. Therefore, he was raised by the power of God the Father, as it is written, not having become weak himself, inasmuch as he is understood as Word and God, I mean in being able to drive away corruption from his own flesh, but because he became man, appearing to receive this also from the Father. For all things for man are God-given. For that God the Father through him abolished the power of death, through his resurrection from the dead, would be clear from his saying to the crowds of the Jews: "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." But since it is his custom to attribute things beyond human hand and nature rather to the person of the Father, for this reason he also says here in a human way: Behold the Lord helps me, who will harm me? For with God the Father assisting, he says, and destroying all your insolence, and establishing my glory, who among you will be so great as to oppose the invincible counsel, and be able to harm him who is helped by him? Therefore, if the Scribes and Pharisees had any sense, they would have abstained from their plots and attempts against him, having known beforehand through the holy prophets, that they would not be able to wrong Christ, being God, and Lord, and true Son of the Father; but they rather draw upon themselves a terrible and most severe judgment. And this he teaches, adding: Behold all you shall grow old like a garment, and a moth shall consume you, that is, you will go to oldness, and decay, and to destruction, wasting away in many and inescapable evils, while an incurable calamity consumes you like a moth. This again the prophet Isaiah also says somewhere else: "Why should you be struck any more, adding sins? Every head to pain, and every heart to grief; from the feet to the head, [there is no soundness in him,] neither wound, nor bruise, nor festering sore, it is not to apply a poultice, nor oil, nor bandages. Your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, strangers devour your country in your presence, and it is desolate, overthrown by strange peoples.” This plain speaking, even of things so dreadful, is very sufficient to persuade the Jews to be quiet, and in no way to choose to offend God, if indeed, as I said, their plot was to be fruitless, and for their unaccomplished undertakings they themselves would pay the penalty, and fall into utter ruin and destruction. Who among you fears the Lord? Let him hear the voice of His Servant. Saying that those who might choose to labor in vain and to revel in insolence against him would grow old like a garment (for he said, Behold, all you shall grow old as a garment, and the moth shall devour you), he then offers kindness to the gentle, and shows them the path of salvation; for very many of those from Israel have believed, as was also clearly related in the Acts of the Apostles. For the remnant has been saved, of which the divine disciples have become, as it were, the first fruits and the first offering. Therefore, to those more ready for faith he offers things of gentleness, saying: Who among you fears the Lord? Let him hear the voice of His Servant. And by calling himself the servant of God, he allows us to understand that even having become man, he is the true Son of God the Father. And to hear his voice was not a transgression of the law, but a confirmation of the law, which prefigured the truth through type and shadow, which is Christ and his ordinances. For this reason the all-wise Paul also writes, and says: “Do we then nullify the law through faith? By no means! Rather, we uphold the law. For it is written, ‘My righteous one shall live by faith.’” And the end of both the law and the prophets was the mystery of Christ, justifying the ungodly by faith, and freeing from accusations those ensnared by their own transgressions. Therefore, to hear his voice, that is, Christ's, which is to accept the evangelical and saving proclamation, was a confirmation of the law; and that it is pleasing to God the Father for those on earth to be instructed by the voice of the Son, the power of the evangelical Writings would show to the more discerning. For Christ was transfigured on the mountain, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light; and Moses and Elijah appeared talking with one another; then there came a voice from God the Father, instructing the holy apostles and saying: “This is my beloved Son, hear him.” If, therefore, there is anyone, he says, who has the fear of God in his mind, and has hidden it within himself as a kind of treasure, let him hear the voice of His Servant. It is, as I said, the evangelical and divine proclamation, calling to the redemption that is through faith in Christ, and to a holy way of life, and one far superior to that in the law. For the one, as I said, was in shadows, while the other has the truth bright and manifest. You who walk in darkness, and have no light, trust in the name of the Lord, and support yourselves on the Lord. The most skillful of physicians sometimes combine with harsh medicines also remedies from gentle things, as if charming away the harsh and more savage pain. We find that our Lord Jesus Christ has now done something of this kind. For on the one hand he convicts them as walking in darkness, and as if held fast by a mist, and utterly deprived of light, that is, clearly, of the divine and intelligible light, and making their paths not upon any of the things that lead to salvation, that is, to their benefit, but rather upon those things which would easily push them down into the abyss of destruction. For it is not, it is not possible for those in darkness ever to walk uprightly; for they are brought down, if a pit should be found anywhere, or if stones are scattered about, they stumble unguardedly to them. Therefore, to you, he says, I offer admonitions, to those walking in darkness and who unwisely do not accept the light from me." You have trusted in the name of the Lord, and you have leaned upon God. "For since, out of excessive foolishness, the peoples of the Jews, seeing the only-begotten Word of God in our form, that is, having become man, did not understand the mystery concerning him, but being senseless they often grieved him with slanderous words, sometimes calling him a Samaritan and a drunkard, and sometimes, being sharpened for wrath by a misguided zeal (for they said: "For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.") Necessarily, as I said, having just become man, he makes clear to them his transcendent and most God-befitting glory and power, and he turns some away from wishing to think small things of him, saying: You have trusted in the name of the Lord, and you have leaned upon God; most clearly, therefore, he says that he himself is Lord and God, turning them away, as I said, from wishing to think and to say anything base and abject concerning him. And it is a boast for those who have received the faith, to trust in him, and to make him a rod and a support. For he sustains all things for well-being. And this, I think, the divine Psalmist teaches when he says to the Father and God of all: "Your rod and your staff, they have comforted me." For the human mind is prone to slip regarding the things in this world, and it has veered much toward improper pleasures and love of the flesh; and it always needs the one who saves, and who extends a saving hand, so that those who have partaken of the help say: "He set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps." That the mind of the Jews was cast into darkness and gloom, it is possible to see from the holy Scriptures. For the all-wise Paul says, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ might not shine." And the divine prophet Isaiah says something like this concerning those of the blood of Israel: "When they waited for light, darkness came to them; waiting for dawn, they walked in gloom." But Christ himself called them to the light, saying: "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the dark[ness], but will have the light of life." It is fitting, therefore, and it is true, that for those not choosing to follow him, it will in every way and entirely follow that they walk as in night and darkness. Behold, all you kindle a fire, and strengthen a flame. Walk in the light of your fire, and in the flame, which you have kindled. Because of me these things have happened to you; you will lie down in sorrow. And he shows them another thing, which was likely to be able to effortlessly move them to choose to think correctly. For the memories of punishments, with their beneficial terrors, somehow render even the disobedient and hardened mind receptive and docile. He says, therefore, that they kindle a fire against themselves, who strengthen a flame. For by stumbling through long disobedience, and by wishing to have a heart that is thus unadmonished, they raise up against themselves the unquenchable flame, that of punishment, clearly. What has been clearly said by our Savior Christ himself has the same meaning as the preceding things: "He who believes in the Son is not judged. But he who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the Son of God." For what else is it to be judged, except to fall into flame, and into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels? And by adding, You strengthen a flame, he allows one to understand something both sharp and true. For those who place upon a fire wood that can be burned up, strengthen it. For the flame rages amidst much wood, but it somehow grows weak when not well-supplied with much. The Jews, therefore, kindled a fire against themselves, by killing the prophets, and having stoned those who were sent, and having strengthened their own flame adding to their former crimes their drunken outrages against Christ. For they have added the Son to the servants, and as far as it was in their power, they killed the author of life, even if He came back to life, being God and life. But since they did not accept the teaching through Christ, remaining in the shadows of the law; for this reason, and very rightly, as those thinking they had the light from the law, but not truly having it, he sends them away from fellowship with him, saying: Walk in the light of your fire, and in the flame which you have kindled. For it was not a light for them, but the seeming to know the law, yet no longer wanting to accept the things through Christ, became for them a cause of fire and flame. For that they have paid the penalty for their drunken outrage against Christ along with having died strengthened in their sins, he makes clear by adding: Through me these things happened to you. In sorrow you shall lie down. What are these things? For their country has been ravaged, and the wicked have perished wickedly, and the holy city has been captured, and has fallen into the hands of enemies, and the temple itself was burned, and they have fallen asleep in sorrow. For those who die unpurified, and not being deemed worthy to receive the redemption through Christ, not in the hope of rewards and spiritual gladness, but in fear of punishments and in sorrow because of them will they lie down to sleep. Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, and seek the Lord. Look to the solid rock from which you were hewn, and to the pit of the cistern from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you, for he was one, and I called him, and blessed him, and loved him, and multiplied him. Having sufficiently reproached those who had hardened themselves to the truth, and having made clear the punishment that would befall them, if they did not choose to follow the evangelical decrees, they persisting, having raised the proud and harsh neck of their own mind, he transfers for a time the words of exhortation to those who believed from the blood of Israel. For the nation of the Jews has not utterly perished, but the remnant has been saved according to the voice of the prophet. And indeed, as it is written in the Acts of the holy apostles, very many received the word concerning Christ, they recognized the epiphany of his glory. To these, then, he speaks, and says: Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, and seek the Lord. And he says "the just" instead of righteousness, clearly that which is through Christ, that which is, I say, through faith in him, which justifies the ungodly, and frees the defiled from all stain, and sanctifies in the Spirit, and procures the glorious boast of adoption. And they pursue righteousness, not as driving it away, and having removed it from their own minds, but as running towards it, so that they might also grasp it. The divine David also said something like this: "Seek peace, and pursue it." Or you will understand it according to that which was said by one of the holy prophets: With what shall I apprehend the Lord, shall I take hold of my God most high? They pursue righteousness, therefore, as I said, so that having found it they might seize it. These would be those who also seek the Lord himself, that is, Christ. For they find him through faith, God the Father calling them to this. And indeed Christ said somewhere to the people of the Jews: "Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." But consider this: God speaks not to all simply, but rather to those who are pursuing righteousness, and seeking him, according to the ways just now mentioned by us. Therefore all who are called to the knowledge of truth through faith in Christ are taught by God. But what the power of these thoughts might wish to declare, we will say as we are able. For there was a very great multitude of the Jews, but entirely few were those from among them who believed. Except that they will advance at times he tries to assure the believers, who are a multitude greater than number, brought from the circumcision and the so-called uncircumcision, that is of the Gentiles, God gathering them, taking the divine Abraham, and with him Sarah, as an example of the matter, or rather for the confirmation of hope for this. For they became the root of the whole nation, although being of an old and advanced age, and no longer in hope of being able to bear children. For he was one hundred years old, and she was both barren and childless. But since nothing is impossible for God, but all things are smooth and easy, they became the beginning and root of a multitude of people rivaling the stars. For it was said somewhere to the divine Abraham, to look up at the stars, and to believe that his seed would be equal in number to what was seen. And that Sarah did not bear a child according to the law of human nature, and that the divine Abraham became the father of a child, a man already over-aged and past his prime, he receives two examples: a solid rock being quarried, and a deep pit being dug. For just as it is among the most difficult things to be able to quarry stone from a solid and hard rock, and to dig a deep well; in the same way, I think, it would not be easy, but rather impossible for a child to be born from an old man and a barren woman. Nevertheless, this too was accomplished paradoxically, with God's assent. Therefore, when you who have believed consider yourselves to be few, since the divine and holy preaching is indeed in its beginnings, yet it is firmly established, he says, that your affairs will increase to a multitude greater than number . For Abraham was one, and I called him, and I blessed him, and having blessed him I loved him, and having loved him I multiplied him, that is, I have made him father of the whole race of the Jews, or nation, and in addition to this, of those of the promise. For it was said to Abraham, that "I have made you a father of many nations." Therefore, the one who is called is blessed, and whoever is blessed will be loved in every way and altogether, and he who obtains this will be numerous, spiritually that is. For he will have various fruits from virtues and from evangelical boasts. Nevertheless, even according to the historical account, it is possible to see the promise as true through deeds. For what is under heaven worships Christ, the Savior of all, and all things have become full of him, and all the earth has been filled with his glory. And I will now comfort you, Sion, and I have comforted all her desolate places, and I will make her desolate places like the paradise of the Lord. They will find gladness and joy in her, they will give thanks [or: thanksgiving] and a voice of praise. The word of the holy prophets is always somehow shaped in relation to visible things, and to matters of sense perception. Yet it has a reference to things that are beyond sense and intelligible. Therefore, even if it names Sion, do not think of the earthly one, but rather accept the intelligible one, which is the Church of the living God; since how could one see the prophet's words coming true? For God promised to comfort her; but we will find this has happened nowhere, but on the contrary it is possible to see her made desolate and ravaged. Therefore the word for the prophet now has been addressed to the multitude of those who have believed, which is the Church of the living God. And what, then, does he say? For just as, he says, I called Abraham, and being one I made him the father of many nations; so also I will comfort you, Sion. And the comfort in these things is a gladdening promise, and one that implants a firm hope in its hearers, that in every way and altogether, as God gathers those who will be called in faith, she will not be desolate and fallow, but like some paradise, flourishing and with the finest trees, adorned with beautiful and noble plants, and having intelligible fruitfulness, that is, gladness and joy, thanksgiving and a voice of praise. Understand from this that he promises to bear away from the legal worship those who will be in the rank of plants, and the intelligible filling a garden, which indeed he calls the paradise of God. For of old the law of Moses commanded to sacrifice oxen, and to slay sheep, and to offer turtledoves to God, and fine flour mixed with oil. But the God of all is no longer approached through these things, but as Christ himself said: "God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." But worship in spirit and truth, and the power of spiritual service, has as its fragrance spiritual gladness, and exultation in the hope in Christ. For we are disposed that he will also transform the body of our lowliness to be conformed to the body of his glory; and we shall be with and reign with him, ranked among the sons of God, and having been enriched with his divine and life-giving Spirit. And we also offer to him a spiritual fruitfulness, both confession and songs of thanksgiving. For with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Listen to me, and you kings, give ear to me, for a law shall go forth from me, and my judgment for a light to the nations. Promising to show the multitude of those who believe in him to be very great and beyond number, thus he speaks to it, as if it were already gathered. He then initiates them as his own worshipers, so that what is written about them might also be seen to be true: "And they shall all be taught by God." For the divine David also sings, and speaks thus to Christ, the Savior of all: "Blessed is the man whom you instruct, O Lord, and teach him out of your law." And he also promised the honor in this to those who have recognized his epiphany. And indeed he also says through one of the holy prophets concerning his own presence, which came to be in this world in the flesh, that "In that time, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and write them on their hearts." And having rightly understood this, the all-wise Paul writes, and says to those who have obtained this: "You are our letter, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God." Therefore, "Listen to me," he says, that is, receive my words, and do not become unbridled like Israel, clinging to the oldness of the legal letter, and seeing nothing beyond the types. Until the time of reformation the commandment through Moses was established, he says. But since the time of the incarnation is no longer expected, but is already present, let the shadow give way to the truth. Therefore, listen to me, my people. And saying, "my people," he holds forth the spiritual kinship granted to them in due time, entreating, as I think, also through this, and making them more eager for what is necessary, I say, to receive the word from him. And he calls not only those who are among the peoples, but with them also kings, so that you may understand the rulers, that is, the leaders of the peoples. For from the multitude of believers many were brought to this, of whom the divine disciples became the firstfruits; then after them, following in their footsteps, those after them were invested with the name of kingdom; since indeed they were enriched with the name of kingdom, and also appointed to lead peoples. And so, as from exceedingly great joy, they raise up songs of thanksgiving to God, saying: "He has subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet." And about them sings also the divine Psalmist: "The rulers of the peoples were gathered together with the God of Abraham." O then, peoples and kings, he says, listen to me, and give ear, and what is promised for the future. A law shall go forth from me, and my judgment for a light to the nations. In these words, "law," he names the divine and evangelical proclamation. For the new and saving ordinance is, as it were, of a different kind; and, as it were, a change of the ancient law for the better, and a transition of types that have passed away to the truth. For Christ said: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For I say to you, that not one jot or one tittle shall pass away from the law, until all things be accomplished." But the law in letters was given through Moses; but the saving proclamation, that is, the Gospel, came forth through Christ. For it was fitting that Moses be a minister of the shadow and type, as it were, and Christ the enlightener of knowledge and of true worship in spirit. For He is the true light. And he adds to these things, that "My judgment is for a light to the nations." By "judgment" here he means either his holy and man-loving decree, which brought forth his grace as a light to the nations, that is, judgment, meaning uprightness and just judgment, or righteousness, that is, of the Gospel. For thus the divine David recalls the sacred proclamations, saying: "You have prepared uprightness, judgment and righteousness in Jacob you have wrought." But if he says that the divine and saving proclamation has been made in Jacob in these things, and not rather also among the other nations, one must remember God saying clearly: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." And indeed also through the voice of the divine David himself: "But I was established as king by him (it is clear that this is God the Father) upon Sion his holy mountain, declaring the decree of the Lord." For from Israel were the fathers and the promise, the lawgiving and the covenant. But since they became unruly apostates, and murderers of the Lord, for this reason grace has therefore departed, and has become a light to all the nations. My righteousness draws near swiftly, and my salvation will go forth, and in my arm shall the nations hope. The islands will wait for me, and in my arm they will hope. He does not allow the zeal of those who have been called to be withered by iniquities, nor indeed does he say that the recall of hope will be for long ages, but he reveals the promise as running, as it were, at the heels of his words. Such is that which was said through the voice of Habakkuk, or rather to him by God: "Yet a little while, a very little while, he who is coming will come, and will not delay." For the hopes of good things, being thirsted for by those who expect them, are consumed by delay. For this reason he says his righteousness draws near. And if we wished to apply these words to the person of God the Father, we say that he calls his Son his righteousness. For we have been justified in him, and not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his great mercy. For he came into this world, not to judge it, but rather that it might be saved through him. And it was saved in no other way than through much gentleness. For he said, "I am he who blots out your iniquities, and I will not remember them." And again: "And you, Israel, do not forget me. For behold, I have blotted out your iniquities like a cloud, and your sins like a thick mist." And David also sings, and indeed says to him: "You have been gracious, Lord, to your land, you have turned back the captivity of Jacob, you have forgiven the iniquities of your people, you have covered all their sins." Therefore, in the righteousness of God the Father, that is, in Christ, we have been saved and have been sanctified, having washed away the filth of wickedness. But if it were Christ himself who says, "My righteousness draws near swiftly," you will understand righteousness in these things no less as the justifying grace from him, that is, the evangelical and heavenly proclamation, through which we have known the way of righteousness pleasing to him, and we have been guided to every one of the best virtuous deeds, according to what is said in the Psalms: "Your law is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths." And he names righteousness also salvation, and very fittingly. For it draws us out of every evil, and freeing us from the bonds of death, it leads us up to unending life. And he promises something else as well. For "nations will hope," he says, "in my arm." And indeed he also affirms that islands will wait for him. For of old the nations the multitude, entangled in unbreakable bonds, of sin, I say, and subjected to the greed of the all-wicked and primevally-evil dragon, was captive, and in extreme miseries, being completely without help. For there was no one able to deliver from so bitter and inescapable a calamity; there was no one to shatter the yoke of greed, but they were, as I said, in the lot of captives, stripped of all hope that leads to life, and destitute of every good thing. For those who had not known the Lord who is by nature and truly, certainly continued in the world without God and having no hope, according to the voice of the blessed Paul. But those who were formerly weak, he says, and as it were cast down to the ground, taking my arm will gain an unexpected hope for salvation. And everywhere the sacred Scripture calls the Son the arm of the Father. For he is his power. But if anyone should wish to understand also the arm of the Son himself, on whom will be the hope of the nations called to salvation, you will understand his God-befitting and extraordinary power, by which he will crush Satan and the world-rulers of this world, and has saved those from the nations. For he himself said: "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house?" And David also said: "You have humbled the proud one as one who is slain, and with the strength of your arm you have scattered your enemies." Christ, therefore, is the hope and way of salvation not only for those of Israel, but indeed also for all the nations; for whom the islands will also wait. And by islands, as I think, he means the churches of the nations, which, lying as it were in the midst of the sea, being beaten by the assaults of affairs as by waves, carry off the crown of good repute through endurance. For endurance produces proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not put to shame. Therefore, to wait for God could not be understood as anything else, except that through perseverance and endurance one is to be well-pleasing to him, and on this account to be deemed worthy of his mercy and oversight. For it is written that, "Waiting, I waited for the Lord, and he attended to me." Lift up your eyes to heaven, and look upon the earth beneath, for the heaven was established like smoke, and the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell on the earth will die in like manner. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not fail. Saying that he himself will be a hope for the nations, he weaves for them a necessary initiation. For it was not otherwise possible for those who did not know him to cleave to God in spiritual intimacy, except by being delivered from the ancient error, and getting outside the snares and perversity of the devil, and becoming rich in the true and blameless knowledge of God. For it is like an entry into intimacy with God to both know clearly and to confess, that there is no other God besides him. Therefore, since they thought heaven to be God, and were persuaded to worship the more prominent of the stars, and they venerated the very earth lying under everyone's feet, having completely departed from the doctrines of piety, and who is by nature the God of all things, and brought into being things that once were not; for this reason he says, showing that creation is of a different nature in relation to himself; and demonstrating very well the incomparable difference between creator and creation, he commands them to lift their eyes to heaven, that is, to consider the firmament itself and the things in it, and again to bring the mind down to the earth, that is, to the contemplation of the things in it, both animals, I say, and simply all the things in it, and even if they should choose to marvel at it, not to stop their mind there, but from the greatness of the works to measure the power of the one who crafted them, and the supreme and ineffable glory of the creator of all. And somehow we are accustomed to the [doctrine] concerning God to gather knowledge from the divinely-inspired Scripture, and from the magnificence and order of created things. So Paul laughs at the wise men among the Greeks, because although they fashion for themselves a pretense of wisdom, they have a heart full of all foolishness. "For they revered, he says, and served the creature rather than the Creator." So he also rebukes others, as turning back again to the weak and poor elements of the world, and wanting to serve them beyond what is reasonable. For that the beauty of creation would not provide an occasion for going astray to the more intelligent, but rather starting points for true knowledge about God, he clarified, saying: "For His invisible attributes from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, both His eternal power and Godhead." Therefore when you marvel, he says, at the heaven made firm, and seen as in the form of smoke, yet know, he says, that things brought into being will be dissolved again. For things that have beginnings of existence will end again in not being. The earth therefore will grow old, he says, that is, it will vanish, and those who dwell on it will die, just like these things. But he aptly calls the death of the elements the change for the better. For as Paul says, that "The creation itself also will be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." But in what way will it be set free? Christ's disciple will clarify, saying: "For the day of the Lord will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements, being burned, will be dissolved, and the earth and the works that are in it will all be burned up; but we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promises." Therefore he says the renewal of creation will be like a resurrection from the dead, just as with human bodies. But while the elements are being dissolved, my salvation will be forever, he says, and my righteousness will not fail. Now, salvation and righteousness, as we have often said, he calls the Son; and calling Him His own, he shows the property which He has toward him, the Son being by nature from Him and in Him. However, He will be forever, he says, and will not fail. And how great is the difference between Creator and creation, Maker and what is made, he makes clear through these things: For creation will grow old, and as it was brought from non-being into being, it will not be without corruption. But the Creator and Artificer of all, God the Word, through whom are all things and in whom are all things, will be forever, and will not fail. This the divine Psalmist also teaches, saying, "In the beginning You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands. They will perish, but You will remain; and they all will grow old like a garment, and like a cloak you will roll them up, and they will be changed; but You are the same, and Your years will not fail." Listen to me, you who know judgment, my people, in whose heart is my law; you will not fear the reproach of men, nor be defeated by their scorn. For like a garment they will be worn out by time, and like wool they will be eaten by the moth; but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to generations of generations. Having initiated those from the gentiles, and having woven for them a simpler discourse suited to their minds (for milk is more fitting for those still of an infant disposition) he speaks again to those who are already manly, and have a stronger heart, and a well-established mind .............. if ......... to endure suffering ... and considers piety nothing ...... But who these might be, he states clearly: Those who know judgment, that is, those who like approved money-changers test each of the things to be done, and discern accurately, holding fast to what is good, and abstaining from every evil thing. And these are they who have the law of God in mind and heart, and who have practiced receiving it as a certain tutor and wise guide. For David sings and says concerning every righteous and wise man, that "The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be tripped up." A salutary thing, therefore, is to make the divine law, as it were, a deposit in our mind and heart. For just as a vessel made from bronze material, or some other such thing, and then having fire heaped in it remains hot, so also the soul of a man, having the divine law in its mind, is certainly fervent in spirit. But one of the holy disciples says, because lawlessness will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. Listen then, he says, you who know judgment, and you who bear my law in your heart. Do not fear the reproach of men, and do not be overcome by their contempt. For all who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted; and suffering for piety, they endure the mockeries from those who do not know it. But one must consider such things as nothing, but rather understand that the Savior and Lord of all himself endured the cross, despising the shame. And for this reason he said: "A disciple is not above his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household;" and in addition to these: "Blessed are you when they persecute you, and reproach you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." You must therefore have an unbreakable mind concerning these things, and spit out as stale the laughter of your persecutors, and despise all reviling, but rather consider being persecuted for piety and being reviled for Christ an occasion for all good repute. For what harm will insolence do, and a word boiled up from a foolish heart, to one who is approved through endurance? For that the good repute of the sufferers will shine forth in due time, and those who reviled and reproached them will come to nothing, he has fully assured by saying that Like a garment they will be made old by time, and like wool they will be eaten by the moth. and are most ready to suffer aging and decay, both wool and garment. But my righteousness, that is, the justification from me, and the salvation to be given will be long and endless, and will run to many generations, that is, it will stand perpetually. Therefore, having suffered little for piety, we will find a more abundant reward. And the all-wise Paul will testify, saying that "The momentary lightness of our affliction, produces for us a weight of glory , while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." Awake, awake, O Jerusalem, and put on the strength of your arm. Awake as in the beginning of a day, as a generation of an age. It seems in these things that mention is made of the calling and conversion of Israel. For he himself also will be called to the knowledge of the glory of the Savior of us all, Jesus Christ, after the ingathering of the Gentiles. For it is written in the prophets: "Because for many days the children of Israel shall sit, without a king, and without a ruler, and without a priesthood, and without oracles; and after these things the children of Israel will return, and will seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they will be amazed at the Lord, and at his good things in the last days." For that in these things the prophet names as David Christ who is from the seed of David according to the flesh, I think no one at all will doubt. For when the divine David was already dead, many years later the words of the prophecy were made. And the all-wise Paul also knew that the calling through faith of those of the blood of Israel would happen in due time. For he himself once said that "When the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved;" and at another time he also converses with those from the Gentiles who have believed, and says, as about a plant and an olive tree: "But if some of the branches were broken off, that you might be grafted in, do not boast against the branches." For you do not support the root, but the root supports you. For just as you were cut from the wild olive tree which is yours by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, so also these who are by nature will be grafted into their own olive tree. O Jerusalem, therefore, he says, arise. This, I think, is clearly what the most holy Paul wrote to some: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Be watchful, therefore, that is, rise as from the dead, he says; put on the strength of your arm, and not a perceptible arm, but rather an intelligible one, that of the soul, by which one is clearly directed to the accomplishment of virtue. For admittedly Israel grew weak by insulting Christ, but having turned back and become sober again, it will put on the power from Christ. And this, then, was what was said to him through one of the holy prophets, Turn back, Israel, to the Lord your God, because you have grown weak in your iniquities. And it was also said concerning them through the voice of Jeremiah by Christ, the Savior of us all: "Behold, I am bringing weakness upon this people, and fathers will grow weak in it, and sons together, neighbor and his kinsman will perish." For Israel has fallen away completely, because of its impiety toward Christ, from being able to fulfill at all any of the things that are accustomed to make for an excellent life. But arise, he says, as in the beginning of a day, as in the generation of an age, so that you may run to this, and return again to what you were and in the beginnings, when human nature, that is, the first man, was brought forth into existence, before he was caught in the snares of diabolical wickedness, and treated the given commandment as nothing. For Christ reforms us into that one, and repaints the ancient beauty of nature in us, impressing His own characteristics; for we have become according to his image and likeness. At any rate, the most excellent Paul writes to those who after the faith were carried away out of ignorance into the shadow of the law: "My little children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you." Are you not the one who dries up the sea, the water of the great deep? The one who made the depths of the sea a way of passage for the delivered and the redeemed? He brings Israel to the remembrance of the mighty works in Egypt. For he freed them from a harsh and inescapable slavery, and delivered them from the hand that oppressed them unbearably, and he led them through the midst of the sea. For the waters were congealed as a wall, and the surge was passable for the redeemed; for they ran as on dry land. And these were not their own works, but rather a display of the miraculous power of the most mighty right hand. For it was God, as I said, who made the water passable for them. However, he speaks of the things that happened for her sake as the works of Jerusalem herself, at the same time persuading them to be confident, that by believing in Christ they will overcome every temptation, and will prevail over all the strength of the enemy. For He who long ago led them through the midst of the sea, and declared it a way of passage for the delivered and the redeemed, will again mightily drive away, and sometimes pursue the things that will come from certain people. For it is written, that "All who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted." Therefore, it is God who says to Jerusalem: "Are you not the one who dries up the sea?" and what follows. That is, you will also understand the power of the preceding things in another way. For since she is called to the knowledge of Christ, by God the Father saying: "Arise, Jerusalem, and put on the strength of your arm;" having been watchful in a certain way, and brought to the remembrance of her strength, she converses and says to her: Are you not the one who dries up the sea, and the great deep? The one who made the depths of the sea a way of passage for us who are delivered and redeemed, declaring a way through the waves? And it is likely, indeed, that the experience of what has already happened has been received by them as an unshakable faith in the things that will follow. For he who through the midst of the sea having led them through, He will certainly abolish also the surge of the present life, and He will show the vain and unmixed turmoil of the affairs in the world to be stale, so that in no way may the souls of those who have been called be choked by worldly cares; but He will drive them beyond every temptation, and having been saved and redeemed, to glorify Him, saying: "Sing to the Lord a new song, for the Lord has done wonderful things. His right hand has saved him, and his holy arm." Now the right hand and arm of God the Father could be none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. For they shall be turned back by the Lord, and shall come to Zion with joy and everlasting exultation. For on their head is exultation and praise, and joy shall overtake them; pain, sorrow, and groaning have fled away. Again he forms the figure of the speech according to the power of the things that have already happened to them. For having stumbled against God in many ways, and having slipped into the worship of idols as into some pits, they were defiled in no small measure; and having rejected the commandment of the all-wise Moses, they turned to the teaching and commandments of men. For all these reasons, they were given over at times to the Babylonians, and were captives inhabiting the land of the Persians and Medes. But they were shown mercy again. For when Cyrus released them according to the will of God, and allowed them to depart, they were brought back to Judea rejoicing and shouting, and having hymns to God like a crown upon their head. Therefore, as from the things that have historically happened, he also very well portrays the gladness at the final callings. For they will be turned back by the Lord, he says, and they will come to Zion, the spiritual one, that is, the Church, being glad and rejoicing. For upon their head there will be praise and gladness, and exultation will overtake them. For the Savior of all crowns, as it were, the souls of believers, and fills them with all joy, exultation, and gladness, being glorified by them, and having become a string and lyre for them. But wherever there is a call inviting to repentance and conversion, and to the washing away of sin, that is, through faith in Christ, where there is the supply and grace of the Holy Spirit, and the honor of adoption, and the enjoyment of unending good things, and the hope of the kingdom of heaven, there certainly must also be rejoicing, and pain, sorrow, and groaning have fled away. For what place will pain have, and over what things could there be groaning, where there is no pretext at all for groaning and being in pain, but rather hope prevails, of exultation and gladness, of inalienable delight and joy? I am, I am he who comforts you. Know who you are, that you were afraid of a mortal man, and of the son of man, who have withered like grass. And you have forgotten God who made you, who made the heaven and founded the earth. And you were afraid continually all the days at the face of him who afflicted you. For in the way that he planned to take you away, even now where is the fury of him who afflicts you, For in your being saved he will not stand, nor will he delay. The phrase, I am, he says in these words, is instead of, I live and I exist; for He is the one Who Is. And this is a fitting and extraordinary dignity for God; for to be and to live belongs only to the nature that is beyond all, not having received these things by participation from another, nor indeed having the thing as a gift, but rather being life itself. Therefore, I am, he says, the one who comforts you, that is, the one who bestows all spiritual comfort, and who sustains with assistance so that one may be well established, in order to proceed with boldness straight to every virtue. Or perhaps you will understand comfort in these words in another way as well. For through the evangelical proclamations the Savior was calling to the washing away of sin, that is, I say, through faith in Him, to the participation of the Holy Spirit, and the boast and glory of adoption. But you, he says, O Israel, You were not afraid to despise me, who am, and having scorned the one calling you to life, you were afraid of a mortal man, and of a son of man, who like grass have withered. Then you forgot God who made you, who framed the heaven, and founded the earth, but you feared the face of the one afflicting you. And in these things God accuses the leaders of the Jews, who continually opposed the glory of the Savior, and as far as it was in their power, they declared it to be absolutely nothing. He performed miracles in many ways; but they poured out bitter words beyond wonder against the divine signs; for they said that he cast out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons. With his teachings that are above the law, he often charmed his hearers; but they slipped into such impiety as to rebuke those who praised him, and to say: He has a demon, and is mad; why do you listen to him? Therefore, they feared the plots of the Pharisees; and the blessed evangelist will testify, saying: "Therefore the rulers knew that he was the Christ, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it." For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. And the Savior himself rebukes the teachers of the law, saying: "And woe to you, lawyers! for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves do not enter, and you hinder those who are entering." Therefore, he accuses the people of the Jews, as having from exceedingly great folly despised the true and living God, who by his word raised up the heaven, and founded the earth, but preferred rather respect for men, and received the voice of mortal men, who are dried up like grass. For that they were about to endure the final punishment of all, who imposed upon them this strange dogma [ηυμφρ. λεγισσε ῃιδετυρ δεῖμα], and for this reason led them away from the need to honor the one who calls to salvation, he has fully informed them, adding: For in what way they planned to take you away, and now where is the wrath of the one afflicting you? For in your salvation it will not stand, nor will it delay. For the wrath of the Scribes and Pharisees against the people under their hand was temporary; but they have gone to destruction, and are given over to slaugh- ter. And those who believed in Christ rejoiced, having been saved, and having escaped the divine wrath. But the others did not delay, that is, they perished not long after, when all Judea was ravaged, and the temple was burned, and Jerusalem was destroyed, together with those who inhabited it. For I am your God, who stirs up the sea, and makes its waves roar. The Lord of hosts is my name. I will put my words into your mouth, and under the shadow of my hand I will cover you, by which I established the heaven, and founded the earth; and he will say to Zion, You are my God. Having accused those of Israel, as fearing men, that is, those who were chosen to preside over the synagogue, and out of respect for them having unwisely stepped into the mire of disobedience, and having utterly disregarded love for him, he shows in these things, that also circumstances and persecutions, whatever may happen to those who have chosen to be pious, he settles without toil; and he renders the malevolence of those who threaten them ineffective and inactive, changing painful things to what is easier, and diverting the assault of grievous things to cheerfulness. And he takes for an example this visible, broad sea. For I am, he says, the one who stirs up the sea, and makes its waves roar. The Lord of hosts is my name. Therefore, just as the wave is sometimes arched, and violently dashes against the shore, driven by the force of the winds, but changes back again to calm and stillness as soon as God wills; in this very same way, he says, the terrible and unbearable things, and all that leads to the utmost evil, I change, as if by merely nodding towards calm; for having calmed every disturbance, I release into the breadth of cheerfulness those of the choosing to contend for piety. And this, I think, is what is enigmatically sung through the Psalmist's lyre: "He commanded the storm, and it became a breeze, and its waves were stilled." So that they might accept courage without any hesitation, that in every way and entirely the things that were promised will run to their conclusion, and the promise of the help given by Him would never prove false; he says necessarily, that the Lord of Sabaoth is my name. For if He is the Lord of hosts, how will he be weak in saving some, or what difficulty, or steepness of affairs, or impossibility is there for the right hand that is mighty in all things? He adds something else sufficient for help, and at the same time showing that the wrath against them is loosed, the harm of His turning away has ceased, and for the rest they are in account with Him, and have been deemed worthy of His forbearance and love, such as would befit those who have recognized His epiphany. "For I will put, he says, my words into your mouth." And what is this, the divine David said somewhere while singing psalms: "But to the sinner God said: Why do you declare my statutes, and take up my covenant in your mouth?" -"For praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner," as it is written. Therefore the wrath [alt. law] of God scares away the profane and the sinful from even remembering his words at all. For it is said: "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." How is it not clear to all, that those who have an evil heart would not utter good words? It is therefore most fitting for the saints to both have the law of God in their mind, and to utter it forth, as it were through tongue and word. Therefore the God of all promises as to those already righteous, and sanctified in faith, and who have received the boast of genuineness, to put His own words in their mouths, so that by frequently remembering the divine law, they might know the useful path to their salvation. For it is written concerning every righteous person, that "The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be tripped." And again: "In my heart I have hidden your words, that I might not sin against you." For the law of God holds us up to be well established, and to have a mind well-founded in every one of the best pursuits; and it does not allow us to fall toward worse things, and it vigorously turns us away from what is by nature unjust. But since, as I said, He is conversing with them as already genuine, He promises something else beforehand. For I will cover you, he says, under the shelter of my own hand. This is also worth acquiring, and an exceptional good, and sufficient for salvation for those deemed worthy to choose it once. For we understand the hand of God the Father to be none other than the Son who appeared from Him, our Lord Jesus Christ. And nothing of all that is by nature able to do harm would harm those who are under Him. For they will be strong and most courageous, superior to all disturbance and temptations, and unconquerable by Satan, and beyond all carnal abomination, and past the passions of both soul and body. That the right hand of the Father is all-powerful, he prepares by adding: By which I established the heaven, and founded the earth. For if by the word of the Lord the heavens were made firm, as it is written, and the earth has been established to be unshakable; how would it not be sufficient to save some, those whoever would choose to make much of the shelter under Him? Then indeed, then, he says, Zion will say: You are my God. Here observe for me clearly and plainly the confession of faith in Christ being introduced. For of old, although Christ worked miracles in many ways, and had glory by the brilliance of the divine sign, which was beyond word and wonder, they claimed out of very great impiety to be ignorant of him, not being truly ignorant, but insolent. For they have dared to say out of very great madness, that is, folly, and a godless way of thinking: "We know that God has spoken to Moses God, but this man we do not know where he is from." But those of old, he says, who denied and slipped into this impiety, taking my words on their tongue, and coming under the shelter of my right hand, will recognize the Redeemer, they will confess, saying to him: You are my God. Therefore faith is a saving thing, and a path leading to unending life, the power of the confession of Christ. Awake, awake, arise, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath. For the cup of stumbling, the bowl of wrath you have drunk, and you have drained it, and there was no one to comfort you among all the children you have borne; and there was no one to take you by the hand, not even from all the sons you have raised. He speaks to the Synagogue of the Jews as to one who has fallen and still lies low, and commands her to rise, all but giving a hand, and pitying her as God. And we certainly do not say that the rising is physical, because it is not fitting for the fall to be understood in such a way, but rather as spiritual, as having been accomplished in unbelief. Therefore, in faith is the good of the resurrection in these things. For they have admittedly fallen into ruin, not accepting the evangelical and saving proclamation, but rather adhering to the teachings and commandments of men, although God says clearly through the voice of Isaiah: "My people, those who call you blessed are misleading you, and they confuse the path of your feet." For those chosen to lead them, always praising among them the law of Moses, and often crying out: We are blessed, O Israel, for the things that are pleasing to the Lord are known to us, they turned the minds of those under their hand from the love of Christ, and persuading them to disregard his grace, they have led them astray, and confused the path of their feet, not allowing them to walk uprightly, that is, to come by a straight path to justification by faith, although the law makes nothing perfect. Therefore, Awake, he says; this is clearly what is said through the voice of Paul, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." And indeed this too in addition: Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet. And that they paid a fitting and equal penalty for their impieties, having treated Christ with drunken violence, and having dared, as far as it was in their power, to inflict death on the author of life, he shows, saying: She who drank the cup of wrath from the hand of the Lord. For the cup of stumbling, the bowl of wrath you have poured out, and you have drained. And by "bowl" he means judgment; but the phrase, "You have drained," in this context does not mean "You have poured out," but rather, "You have drunk it all," that is, you have received the full wrath from the Lord, and have endured anger equal to your transgressions. For the wicked have perished wickedly, their whole country having been plundered, and together with Jerusalem the famous temple itself being burned down, and moreover they have lost their hope in God, and have been cast out from the flock of the saints. And when all these things had happened to you, he says, and you were as if drunk with the fullest wrath, none of your children stood by; there was no one to take you by the hand, there was no one to comfort you. For there were very many among them Levites and priests, Scribes and Pharisees, revelling in the honors from all, and exalted for being prominent and presiding over the others; but not one of them all averted from Judaea the disaster brought upon her by divine wrath. There was no one so great who was able to offer even a moderate consolation to her when she was entangled in unbearable evils. Therefore they did wrong by leading them away from the love of God, and persuading them to make faith in him unacceptable; but they helped not at all, having themselves slipped into the pits of destruction. These two things things are against you, and who will grieve with you? A fall and a crushing, famine and a sword; who will comfort you? Your sons, who are in distress, who are sleeping at the edge of every exit, like half-boiled beet, who are full of the wrath of the Lord, undone by the Lord God. One could enumerate very many evils that befell the Jews at the time of the capture, I mean, that under Vespasian and Titus, when the whole land of the Jews was set on fire, and no kind of disaster was lacking for them, but they had passed to the extremity of every evil, with Christ, the Savior of all, having also foretold this to them. For He was being led away by the soldiers of Pilate to the place of the cross. And since weeping women followed him, turning to them He said: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." And again: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us." And through very many holy prophets the weight of the incurable disaster was foretold. And now the power of the verses before us travails with these things. For, O wretched Jerusalem, it says, these two things are set against you, it says, that is, fight and make war. And what are these things? A fall and a crushing, famine and a sword. In these things, as if briefly and concisely, the disaster of the war is signified. However, that must be observed not in passing. For having enumerated four, it says they are two. For it said, a fall and a crushing, and famine, and a sword. And what then do we say? Or how could the named things be two? Even if they might seem to be more, the prophetic word in these things connects what follows to the first things. As I say: crushing certainly follows falling, and the sword follows famine, that is, death. Therefore, the first two are a fall and a famine; and following these, a crushing and a sword. Therefore, it says, when these things have happened, who is able to defend and ward off the assault of the disaster? for this is what comfort means here. For, it says, will your sons be sufficient for this? and yet it is possible to see them in distress, that is, having nothing, which they might plan and do for their own consolation, for the benefit of their own souls. For they are sleeping at the edge of every exit. For when the war broke out, the powerful ran out of the land of the Jews, and seized the extremities of the land, so that they might be ready for flight. For some hastened to occupy the neighboring lands of the Egyptians, others the neighbor of the Moabites, or the other lands of the adjacent nations. And they were at the edge of every exit, that is, in the extremities of the land, as I said; not watchful, that is, able to do anything of what is not unhelpful for the benefit of those suffering, but as if intoxicated, and heavy-headed, and lying down, thus weakened in their minds, and undone in their intellect, like a half-boiled beet. And what is the reason for these things? For they are filled with the wrath of the Lord, and this has become the cause of their undoing. For we are always somehow disposed, when we are struck by unending and inconsolable disasters, to have an almost ecstatic mind within ourselves, and to find no way that is able to save us, especially when the evil against us is sent by God. Therefore hear, you who are humbled and drunk, but not with wine. Thus says the Lord God who judges his people: Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of falling, the goblet of wrath, and you shall no longer drink it again, and I will give, and I will cast it into the hands of those who wronged you and of those who humbled you, who said to your soul: Bow down that we may pass over, and you made your back like the ground, outside for those passing by. The words are of one pitying, and restraining his wrath, but rather releasing them to cheerfulness. For he calls her humbled and drunken. For sufficient, as I said, are those beyond measure calamities, and bringing those who are captured to the utmost evil, and making drunk those who have suffered, but not from wine, as he says. For the Lord's cup is in no way understood as perceptible, nor is the mixture in it such as to be thought common. But it is rather the custom of the divinely inspired Scripture to call "cup" the portion allotted to each, whether perhaps to the unjust, or also to the good. For example. The divine David sings, and says concerning the wicked: "Fire, and brimstone, and a scorching wind, is the portion of their cup." This lot has been prepared by God for those who do not know him, and a most grievous sentence will overtake them. For drinking, as it were, fire and brimstone, they endure a continuous and unbearable punishment. But it would be fitting for every just person to say: "I will take the cup of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord." For to know and to call upon the Lord of all would be for those accustomed to do this a saving mixture. Therefore God, who judges righteously, says that Jerusalem has been made drunk not from wine, but from incurable calamity, and unbearable misfortune. And he judges righteously, having allotted to the good their fitting lot, but rebuking those who are not such, so that, having been shown to be better than themselves, they might depart from their wicked ways, and might change their mindset towards willing to think and to do the things that seem good to his divine laws. But behold, he says, I have taken the cup of falling as from your hand, and you shall no longer drink of it. For she will be called, as I said, to the knowledge of Christ, and will delight with us in the good things from above. And she too will be a partaker of sacred gifts, and will possess spiritual wealth. And the prophet is a witness of this, saying: "Because for many days the children of Israel shall sit without a king, and without a ruler, without a sacrifice, and without an altar, and without a priesthood, or manifestations; and after these things the children of Israel shall return, and shall seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall be amazed at the Lord and at his good things, in the last days." For in these words, the prophetic word names as "David" Christ from the seed of David according to the flesh. And a clear proof of this is that the prophecy came to be very many generations after the divine David was already dead. Therefore, so long as she has not yet been called to the grace that is through faith, she has not yet put aside the cup of wrath. But when she honors Christ by faith, then indeed the cup will certainly be taken from her, and she too will delight in the other good things, concerning which it is written, that They will forget their former affliction, and it shall not come into their heart; but rather there will be everlasting joy and gladness upon their head. For sorrow, grief, and sighing have fled away. But when the cup is taken from her, it will be given to the swarm of those who wronged her. And in what way did they wrong her? By not allowing them to walk uprightly, nor indeed to tread a blameless path, through which, while achieving a life pleasing to God, and being clothed in the splendor of the evangelical life, they might be able, together with those who have believed in Christ, to arrive at the city above. Who then could be understood as those who wronged her? For as far as saying what is ready to hand and apparent, first, those appointed to lead the Synagogue, who indeed most of all have drunk the cup of wrath. For by how much more distinguished a good standing they had than others, by so much more burdensome an assault of the war they have had, being thrust out of honor and glory, wealth and luxury, and even life itself. But if it is necessary to say something of the hidden things too (and I think this is necessary), we say that the Synagogue of the Jews has been wronged, not only by those appointed to lead, but also by diabolical perversity, which did not allow them to receive the divine light into their mind, so that they might understand him who calls to salvation, him who justifies the ungodly, and delivering from judgment, and dragging out from the bonds of death, I mean Christ. And of this Paul is a witness, having written thus: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them." Yea, and the Son Himself said that something of this sort happened to the herds of the Jews, and He clearly convicted them, how from an unclean spirit they became hard and disobedient, and were carried off to every sort of evil. For He said, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and when he findeth none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. Then he taketh seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." For they served the gods there in Egypt, and the unclean spirit was in them. But when they were redeemed through Moses, and received the law as the determiner of what must be done (they heard it saying clearly: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve"), the unclean spirit was also driven from their hearts. But since they did not have the fear of God in themselves, nor did they receive Jesus as an indweller through faith ("For he dwells in our hearts by faith," as it is written); that ancient and unclean spirit, seeing the place empty, has rushed in again, and has dwelt in them, and their last state has become worse than the first. That the inventor of impiety also prepared the traitor among the disciples to become such a one, is not unclear. For it is written, that after the morsel Satan entered into him. Therefore the Synagogue of the Jews has been punished, with Satan darkening it, and not allowing it to see with the eyes of the mind the light of the world, that is, Christ. But since they have been called to conversion, the cup of wrath and the chalice of stumbling has been given into the hands of those who wronged her; the wicked and opposing powers have been punished, with Christ the Savior of all casting them down to Hades, and having cast them into Tartarus with chains of darkness, delivered them to be kept for judgment on the great day to be punished. For these were the ones saying: Jerusalem, bow down that we may pass over, And she laid her back to the ground for those passing over her, that is, she laid herself down and submitted to those wishing to trample on her. The wicked powers do this, when they see a soul that is weakened, and casting aside its own mind, so as to be willing to submit easily to their own unholy and God-hated counsels.

Discourse 27

Awake, awake, O Zion; put on thy strength, O Zion, and put on thy glory, O Jerusalem, the holy city: there shall no more pass through thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Hearing Zion and Jerusalem in these things, do not think that simply the cities built of stones are being indicated. Rather, the word of the prophecy signifies the assembly of those called through faith, that is, the Church, from both the Jewish ranks and from the nations. Moreover, saying, 'Awake,' and that very often, he bestows on them a most abundant exhortation. For just as the all-wise Paul says, "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" Thus, where the bitterness of the judgment is great, there is a consolation equal to the misfortunes, or rather, much more abundant than the faint things. And He has commanded her to put on her strength, and in addition to this, her glory. And strength might reasonably be understood as the practical, according to its operation, by which the soul of each person goes toward some particular of the things to be done with a youthful spirit. And what other glory could there be besides the Lord of glory, who is Christ? to whom somewhere the divine melodist also says, at one time, that "Awake, my glory;" and at another time again concerning everyone who believes in him, that "You are the boast of their strength." And in what manner we shall put on both the glory and the strength itself, the all-wise Paul has made clear to us. For he said again; "Put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." And in addition to this; "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Yes, and indeed the prophet Isaiah has introduced the person of the Church as in the manner of a woman variously adorned, saying: "Let my soul rejoice in the Lord. For He has clothed me with the garment of salvation, and the tunic of gladness." Christ is therefore a most fitting garment for every saint; and a tunic of spiritual gladness, the author for us of strength and glory. And he calls the Church a holy city. For it was sanctified not through the worship according to the law (for the law made no one perfect), but by becoming conformed to Christ, and a partaker of his divine nature, that is, by participation in the Holy Spirit, in whom we were also sealed for the day of redemption, having washed away all filth, and being delivered from every stain. For we have been justified through faith in him, and we have been enriched with security from him against anything whatsoever, and we are, as it were, walled in by his grace, which wards off every diabolical attack against us, and the savage uprisings of the opposing powers. And this he teaches, saying as to Zion, that is, Jerusalem, which is the Church of the living God; The uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer pass through you. For historically indeed you will understand what was said in this way: The nations neighboring Jerusalem might be understood as uncircumcised and unclean, knowing neither the God who is by nature and in truth, nor indeed having received the instruction through the law; and they fought very often against those of the blood of Israel, so that in many places they were seen as superior in the power that was in them, and they all but passed through it, as though having it cast under their feet. And from the things that happened historically, at times, come, let us fashion the spiritual things. The hordes of demons, that is, the world-rulers of this darkness, and with them the profane Satan, have under their feet the souls not yet subject to God, and they, as it were, pass through them, with no one hindering, that is, defending; but when, having been reconciled to God, they have him as their glory and strength, then indeed, then their greed will cease. For it is written that "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them." Therefore uncircumcised and unclean might be understood as the abominable, and profane, and productive of all filth, and evil, and opposing powers. Shake off the dust, and arise, and sit down, Jerusalem. Loose the bond from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. He then shows her knowledgeable of holy boasts; and in what way she will put on the strength of her arm, and in addition to this, the glory, he teaches clearly. First, he commands her to shake off the dust, and thus to arise, and to sit down, and to loose the bond from her neck; and by "dust" in this, as I think, it is fitting to understand the earthly mindset, and the impurity of fleshly desires. For just as it is in every way necessary for those lying on the ground to be filled with soil and dust, in the same way, I think, also for those who have their mind cast down and an earthly mindset, the thoughts of carnal impurity sit within. Therefore it is necessary for us, who have been called into spiritual intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ, and are about to put Him on as strength and glory, to first shake off the earthly and worldly mindset, and to first purify the mind, and, as the all-wise Paul says, to put off the old man which is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit, and to put on the new man which is being renewed in the image of Him who created him. Having done this we rise up, that is, we use an upright and steadfast mind, and a heart made firm, according to what was said elsewhere by God through one of the prophets: "Make yourself stand, Zion." And the divine David also sings somewhere, that "He set my feet upon a rock, and made my steps secure." And it is also written in the book of Psalms: "God sits upon his holy throne," that is, He perpetually has the firm and established nature of His own kingdom. For nothing bodily should be thought of in relation to God. And there follows the sitting, that is, the having a mindset that is firm and established, and the putting off of the bond of the neck. For each one is bound by the chains of his own sins, and we have been brought under the yoke of sin, and of Satan himself. But in Christ we are freed from these things too; and having broken their bonds, as it is written, and having cast off their yoke from ourselves, with a free and relaxed mind we achieve the good. Thus somewhere the God of all says to us through one of the prophets: "And you shall go out, and leap like calves released from bonds, and you shall trample the lawless; for they shall be as ash under your feet." And adding to these, The captive daughter Zion, first lets us understand that God pities those who have fallen under diabolical yokes and have served sin. Then in addition to this he shows that we fall into this, although it was possible not to suffer it. For having named Zion a captive, he also calls her a daughter. Then how was it possible for the daughter of God, who had been deemed worthy of such resplendent glory, to be caught in the snares of captivity? Who then brought her to this? Not the weakness of the [sō] living one from anywhere, but the counsel and choice of her who suffered, having run outside the compassion of the Father, by choosing the evil rather, and by a vote for the worse, destroying the good. For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall not be redeemed with silver. Having called her captive, he necessarily adds also the things that always befall those who fall into this misery. For they are carried off into slavery, with no one paying a price for them, but as prizes, and the fruits of war and of a barbarian invasion; for by violence and necessity they are called to unwilling service. Thus says the God of all her redemption will also be. For Satan seized the race on earth, and having it like a captive, he unbearably oppressed the world under heaven, having bound it with the yokes of his own wickedness. But the only-begotten Word of God became man, who has conquered on our behalf; and entering into the house of the strong man, and binding him, he plundered his goods, and transferred to himself all those on the earth. Therefore, as we were seized, so also we have been redeemed. For Christ did not take us from a willing captor, but rather by crushing his strength, and as God driving away the phalanx of demons. Therefore we have neither been sold for silver, nor have we been redeemed in the same way; but rather by the strength of Christ, the Savior of us all. For being a good shepherd, he has laid down his life for his own sheep, and has saved us by his own blood; for by his wound we were healed; and he was weakened for our sins; but we have been set free, having shaken off both the yoke of sin and the rapacity of the devil. Thus says the Lord: My people went down to Egypt previously to sojourn there, and they were led by force to the Assyrians. And now why are you here? Thus says the Lord: Because my people were taken for nothing, you marvel and wail. Thus says the Lord: For your sake my name is continually blasphemed among the nations. Having called Zion captive, he wishes to know the cause for which it has happened to her to fall into this disgrace and misery. For sometimes it brings back to better things those who have suffered something unexpected, the fact of not remaining in ignorance of their sins. For this reason he usefully reminds them of the things that happened from time to time to those before them. For when a famine was severe, Jacob went down at that time to Egypt, and his journey was unwilling, being unable to find provisions from anywhere. And Israel was also carried away to the Assyrians, when the king of the Chaldeans at that time ravaged Judea. And what was the reason for this? For having departed from being genuine, and from the duty [alt. the] to worship God alone, having senselessly cast off what seemed right according to the law [corr. having pushed away], they have inclined to idols and worshipped the works of their own hands; this became for them the reason for being captured by the hands of enemies, and fleeing the land that bore them, and serving their foes, inhabiting the country of the Persians and Medes. By force, therefore, they were led; for they were not willing in these matters. But now why are you here? He says "here" instead of "scattered in the lands of the nations, and dispersed to every wind," according to the voice of the prophet. For the Roman sword drove away from all of Judea those who were strong enough to flee at all. Or, "here," means, "In such a state of affairs as you are now in." And they have come to be, as I said, in extreme misery, on the one hand, with the army of the Romans overrunning their country according to the law of war, and on the other hand, with the whole city sacked, and the temple itself burned down. Why then have they come to be in these circumstances? he says; or is it not clearly because they did not accept the justifying faith, but in many ways insulted the one calling them to it, and unholily laid hands on him himself, after the just men and prophets who were sent, of whom they killed some and stoned others? And in these things the prophetic word has revealed this to us concerning the common multitude. But since it was the custom especially for the teachers of the Jews to raise a high brow against every nation, and for Israel to sometimes remain uncaptured and unconquered by its enemies, if indeed it was called the inheritance of God and a holy people; then when it happened that Judea was brought down in the ways I just mentioned, they were astonished and wailed, as if the evil had run beyond all hope for them. For this reason the God of all says to them: Because my people were taken, he says, for nothing, you marvel, and you wail. Thus says the Lord: For your sake my name is continually blasphemed among the nations. For you yourselves, he says, have become responsible for the suffering of those under you, leaving them untaught, or rather not allowing them at all to turn to God, and to see with the eyes of the mind the one who came down from heaven, the God Logos who appeared in human form, so that he might proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, and to heal those who have a broken [crushed] heart, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Therefore for your sake my name is blasphemed among the nations. For since Israel was scattered, he says, in every country and city, no one throughout the whole earth was ignorant that the holy city had been sacked, and that the temple itself had become a work of fire; then they slander my name, and mock my glory. For perhaps they think that my hand, which has always been a helper to Israel, has grown weak, but they are still ignorant of the true reason, and there is no one among them who understands that they are paying the penalties for the killing of the Lord and many other transgressions. Therefore my people will know my name in that day in that day, that I myself am he that speaks: I am present; as a season upon the mountains, as the feet of one preaching a message of peace, as one preaching good things. For since, he says, on account of your sloth I was blasphemed among the nations, I will not endure the slander, nor will I allow my glory to be assailed by calumnious voices. But in that time, in which I will shine upon those on the earth with flesh, those who become my peoples, having accepted the faith, whether they be from the Jews or from the gentiles, these will know my name. And by name he means glory. For it is the custom of the divinely-inspired Scripture to speak thus. For it is written, that "A good name is to be chosen, rather than great riches." We who have been called by him have known his glory, and we do not approach Christ, the Savior of all, as a human judge; but even if the Word became flesh, we believe that, being God by nature, and ineffably begotten of God the Father, he is above all creation, and is pre-eminent on the highest thrones, and rules over all things, and has a most powerful right hand, and easily saves whomsoever he might choose of those who have come to be under him, and absolutely nothing surpasses his power. But Israel was not so disposed. For they paid attention to him as to one of us, and not as to God who had become man. For this reason they sometimes said: "Who are you? And what do you make yourself to be?" and: "For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God." Nevertheless, whoever might be called to the knowledge of truth, he says, will know my glory. For I myself am he who speaks in the prophets: I am present. For God the Lord has appeared to us, as it is written. This the all-wise Paul also teaches, saying: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the worlds." It must be observed therefore in these things, that God the Father brought all things into being through the Son, and has spoken to us in the last times, not as through another son, the one according to the flesh from a woman, as some of the perverse have thought, but as there being one Son with the flesh, the Word who became man for us, who is also the maker of the ages. I am present then as a season upon the mountains, he says; and by season he means the spring. Come, then, let us observe the spiritual things as from an manifest fact. What does the spring, seen on the mountains, accomplish? It crowns the plants with new blossom, and from barrenness it moves them to bringing forth what each might naturally have. We will find something of this sort also written in the Song of Songs; "For arise, come, he says, my companion, my beautiful one, my dove; for behold, the winter has passed, the rain has passed by for itself, the flowers have appeared on the earth, the time of pruning has arrived." For when winter has passed, the bright spring rises for the earth, and makes it a nurse of flowers, and becomes the mother of ripe fruits. Something of this sort has also been done for us in an intelligible way. For the apostate dragon made winter under heaven, rendering it dry and fruitless. For there was no one at all who did good, not even one, "But all turned aside together, they have become worthless." But when the Only-begotten appeared with the flesh, he became for us as a season upon the mountains. For having, as it were, lost our bloom and cast off from our own souls the beauty of all virtue, we blossomed again in him and have been filled with spiritual fruitfulness, so as to be able to say what is in the Song of Songs: "Let my beloved come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his choice trees." He became, then, as a season upon the mountains, and as the feet of one preaching a message of peace, and preaching good things; for with sin lying between us and God, we were separated from him, and were estranged from the Master, and rising up against his divine laws, and acting contrary to the Master's will, and were placed in the rank of enemies. But Christ appeared the our peace, who took away the sin that lay between, and prepared us to enter into friendship with the Father, and united us through himself; for through him we have had access. Just as, therefore, if someone should come, it says, running swiftly and fast, saying that enemies have been captured, and announcing peace, and bringing good news; so also the Savior of all visited the world in the flesh, and became for us an arbiter of peace with God the Father, Satan having been destroyed, and all his host having been put out of the way, and that a time has come, in which it is possible for those who wish to partake of every good thing; for it will certainly follow for those who have believed in him, and have chosen to think and do his will, to have the most abundant participation in heavenly goods, and to be filled with every good hope; for the Savior is a lavish giver. That I will make your salvation heard, saying: Zion, your God shall reign, because the voice of those who guard you has been lifted up, and with the voice they will rejoice together; for eyes shall see to eyes, when the Lord shall have mercy on Zion. Now, he again names Zion in these words, not some earthly city, but rather his holy Church, which he established from the two peoples. For it is written that, "Rejoice, O nations, with his people." And Christ is said to have made both one, and to have broken down the middle wall of the partition, and to have abolished the law of commandments in ordinances. But with the proclamation of the evangelical message, which is also full of true doctrines, the power of the shadow in the law has ceased, that is, the worship and approach through blood. Zion, therefore, is to be understood as the Church, as I said, which Christ himself presented to himself, not having spot or wrinkle, but rather holy and blameless. Of this he made salvation heard, that is, renowned. For the power of the evangelical proclamations has escaped the notice of absolutely no one on earth; nor has anyone remained unheard of the salvation through Christ. For he also said through the lyre of the Psalmist: "Hear this, all nations; give ear, all you inhabitants of the world." And just as the memory of demons perished with a sound, that is, publicly and notoriously, and no one was ignorant of the destruction of the tyranny of demons; so also the divine and heavenly proclamation has become audible to those everywhere, bringing salvation to those who have recognized the appearance of Christ. And what is the power of the proclamation? Zion, your God shall reign. For long ago, that is, before the coming of our Savior, Satan had reigned over us through sin, and a yoke of tyrannical cruelty was cast upon those throughout the whole earth. But when the king and Lord of all shone upon us, having broken their bonds, and having cast off the yoke of him who formerly had the advantage, we subjected our neck to the scepters of God, and God the Father has reigned over us through the Son, and the matter has become for us an occasion for festival. At any rate, David sings, and says: "The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice." And again: "Sing praises then with understanding, God has reigned over all the nations." And to this, as I said, the Savior himself has also called us, saying: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest; take my yoke upon you." Therefore, we were acting wretchedly, and we were in the worst of evils, yoked to a savage tyrant, and having submitted to the yoke of sin. But the power of the sacred proclamations announced the kingdom of Christ, and we are all under him. For it has been proclaimed, saying, that "Zion, your God shall reign." But how he will reign, or in what manner, he himself immediately clarified, saying, that "The voice of those who guard you has been lifted up." And the guardians would be the divine disciples, or rather, simply all who know how and are able to initiate, and who persuade the the called, at least to be able to perform the good very well, and to hold fast to the love for Christ, and to make a right and blameless confession of faith in him. These are good shepherds, keeping for the chief shepherd of all the rational flock, and warding off the attacks of untamed beasts. He says their voice is lifted up, that is, to be heard by those everywhere. For it was said to them through the voice of Isaiah: "Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem." Lift it up, do not be afraid. For the apostolic proclamation is piercing and altogether unknown to no one. And that everything will run prosperously for them, and that those to whom their word would be given will be readily called, and that they themselves will rejoice greatly, seeing the fruits of their own initiation, he makes it clear, saying, that With the voice they will rejoice together. For as soon as they speak, he says, the multitude of those who have been initiated will follow, and those who are being instructed will run to the faith without delay. And this is a joy to those who have been commanded to teach. At any rate, Paul writes to those who believed through him, that "You are my joy and my crown." That the ready obedience of those being initiated followed the initiations of the saints in most places, one might see through many examples, by perusing the holy and God-inspired Scripture. For in Jerusalem, the divine disciples were speaking to the ranks of the Jews; but as it is written in the Acts of the Apostles: "Three thousand men were added in one day." And indeed the divine Paul, together with the blessed Silas, being prisoners, were singing hymns to God in the middle of the night. But when a holy angel came to the prison and loosened everyone's bonds, the jailer, becoming terrified, wanted to kill himself; but when Paul cried out: "Do not do yourself any harm; for we are all here;" marveling at the miracle, he was baptized with all his household." That the matter became an occasion of gladness for him, how is it possible to doubt? Therefore, at the heels, he says, of the initiation, the ready obedience of the called will run. And your eyes will see eye to eye, when the Lord will have mercy on Zion. Whom will they see, if not the author of salvation, that is, Christ? For the Word was made flesh, and the Psalmist is a witness to this, saying: "God will come manifestly, our God, and he will not keep silent." That is, what I said, that With the voice they will rejoice together, and this you will see with your own eyes, he says, at that time, when the Lord will have mercy on Zion, adding to all the grace through faith, and the abundant enjoyment of the heavenly goods. Let the desolate places of Jerusalem break forth into joy together, because the Lord has had mercy on her, and has redeemed Jerusalem. And the Lord will reveal his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation from God. To break forth into joy would signify the use of the voice, offering up songs of thanksgiving, and being eager to practice the doxologies, through which God would be gladdened. For it is written in the book of Psalms: "And my tongue will meditate on your justice, all the day long on your praise;" and for those who wish to do this, the matter will be for gladness. Since he says the desolate places of Jerusalem must do this, we say that thing of necessity, wishing to clarify the meaning of the preceding words. Those who inhabit a wide and long city, if they are so many in number as to be able to fill it, leave no place of it desolate; but when they are few in number because many have died, or war has broken out, or some other cause has brought it to this, most of the places or dwellings in it remain empty. Those from Israel have suffered something of this sort. For since they became deicides, and full of blood they have held back their hands, they have been consumed by the war with the Romans, so that very few of those saved were left, and the holy city was empty of men. But its desolate places, he says, will rejoice. For houses are gloomy, and as it were full of sadness, when they have no inhabitants; but somehow cheerful and as if laughing, if they should have very many settled in them. From the history, then, let us say something of spiritual things: The Church from the Gentiles, that is, those from the Gentiles who have believed, who are also named Sion, and indeed Jerusalem, were few in the beginning, and the truly holy city of God, that is, the Church, was like a desert. But nothing has remained idle in it; for it has been filled through Christ. And so it was said to her: "Lift up your eyes round about, and see your children gathered together." "Behold, these come from afar, these from the north and the sea, and others from the land of the Persians. And you will say, he says, in your heart: Who has begotten me these? I was childless and a widow, but where were these for me?" And again: "Enlarge the place of your tent, and of your courts; fix them, spare not; stretch out still to the right and to the left." For from every nation, city, and country there has been a concourse to Christ, the Gentiles having been called through faith, so that those who turn are called from the east, and south, and west, and north, being many more than those of the blood of Israel. And the prophet Isaiah himself revealed this, saying concerning the Church and the Synagogue of the Jews: "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor, for many are the children of the desolate one rather than of her who has a husband." For he calls the Church from the Gentiles barren, she who does not bear, and in addition to this, desolate. For she was childless and desolate, that is, a widow, not having the word which is the sower of all good. But he says that the Synagogue of the Jews is married, because it was yoked to the law through Moses, and became pregnant with the sacred ordinances, through which it was possible to bear fruit to God through the worship that was still in shadows and types. But many are the children of the desolate one, that is, of the widow, rather than of her who has a husband. And in what way this will be, he clarified by adding that the Lord will reveal his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation from God. For when the arm of God the Father, that is, the Son, became manifest among those throughout all the earth, when he was made known to all the nations, and the ends of the earth, that is, those from one end to the other, have seen the salvation from him, that is, clearly through faith, then the desolate places of Jerusalem, clearly the spiritual one, were filled, and the multitude of those called is beyond number. It is a custom in the divinely inspired Scripture to call the Son the arm of God the Father. For he is his power and all-powerful right hand, through whom he works all things, and concerning it the divine David says: "Let your hand be strengthened, let your right hand be exalted." And again concerning God the Father: "Sing to the Lord a new song, for the Lord has done wonderful things; his right hand has saved him, and his holy arm." Depart, depart, go out from there, and touch no unclean thing. Go out from the midst of her, be separate, you who bear the vessels of the Lord, because you will not go out with haste, nor by flight. For the Lord will go before you, and the Lord God of Israel will be your rear guard. The word seems to be spoken by God either to those who have been gathered together through faith, and have been called children of the Church, or perhaps to the holy mystagogues, clearly the apostles, and evangelists, who have become a light to the world under heaven, conveying the word of the evangelical proclamations to those throughout all the earth. He has therefore commanded these to depart, and to withdraw from the unbelievers, as from those who are defiled, because they chose not to believe in Christ, but also with the crimes of deicide their own to declare their heads guilty. Therefore, go out and touch not the unclean thing, that is, be cut off from communion with them, so as not to even want to be sharpened by them. For he who touches pitch, it says, will be defiled; for it is necessary that those who have believed in Christ, and through Him have been called to the cleansing of sin and to a participation in holiness, should love to be carried out of Jewish ignorance, and to be in every way of a different mind from them, and to be separated completely; for there is no communion of light with darkness, nor any part for a believer with an unbeliever. And indeed, the all-wise Paul writes to those from Galatia, who, after justification in Christ, dared to relapse into worship under the law: "O foolish Ga- latians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as cru- cified?" This only I want to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh? For they were being circumcised without understanding, although they had received the circumcision in the Spirit, that is, through Christ. Therefore, necessarily, in these things the God of all says, "Depart," and "Go out from there," and "Be separate, you who bear the vessels of the Lord." For those who have honored Emmanuel in faith, and have become partakers of his divine nature, by partaking of the Holy Spirit, and have been filled with his sacred gifts, bear vessels for God. And in what manner, the all-wise Paul will teach, saying: "Put on the whole armor of God; this is the breastplate of right- eousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." For having this spiritual panoply, they lead out against Satan, and stand against the pow- ers with him, leaping forth in a way and defending their own souls and the peoples under their hand; for this is the role of leaders. But having commanded to go out from her midst, "You shall not go out with haste," he says, "nor shall you go by flight." For he does not command them to depart from the Jewish or- ders as fugitives, that is, as those who are afraid, but rather in a relaxed manner and as if with authority, as those refusing to want to live with those so defiled, and to be numbered with the profane and wicked. Therefore, "You shall not go by flight," he says; but that their affairs will also come with ease, and nothing at all hard, or steep, or rough will meet them, he has fully assured them by saying, that "the Lord will go before you, and the God who gathers you." And with God being with them and going before, what will there be to harm the bearers of the sacred proclamations? Or rather, how will not all things turn out for them according to their prayer, and they run preaching as if on a smooth road? Behold, my servant shall understand, and shall be exalted, and shall be glorified exceedingly. In the way that many will be astonished at you, so your appearance shall be without honor from men, and your glory from men. And so many nations will marvel at him, and kings will shut their mouths; because they to whom it was not reported concerning him will see, and they who have not heard will understand. In these things, God the Father openly makes speeches concerning our Savior of all, Christ. For "Behold, my servant shall understand," he says; and by servant you will understand the Son, that is, the slave. For the Word, being God, took the form of a slave, and being Lord of all, he entered into the mea- sures of humanity. "For he did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he hum- bled himself." Therefore, when he became man, having sent himself into humiliation, then he was also blame- lessly named a slave, having taken the form of slavery. But, "He will understand," he says, instead of, "He will do and speak all things with the God-befitting under- standing and wisdom." And it is a work of God-befitting wisdom, and before all others, for the only-begotten Word of God to become flesh, that is, man, and to become poor with to those on earth, that we might be enriched by his poverty, that believing in him we might wash away the defilements of sin, since the law through Moses was powerless to remove sins, that by the death of his own flesh he might abolish death, and overthrow corruption, and reforge to incorruption those held fast by death, and make the man on earth a citizen of heaven, and through himself unite to God the Father the one who long ago was a runaway, and proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, and heal the brokenhearted, and empty Hades, and remove Satan from his rule and dominion over all. Therefore my servant shall understand, it says. For there is nothing at all unintelligent, or rather, unwise, in what has been done for us. For he has made all things in wisdom, according to the voice of the Psalmist. For this reason he will be exalted, it says, and glorified exceedingly. For God is glorified by us as Lord, and we call him Savior and Redeemer. And we have believed this to be according to truth. But that the word from God the Father might be entirely true and beyond reproach, it necessarily added that Just as many will be astonished at you, so will your appearance be without honor from men, and your glory from men. For those who have recognized his epiphany, and have been able with the eyes of the mind to perceive the greatness of the divine authority within him, are amazed at the economy; such was the prophet Habakkuk, who says, "O Lord, I have heard your report, and was afraid; I considered your works, and was astonished." But those who did not understand his glory, remaining unbelieving and without understanding, impiously condemned him to dishonor and shame, calling him a Samaritan, a glutton and a drunkard, and born of fornication, and in addition to these, a sinner. Therefore, as many will be astonished at you, so also among men will your appearance be without honor, and your glory from men. But just as this will happen, so also will many nations marvel at you, and kings will shut their mouths. For the all-daring Jews, although worthy of no account, dared to mock, and often unleashing an unbridled tongue against him, they attacked him with abusive words. But many kings, fearing him as God, and offering glory to him as king of all, will shut their mouths, that is, they will say nothing harsh, nor will they utter anything that defiles the glory of Christ. And that the divine and sacred and saving proclamation, that is the gospel, will not come from those among whom his appearance was dishonored, but rather from those who shut their mouths and were amazed at his glory, he showed by saying, that Those to whom it was not announced concerning him shall see, and those who have not heard shall understand. For it was announced to those of Israel through the law and the prophets concerning Christ, but to the nations not at all. But these, he says, will rather see the salvation from him; and those who have never heard of his mysteries, these will understand them, by believing, clearly. For faith is the root and nurse of understanding, and like an entrance leading to piety and life, bringing in those who receive it. And so the prophet Isaiah says, "If you do not believe, you will not understand." Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? We announced before him, as a child, as a root in a thirsty land. A great discourse has always been made by the holy prophets concerning the Savior of us all, and they have not ceased to admonish, announcing very clearly, that God the Word will come at the appointed times in human form, and that he will work miracles in a manner befitting God. And he works both this and that, calling the straying to the straight path, and justifying the ungodly in faith. But they profited those of the blood of Israel very little, who were greatly inclined to disobedience; so that although it was necessary to snatch the prediction, and to gather life-giving knowledge, and to store it in their own hearts, from the opposite, they leap upon the mystagogues, and attack them, saying very bitterly: "Speak other things to us, and announce to us another deceit." And so the prophet Jeremiah, as one brought down into despondency by the immeasurable cruelty of the Jews, says somewhere thus: "Woe is me, mother! what a man you bore me, judged and contended with in all the earth? I have neither profited, nor has anyone profited me. My strength has failed among those who curse me." But in sum, the whole chorus of the saints, speaking as it were about Jerusalem, say: "We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Let us forsake her, and let each go to his own land; for her judgment has reached to heaven, it has been lifted up even to the stars." For in these words they call Jerusalem Babylon, as one eager to imitate its ways, and in no way inferior to the land of the gentiles, with respect to wickedness, and in not enduring to honor the law, or the benefit of prophetic instruction. This is the meaning and power of the preceding verses. For he accuses Israel of having completely turned aside to disobedience, and says: Who has believed our report? For we, O Master, he says, have been initiated by you into the word concerning the incarnation, and we have had this report; but no one has believed, and to no one has your arm been revealed, of the Lord and God of all. It is the custom in the divinely-inspired Scripture to call the Son the arm of God the Father, as has been shown in many places. But as if someone were objecting and saying: You, O prophets, have possessed the report through the Spirit, and have been enriched with the knowledge of the mystery; did you then proclaim the mystery to others? Yes, they say, we announced, and we almost solemnly testified, saying, that we shall be before him as a field, that is, as a flourishing and fruitful field, or also as a root in thirsty ground, the Only-begotten clearly watering us with divine and ineffable words, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. For long ago the whole earth was as it were dry and fruitless, and like a thirsty land, having [no] cultivated fruits. But since it was enriched with the rain from Christ, clearly the spiritual rain, and the supply through the Holy Spirit, we sprouted as a root, that is, as a plant both beautiful and flourishing. And so one of the holy prophets said to us: "And all the nations will call you blessed, because you will be a desirable land, says the Lord almighty." And he calls desirable that which is fruitful and most fertile; for this is welcome to farmers. But that the once thorn-bearing, dry and waterless land has been changed into a most fertile one, and to be able to be rich in spiritual fruits, the God of all will make clear, speaking through the voice of Isaiah: "And it shall be, instead of the thornbush shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the fleabane shall come up the myrtle tree." For thornbush and fleabane are kinds of thorns, and the barren and waterless land always nourishes them; but the myrtle and the cypress flourish in gardens. When the thorn is removed, therefore, he says, the most fragrant of plants will then spring up, when the thirsty land becomes watered, God saying, that I will make the desert into pools, and the thirsty land into watercourses. I will put in the waterless land the cedar, and the box-tree, and the myrtle, and the cypress, and the poplar. Therefore we announced, that by believing in Christ himself, we shall be before him, that is, watched over by him, as a field, as a root, that is, as a plant in a once thirsty land, but now made watered by him. He has no form, nor glory; and we saw him and he had no form, nor beauty. But his form was dishonored, lacking beyond all men. What then does the prophet say in these words, or what meaning might one apply to what has been said, Come now, let us consider again, as we can. For it has been acknowledged that we have also announced, that is, we have made the prediction complete, that he will come in due time. But perhaps someone might say to this: What then, if the Word, being God, came down from heaven, crowned with glory befitting God, and shining with unapproachable light, appeared to those on earth, and was unapproachable because of the excess of glory? And indeed when he descended in the form of fire upon Mount Sinai, there was darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and fire darting on high, and smoke, and many other things besides these, productive of the utmost terror and dread, so that the sight became unbearable to the beholders. And indeed those of Israel asked for a mediator, saying to the most excellent Moses: "Speak you to us, and let not God speak to us, lest we die." It is no wonder then, he says, if you predicted it, but he appeared to those on earth having an unapproachable glory, and was unbearable to anyone. What then do the prophets say? They respond ardently, saying: Disobedience is without excuse, apostasy has no pretext, he has no form, nor glory. For he was not in a form, he says, and glory befitting God. For he emptied himself, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself. And we say these things, having the tradition not from hearing alone, but having also seen with our own eyes him who is proclaimed. We saw him, and he had no form, nor beauty, that is, beauty befitting God, but his form was without honor. For human things are small, and of no account, and altogether without honor, compared at least to the divine and supreme excellence, and the most resplendent beauty of the nature that is above all; and indeed it is said: Fair in beauty beyond the sons of men. And he says something even greater: Lacking beyond all men, clearly referring to his form, just as if they had said: For it is possible to see some among men who are distinguished by the splendor of their dignities; raised on high by retinues from wealth, and ruling widely, or, in some other way, being in earthly excellences. But Emmanuel was not among these, but in a small and lowly station, so as to seem inferior to other men. And the saying is true. For he was not born of a rich mother, the holy Virgin, but he came through all things that are small, that he might exalt the humble, and make desirable that which is without honor. And from another point of view, being God, Lord and king of all, what need would he have of splendor among men? A man in suffering, and knowing how to bear sickness; because his face was turned away, he was dishonored, and was not esteemed. Having said, that we also *saw him, and he had no form, nor beauty*, they clearly declare in what state of countenance they beheld him who is proclaimed. For he resembles a man, they say, who is in suffering, but nobly bears sickness, that is, affliction, or suffering evil. For perhaps they saw the Savior's face as downcast, and as it were in turmoil and fear, since indeed he was already about to suffer death upon the cross; when he also said, at one time, "Now is my soul troubled;" and at another time again: "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. —And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause I came to this hour." And one of the holy evangelists also said that when the time was at hand, in which he was about to suffer, he began to be sorrowful and very heavy. For although the only-begotten Word of the Father, being God by nature, and unsusceptible to passions, and grief, and all such things whatsoever, he permitted our nature not to be without pain when temptation assailed, proving by all means that he became as we are, and not, as some thought, a shadow and an image seen on earth, but that he became a man in very deed. But his face, he says, was turned away. And "turned away" is instead of "was ashamed," "was dishonored," and "was not esteemed." For Pilate sent Jesus to Herod; but he, it says, set him at naught and sent him back. Not for he reckoned Jesus to be, and his face was dishonored, that is, by the sending of spittle, and by Pilate's soldiers striking him, and saying: "Prophesy to us, Christ, who is it that struck you." And he was dishonored in another way, by enduring the torments of scourges, and the blows from the servants. For he said through the voice of Isaiah: "I gave my back to scourges, and my cheeks to blows, and I did not turn my face away from the shame of spitting." Therefore, as I said, the divine prophets seem to have seen in a vision, that is, through the Holy Spirit, the Son, or rather his face not free from human-like sorrow, since indeed the time was at hand, in which he had to suffer, so that by the death of his own flesh he might abolish death, having removed the sin of the world. This one bears our sins, and is in pain for us; and we considered him to be in toil, and in affliction, and in distress. But he was wounded for our sins, and was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, by his stripe we were healed. We all like sheep have gone astray; every man has gone astray in his own way, and the Lord has delivered him up for our sins. Our Lord Jesus Christ endured the cross, despising the shame, and became obedient to the Father unto death, and bore the impiety of the Jews, so that, as I just said, he might take away the sin of the world, the letter of the law, that is, the worship according to the law, having no power to accomplish this. For it was impossible for the blood of goats and bulls to take away sins. Indeed, he suffered outside the gate, so that, as Paul says, he might sanctify the people through his own blood; for he suffered, not for himself, far from it, but for all under heaven. And the all-wise Paul will testify in writing about God the Father, that "He did not spare His own Son, but delivered him up for us all, that with him he might also freely give us all things." And he himself somewhere says through the lyre of the Psalmist to the Father and God in heaven: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure, then I said: Behold, I come. In the scroll of the book it is written of me, to do, O God, your will, I desired." For since the worship according to the law was useless for those on earth for taking away sins, since sacrifices of oxen and slaughter of sheep were not desired by God, the true lamb, who takes away the sin of the world, has offered himself for us as a fragrant offering; then having endured the death of the flesh, he freed all under heaven, both from death and from sin. For one more worthy than all suffered for all, that he might rule and reign over all. And Paul will again confirm this in writing: "For this reason Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living." And again: "One died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised." Rightly therefore the prophet says, that "This one being in affliction, who knows how to bear weaknesses, whose face was turned away, who was dishonored, and not esteemed, bears our sins, and is in pain for us, and we considered him to be in toil, and in affliction, and in distress." Observe now for me again, with how much skill the prophetic word proceeds in these things. For it assumes the person of those who do not know the mystery of Christ, but who thought that he was in his passion as one who would put away his own sins. For we considered him to be in toil, and in affliction, and in distress, it says, that is, we thought the passion happened to him as a stroke from God, as if for certain sins, and on account of this sin to be in toil, and in affliction, and in distress. But it is not so at all, but rather he was wounded for the sins of us, and he was weakened on account of our iniquities. Then he also gives other reasons, through which it is possible to see that for the sake of our salvation, and life, he who knew no sin came to be in suffering. For of old we were set at enmity with God, fighting against his sacred laws, and not having the yoke of obedience, and refusing to serve him. But it was necessary, he says, for those who had slipped into such insolence to be chastened with a scourge; so that, departing from evil things, we might destroy the enmity and be at peace with God, by submitting our neck to him, and by trying to do what is pleasing to him. But this chastisement, he says, which ought rather to have been brought upon those who had sinned, so that they who were at war with God might be reconciled, came upon him. And this, I think, is the meaning of, The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And he makes the meaning of the matter clearer, by adding immediately, By his wound we were healed. For he suffered, as I said, for our sake. For we all went astray like sheep; a man went astray in his way, and the Lord delivered him up for our sins. Therefore we have gone astray, we have departed from the living God, following our own pleasures. But the Lord of all, that is, God the Father, on account of our sins delivered him up, so that he might free us from punishment, and save those who believe. And knowing this, Christ himself said: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." For as the rain comes down, or the snow from heaven, and does not return until it waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and sprout, and gives seed to the sower, and bread for food; so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return, until it has accomplished all that I willed. As from a clear and most well-known example he tries to convince us how great is the power of his commands. For rain or snow falls from heaven, and no one could hinder it when it is sent down from God; rather the purpose of him who sends it runs to its completion; for it renders all the earth fruitful, so that the farmers have great abundance both of seeds and of food. For when the time comes for the well-nourished ear of grain to be given up by the earth, farmers seek not only those things which can suffice for food, but also whatever will be sufficient for them again, when the season calls for them to labor. So, he says, no one could restrain my word, nor would it be turned back, that is, it will not cease, until what seems good to me comes to pass. And the word is true; for as the prophet Isaiah says, "What the holy God has planned, who will scatter, and his high hand, who will turn it back?" For who will be so great as to stand against divine decrees, and to rise up against the master's will? No one at all. Therefore, whatever goes forth from the mouth of the God who truly is, this in every way and entirely will run to its completion; for it is in him to be able to accomplish all things, and in addition to this, not to lie. However, God the Father sent down to us on earth a kind of divine and spiritual rain, the comfort through Christ, that is, the provision of the evangelical proclamations, through which the whole earth has become fruitful and most fertile. For the divine David sings, and says: "You have visited the earth, and have watered it, you have multiplied to enrich it; water its furrows, multiply its produce, in its drops it will rejoice when it sprouts." And indeed also through the voice of Moses, "My saying, he says, will come down as rain, and let my words come down as dew." And the all-wise Paul also writes to some: "Now may the God of peace increase your seed, and multiply the fruits of your righteousness." Therefore we have had spiritual fruitfulness, having received into our mind the provision through Christ, so as not only to gather the sacred food, that is, for us to have the life-giving bread, but also seed for the sower. For those who are leaders of the peoples, and knowledgeable in sacred dogmas, and are able to instruct others and who weave the word of mystagogy for the people under their charge, sow in their hearts the seed which they have stored up for them, having previously heaped it up in their own souls. For as the all-wise Paul says, "We are God's field;" for we are co-workers with God who sows in us both an accurate knowledge of dogmatic skill, and an understanding of a holy way of life, and a desire for every good thing; and this is Christ, who also says concerning Himself: "A sower went out to sow his seed." And I will make my ways prosperous, and my commandments. For in gladness you shall go out, and in joy you shall be taught. Having promised that in every way and entirely they will be shown mercy, having washed away the filth of sin, then having become pure they will be joined to him spiritually, and those who are far off will be near, and will be enriched by the bounties from him, and having inserted in the middle the means by which they could believe that he is also without falsehood, being God by nature and Lord of hosts, he again takes up what follows, that is, the enumeration of the spiritual gifts to be given to them. For I will make my ways prosperous, he says, and my commandments; this is a great and noteworthy good, and a gift from heaven; and in what manner, we shall say. For to those wishing to move from worldly love of pleasure to a respectable life, the matter is not a smooth one, nor even passable in the beginning. For the sweetness of ingrained habit, as it were, rises up against them, and intoxicates the mind within them with sorrows. For the passions of the flesh are not easy to escape, nor indeed for those who are willing is it a well-trodden path to run toward virtue. But when God makes the way prosperous, and makes the impassable and uphill places bare and easy to travel, one might very easily flee even the assaults of the passions, and most vigorously leap up to the heights of the virtues. For it is written: "The high mountains are for the harts." What then does God promise to those who have believed in him? I will make my ways prosperous, and my commandments, and you will not go out in sorrow, but you will be taught in joy. This, I think, is what the prophetic writing said again somewhere else: "The way of the pious has become straight, and the path of the pious has been prepared." For the way of the Lord is judgment. And another of the holy prophets says, "The ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous will walk in them, but the ungodly will be weak in them." For if God does not make the ways smooth for them, they would not have the strength to travel through them. For that it is a gift of heaven, as I said, to be able to walk the divine ways and fulfill the commandments, through which one might journey to God, he taught when he said concerning the Synagogue of the Jews: Therefore, behold, I, he says, will hedge up her ways with thorns, and she shall seek her paths, and shall not find them. Therefore, he says, when I make the commandments prosperous, you will go out in gladness, that is, you will be superior to sorrow, you will not be bitten in the heart, having become outside of passions, and running over to the better and admirable life. For you will be taught rejoicing, and delighting in the sacred words. And so the divine David: "How sweet, he says, are your oracles to my throat! more than honey and the honeycomb to my mouth." And he affirmed that he rejoiced in them more, and very wisely so, as over all riches; and in joy they might also be understood in another way as running out; for being delivered from the ancient deceit, they joyfully seize the call from God, and it is possible to see from the facts themselves that this is true. For the mountains and the hills will leap forth to receive you with joy, and all the trees of the field will clap with their branches, and instead of the bramble shall come up the cypress, and instead of the flea-bane shall come up the myrtle. And the Lord shall be for a name, and for an everlasting sign, and it shall not fail. By "mountains" in these passages he perhaps means the powers above and in heaven, which indeed have also been appointed by God for the assistance of those on earth. For they are ministering spirits sent forth for service for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation, and they rejoice even over one sinner who repents. Indeed, they might also reasonably be compared to mountains, as having obtained a very high station and according to the magnitude of the virtue within them. Or rather, you would take "mountains" to be those having the teaching office in the Churches, thinking of nothing low, but rather seeking the things above, and having leaped up from earthly things; and "hills" indeed, those who are inferior to their pre-eminence, and, as it were, sitting below their glory. For there are measures in the Churches both of honor and of ministries; these intelligible mountains, he says, and with them the hills, will leap up, that is, they will leap for joy, rejoicing, clearly, on account of your conversion and calling, and they will receive you with joy; for we rejoice not moderately, when some of those who have gone astray, having forsaken continuing any longer in mist and darkness, rush to the light of the true vision of God. Thus also the all-wise Paul addressed them, saying: "My joy and crown." But also all the trees of the field, he says, will clap with their branches. And you will understand "trees of the field" to be those who are numbered among the laity. For flourishing is the garden of the Savior. And at any rate, since she is both thriving and fruitful, the bride described in the Song of Songs, she says: "Let my beloved come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his choice trees." Therefore the intelligible trees will clap with their branches, he says. For those who have believed rejoice, just as indeed also the mountains and the hills, that is, those appointed to lead the peoples, at the salvation of those called to life, and at the completion of the immaculate mystery-initiation, through which the divine light is sent into them. Then, that there will be a very great change for the incomparably better for those who have been called, he shows immediately by saying that instead of the thornbush there will be the cypress, and instead of the fleabane the myrtle will come up. They say that thornbush and fleabane are bitter and unapproachable [or: rejected] thorns, and they do not grow at all in places under cultivation, but rejoice in dry and salty land. Such were those who were wandering, and worshipping the creation rather than the creator. But since they have been called to the knowledge of truth, having ceased to be thornbush and fleabane, they have changed in an intelligible way into the tall and most fragrant of plants. For they are called cypress and myrtle. Great therefore is the wonder of the one who cultivates the Church, that is, of Christ. For he transforms the thorns into the noble and choice of plants, and makes them other than they were in a fatherly [or: spiritual] way. And we shall find this to have happened also among those of the blood of Israel. For though once being thornbush and fleabane, Matthew and Paul—for the one was a tax-collector, the other a persecutor and insolent man—have become luminaries of the world, and they are the sweet aroma of Christ in every place, both among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, as the most holy Paul says. And that the provider and ruler of all these things will remain in endless glory and permanence, he teaches, saying that "The Lord will be for a name, and for an everlasting sign, and he will not fail." and by "name" in these passages he means the glory, and by "sign," as I think, the radiance through the cross, through which we have also been saved, and we shall be in it without ceasing. For his grace will not fail us at any time or in any way.

Discourse 28

Thus says the Lord: Keep judgment, and do justice. For my salvation is about to come, and my mercy to be revealed. Concerning the calling of the nations through faith, that is, the one in Christ, he has made long speeches in the preceding parts a little while ago, and having finished this, he moves on again to the need to admonish those of the blood of Israel. For being good by nature, He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But since it was their custom to raise their eyebrows at the nobility of their fathers, and to be high-minded for this very reason, and this alone, and to think these things would suffice for them, even if the boast of a good life was not seen among them, he tries to assure them that their puffing up over this will be completely in vain, and he shows rather that those who have obtained God-befitting glory are those who choose to fulfill what has been commanded, and love to practice brightness in works. Therefore, he says, keep judgment, that is, right judgment, or the divine judgments, which clearly means the commandments. Do justice; for it will not suffice merely to wish to adhere to the divine laws, but to shrink from the need to carry them out; but one must be seen as a guardian of the sacred judgments, and besides this, to excel through every good work. And lest anyone of us should think that through these words those from Israel are being incited to the observance of the law, which is, as I say, in shadows and types; for no one is justified by the law before God, as the most excellent Paul wrote to some; he says that salvation is near, and his mercy is to be revealed. And he calls Christ mercy and salvation; for we have been shown mercy through him, gaining remission and salvation through faith. We say that this is similar to what was said [alt. this to what was said] by God to the blessed Habakkuk: "Yet a little while, and he who is to come will come, and will not delay." And when he says 'to be revealed,' it is instead of 'to be made manifest'; for the blessed prophets foretold the arrival of the Savior; but he became visible to those on earth at the times when the ruler willed it; and the divine David will teach this, saying: "The Lord has made known his salvation, he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations." For Christ, who is salvation and righteousness, has been made manifest to the nations; for as I just said, God the Father has saved and justified us in him. Blessed is the man who does these things, and the man who holds fast to them, and keeps my Sabbaths from being profaned, and keeps his hands from doing any wrong. These things are also akin to what we have just said, and proceed along the same lines, yet the discourse has much for observation. For observe how he says that the blessed one is not at all necessarily the one from the seed of Abraham, nor the one boasting in flesh and noble birth, and having a vain mind on this account, but rather that one in whom is seen excellence in good things, and the brilliant and manifest dignity of a life unprofaned. Something of this sort is also seen to have been proclaimed by the blessed John the Baptist to the crowds of the Jews; for they came honoring the baptism from him, but it was one of repentance, and he rebuked them for being very bitter, saying: "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves: We have Abraham as our father." But he says: "If you had Abraham as your father, you would do the works of Abraham." Blessed, therefore, he says, is not one who is a son of Abraham, but the one who keeps these things; and what are these things? Judgment and justice, and in addition to this, keeping and performing them, and holding fast to them, that is, not proceeding to them negligently or carelessly, but as it were with all zeal, and vigorously, so as to hold fast to them exceedingly, and to keep the Sabbaths from profaning them. So that you may again understand this: it was not permitted on the Sabbath to take any thought for things concerning the flesh of toils or of zealous works. But it was necessary rather to be idle from this, as the divine law commanded, yet while being idle they offered the customary sacrifices to God, the letter of the law enigmatically showing, that abstaining from carnal care it is fitting to wisely offer spiritual sacrifices to God, and those for a spiritual aroma of sweet fragrance. The power of the Sabbath rest, therefore, fulfilled the type of the rest from sins and carnal desires; thus it is fitting for us also to keep from profaning the Sabbaths; for having ceased, as I said, from all earthly and carnal care, we keep the sabbath spiritually, not performing the sacrifices through blood and smoke, but gladdening him with holy zealous works, and offering ourselves up as a smell of sweet fragrance. For with such sacrifices God is well pleased, as it is written. Therefore, it is necessary not to profane the Sabbaths, and in addition to this to keep our hands clean; and in what way, he himself taught by saying: To do no wrong. For it is not possible to be able to keep judgment and to do righteousness while wishing to do wrong, and defiling the hand with the filth of sin. And hand not in every case means that of the body, but instead of the hand you will understand practical energy, by which we approach each of the matters. Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say: The Lord will surely separate me from this people. And let not the eunuch say, I am a dry tree. Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs: Whoever shall keep my Sabbaths, and shall choose the things that I desire, and hold fast to my covenant, I will give them in my house and in my wall a named place, better than sons and daughters, I will give them an everlasting name, and it will not fail. God drags down another brow of those of the blood of Israel, that is a pretext for arrogance, as both rotten and stale; for they thought much of themselves, as I said, saying, "We have Abraham as our father," and indeed that we are a holy people, chosen, and we are also assigned as God's inheritance. And they also fled from childlessness, since indeed the forefather Abraham in the order of blessing received from God that his immeasurable seed would be extended into a multitude; for God promised to show it to be equal in number to the stars. And it was said to them also through the all-wise Moses: "There shall not be among you a barren man or a barren woman." And that having many children was considered a great and excellent thing among them, one of the holy prophets will fully inform, saying: "Their glories are from childbirths and birth pangs, and conceptions." And that seven women will take hold of one man, the prophet Isaiah says; and they said that "We will eat our own bread, and we will wear our own garments, only let your name be called upon us, take away our reproach." For they did not want, as I said, to be reproached as barren and sterile. Therefore, since it seemed to those of Israel to think highly of themselves for their carnal nobility, and in addition for having many children, he necessarily removes them from this ignorance also, saying: Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, The Lord will surely separate me from his people. For not because he is a foreigner, that is, not of the blood of Israel, is he for this reason also without a share in the gifts from him, that is, of intimacy with him, clearly spiritual; but if he should join himself to the Lord, he will certainly be ranked among his own, and those known, and as a holy nation, and a royal priesthood, and as an inheritance of God; and he will be numbered also among the children of Abraham. For not all who are of Israel are Israel, as the all-wise Paul says, nor because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children, but the children of the promise are counted as seed. And the promise has been given to Abraham by God, not only upon those from him according to the flesh, but also indeed upon all those through faith; for thus was Abraham justified. Therefore, to those who walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham will certainly be given the being numbered among the children. He will not therefore separate the proselyte from his people, but he who has once been added and called in faith he will receive, and will call them a holy people. But if someone is a eunuch, he says, that is, childless or barren, let him not say to himself, "I am a dry tree," that is, let him not grieve because of his childlessness. For this is nothing before God, nor does it render one rejected. For what manner of virtue, or what brilliance of achievements, is having many children? These are works of the flesh, far from both blame and praise. For even if this thing has been given to some as a blessing, when the time calls for it, it would in no way wrong those who did not receive it. Since what manner of condemnation would there be for those who died before their time, or who departed from our human affairs before marriage and union, for whom there was no begetting of children? And will being fathers of many sons and daughters in some way profit the lovers of sin in this life? Let him who has no children not say, he says, "I am a dry tree." But it is no grief, rather I say it is necessary to remember now also those who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven, according to the voice of the Savior, to whom one might apply, and very rightly, the word from God in these matters. For I will give to them, he says, in my house and in my wall a famous place. And by house and wall, that is, the enclosure and security, he seems to call the Church, perhaps the one above and in the heavens, or the one on earth, in which men excel who are companions of purity and reverence, and who take up the boast of continence, and consider the glory in this to be better than having many children, and who in respect of a reverent way of life differ in no way from eunuchs. These receive eternal glory from God; this the name makes clear, and the grace from him would not fail in them; for the rewards of continence are exceptional, yet he does not promise the provision of such splendid dignities to simple eunuchs, but to those who keep his Sabbaths, that is, of Christ; and his Sabbaths, as I said, are different from those of the law. For the one were in types, but the other are illumined by the beauty of truth. And since to those who choose [what] he himself wishes, and hold fast to his covenant. And Christ wishes not the things in shadows and letters according to the law, but also the things in the covenant from him; and it is clear that this is the new and evangelical one. And to the foreigners who cleave to the Lord to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants and handmaids, and all who keep my Sabbaths from being profaned, and who hold fast to my covenant, I will bring them to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable upon my altar. For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, said the Lord who gathers the dispersed of Israel. These things must be joined to what was said before, so that what is said may be of this sort: Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs, and to the foreigners who cleave to the Lord to serve him. Therefore he speaks to those from the nations, and not at all only to those from the blood of Israel, who, raising a high brow, looked down upon the foreigners, calling themselves the portion and inheritance of God and a holy people; saying, "We are blessed, O Israel, for the things that are pleasing to the Lord are known to us." It is clear, therefore, that it is not the power of fleshly nobility that joins one to God; for not because they are from Abraham have they remained God's inheritance, but those who cleave to him would be counted as his people through a spiritual connection, even if they should be foreigners, cleaving through faith, and considering servitude under him a boast, and loving his name; and loving in such a way as to run always under the yoke through complete subjection to his kingdom, not turning aside to what is not lawful, nor indeed being easily led to choose to turn back, at least to the necessity of cleaving to other gods, but rather a firm and having an unshaken mind, and so keeping His Sabbaths, so as not to profane them, of Christ, that is. For Jews keep the Sabbath according to the law, keeping the flesh free from all toil, and practicing inactivity as regards bodily works. But such a sabbath-keeping was rejected by God; but he who has entered into the rest of Christ, and keeps the Sabbath intellectually, has ceased from his own works. For thus writes the all-wise Paul. He promises to bring the foreigners into His holy mountain, and to gladden them in His house of prayer. Here see for me the shadow of the law overturned, and the oldness of the letter now somehow inoperative. For all things have become new in Christ, the old things have passed away. The law indeed forbade foreigners to enter the house of God; for it said: "An Ammonite and a Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord." But the Savior and Lord of all, transforming our affairs into a spiritual newness, promises to bring the foreigners into His holy house. For He says the holy mountain is nothing other than His own Church, into which having entered they are gladdened by His gifts, delighting, that is, and being rich in the hope of the saints; and that they will live purely, and will have the God of all to be benevolent and gracious, He has declared by saying, that Their whole burnt offerings, and their sacrifices will be acceptable upon my altar. And the word was given as from an example and type of the worship according to the law. For of old it was the custom for those of Israel to offer whole burnt offerings of rams and bulls, and to bring sacrifices. But since, as I said, the shadow has passed away, those called from the Gentiles do not make their approach through blood, but as it were consecrate themselves to God, dying to the world, but living to righteousness, as it is written. And they will be acceptable, and as a fragrant aroma, some presenting their whole life as if it were sacred, so as to be understood in the rank of whole burnt offerings; others as a partial sacrifice, such as is the life of those who have married in the Lord, being divided in a way between God and the world. For the animals offered for sacrifices were not placed whole upon the altars, but rather by halves, that is, in part. Therefore the foreigners are acceptable, offering themselves up as a spiritual fragrance. But that the divine temple, that is, the house of prayer of the God over all, has not been allotted only to those of Israel, but is rather praised by those throughout all the earth who are called through conversion and faith to the knowledge of Him, He makes clear by saying, that My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. Who then is it who promises these things beforehand? Is it the divine prophet Isaiah, as from his own opinion? Not at all. For the Lord has said, he says, who gathers the dispersed of Israel. These, therefore, are the words, and the voices of Him who has mercy; for being good by nature, He wants all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But that the greatness of his gentleness was not shown only to those of the Gentiles, when Christ shone upon the world, but indeed also upon those of the blood of Israel, would be made clear by his saying, The Lord has said who gathers the dispersed of Israel. Therefore they too were scattered, and not so much bodily, that is, carried away somewhere outside of Judea, and being in other cities or countries, but as having departed from the polity of the law, and having leaped away from the love of God; for they have not kept the given commandment; and we shall find in many places, that they also inclined to the worship of idols, and honored God with their lips, but having their mind estranged, and worshiping Him in vain, teaching as doctrines, the commandments of men. Therefore let the intractable Israel not boast over the foreigners; for they too have been shown mercy in a like manner by God; For they were taken, not having their genuine nature unshaken, nor indeed their noble sentiment entirely blameless, but rather scattered and dispersed, as I just said. Because I will gather an assembly against him. All you wild beasts, come, eat, all you beasts of the forest. See that they are all blinded, and they did not know how to be prudent. They are all dumb dogs, unable to bark, dreaming in bed, loving to slumber, and like shameless dogs in their soul, not knowing satiety, and they are wicked, not knowing understanding, all have followed in their own ways, each one according to his own. You will approach what is written in a twofold manner: for it either says that the untamed and savage beasts are those from the nations, inasmuch as they have been brought up under such a tyrant, I mean the devil, and as it were have been made beastly, and live in a way that is not human; or it seems to call beasts those who laid waste to Israel, and with their whole mouth devoured him on account of their impiety toward Christ. And if it is mentioning the nations as beasts, we say that the words, 'Come, eat,' have been addressed to them by God. And this signifies that every abundance of the sacred gifts has been given to them by Him, and that the life-giving table has been set before them; for they too have eaten the bread of life, for they have become partakers of Christ, and of the same body as the saints, so as also to say rejoicing: "The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want. He has made me to lie down in a place of green pasture; He has nourished me beside the water of rest; He has restored my soul. You have prepared a table before me." And He said also through one of the holy prophets: "Eat, drink, and be drunk, O neighbors." For being far from God, they have come near through faith, those who once were wandering have been filled with the sacred food; for it is written, "Bread strengthens man's heart." But if by beasts we understand those who devoured Israel, 'Come, eat' is as if throwing to them those who have acted impiously, and for whom it is fitting to suffer, and very justly so; for they have killed the author of life, not having accepted the faith, and those who were near have become far, and no longer the people of God, but rather are hated as slayers of the Lord. But lest God seem to be punishing in vain, and demanding penalties for nothing, He immediately sets forth the reasons for which they, having become liable, are given over to destruction by their enemies, that is, to the beasts for consumption. For, He says, See that they are all blinded, they did not know how to be prudent. For truly blind are those of Israel, and especially among the others the Scribes and the Pharisees, and those chosen to be leaders of the Synagogue. For they did not receive the true light, nor indeed did they wish to know Christ, although He clearly cried out, at one time, "I am the light of the world," and at another time again, "I have come as a light into this world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Therefore, when it was possible to be enriched by the light by accepting the faith, this they did not do, but as the prophet says, When they waited for light, there was darkness for them, waiting for brightness they walked in gloom. And the Savior Himself also said concerning them and the peoples under their hand, "They are blind, and guides of the blind." Therefore, they are all blinded, He says, and did not know how to be prudent. For it was indeed the part of prudent and understanding men to grasp swiftly the present time of salvation; for the divine David urged them to this, saying: "Lay hold of instruction, lest the Lord be angry, and you perish from the righteous way, when His wrath is kindled swiftly against you." But since they did not lay hold of the instruction through Christ, His wrath was kindled against them, and they perished from the righteous way, that is, they have become outside the evangelical way of life, through which alone the ways of the righteousness pleasing to God shine forth. And in addition to being blind, he says, they were also dumb dogs, unable to bark, dreaming in bed, loving to slumber; as from an example He makes his arguments about them clear. For the dogs that follow the flocks, always circling around, are stronger than sleep and slumber. For if any of the untamed wild beasts should be seen, they bark vigorously, and using all their strength they hasten to drive them away from the livestock, and this is their task. Those who preside over the rational flocks, that is, the guides and teachers, ought to be like these, so as to care for those yoked under them, and to drive away those who wish to do harm in any way whatsoever, and who, while leading them away from the love of God, persuade them to neglect their reverence for Him, and snatch them away for their own purposes. But the leaders of the synagogue of the Jews did not wish to be such; for they were rather mute dogs, loving slumber, and dreaming in their beds. And yet, though it was necessary to introduce what is useful to the people under their authority, and to drive off the attacks of those accustomed to teach other doctrines, they did not do this, but rather they themselves cast them into the pits of destruction. And God of all will teach this, saying: "Your priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?' And those who upheld the law did not know me, and the shepherds acted impiously against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal." Therefore, just as dogs, they did not want to bark at those who threatened the flocks, but they imitated the shamelessness of dogs, and their not knowing satiety. For being lovers of wealth, and overcome by shameful gains, and delighting in bribes, they acted unlawfully; who, though ashamed of it, at times passed an unjust sentence on those who did no wrong, while justifying the ungodly, for they did not know satiety, that is, a surfeit of shameful gains, clearly; and for these things the Savior himself also accused them, saying: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: judgment and mercy and faith." And the divine prophet Isaiah also said about them: "How the faithful city Zion has become a harlot, she that was full of judgment, in whom righteousness lodged, but now murderers! Your silver has become dross, your wine merchants mix the wine with water, your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving gifts, pursuing rewards, not judging orphans, and not attending to the judgment of a widow." Yea, and the divine Habakkuk, on this very account, almost tearfully, called upon God: "How long, O Lord, O Lord, shall I cry, and you will [not] hear? I will cry out to you being wronged, and you will not save? Why have you shown me toils and labors, to look upon misery and impiety? Judgment has come before me, and the judge takes. Because of this the law is scattered, and judgment is not brought to completion, because the ungodly man overpowers the just. For this reason judgment will go forth perverted." Therefore, they did not want to emulate the watchfulness of the dogs in the herds, but only imitated them in being despisers of all reverence, and being insatiably intent on the collections of gains. And in addition to this, he says that they are wicked, and do not know understanding. Therefore the wicked man is without understanding; for understanding would be most fitting for those accustomed to do good, but may wickedness of mind be far from the good. For to see scabies and a sore on a body is the same as wickedness in the mind; for it renders it without understanding, bringing it down to awkwardness, and making it perverse. But since they have become wicked and without understanding, for this reason, he says, they all followed in their own ways, each in the same manner; for having abandoned, as it were, being borne straight to every good, and the necessity of following what has been established, having given, as it were, full rein to their own wills, they did what was pleasing, and not just one by one, but indeed also in the same manner, that is, together and as a multitude. And we will find the teachers of the Jews out of place and discordant with the divine laws, in their assemblies, and councils counseling, and acting. For thus they fell also into the crimes of deicide, and each one turned otherwise to his own way. For they were lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and they delighted more in the distractions of this present life, utterly disregarding the lawful and best life. See how the just man has perished, and no one takes it to heart, and just men are taken away, and no one understands. For from the face of injustice the just man has been taken away, his burial will be in peace, he has been taken from the midst. Having declared that they have become mute dogs, and insatiable in their love of gain, he further shows in these things that they are slothful and scornful, so as to be unyielding even in the last of their offenses, and not even willing to have in mind the need to repent. For, he says, the just man has perished, and no one takes it to heart, and just men are taken away, and no one understands. And through these things he seems to signify the audacious acts of the Jewish flock against Christ, and all that they have done against the holy apostles; for they killed Jesus, almost shouting and saying that prophetic word: "Let us bind the just one, for he is useless to us," and as far as their purpose was concerned, he who was just perished, that is, he who knew no sin; for they did not kill him for reasonable causes, and they unmercifully prepared men who were just, who proclaimed to them the divine and evangelical word, and called them to repentance for their cruelty, to come to trial. Indeed, the divine Stephen was killed by them after he had delivered a long speech to them, and by those things through which it was likely they would be caught for repentance, by these very things they were incited to hostility. Therefore just men are taken away, he says, and no one takes it to heart, that is, he does not deign to consider the magnitude of the impiety; they have contended against the just, and the wicked have prevailed over him who knew not how to sin. His burial will therefore be in peace; he has been taken from the midst. Observe for me again the figure of the speech; for it shows the purpose of those who killed, and not at all in every way the end of the matter as it is said. For Christ has not been taken from the midst, nor indeed those who proclaim his words, being themselves just, as being justified by him; but they have become as if from the midst, according to, I say, the attempt of those who killed; but that the accusation runs against all those who killed, and there was no one among the Jews who would be outside the charge, he indicated, saying: His burial will be in peace. And he calls death "burial," and by adding "in peace," he indicated that there was no one at all in the ranks of the Jews who opposed their unholy counsels, that is, who stood against and rebuked those willing to commit unholy acts; for all from one counsel and opinion dared to act against Christ, and being at peace with one another they killed him. But you, draw near here, lawless sons, seed of adulterers and of a harlot. In what did you revel? And against whom did you open your mouth? And against whom did you let loose your tongue? Are you not children of destruction, a lawless seed? From very great love of God the divine prophet attacks the foul mouths of the Jews, and is exceedingly grieved at their unholy words, which they have spoken against Christ. For they have continually, as it were, let loose their tongue against him, and run him down with full sails, so to speak, of his inherent forbearance. For what of the outrageous things would they not be caught having said of him? They called him a Samaritan, and a winebibber, and one born of fornication, and they said that he who rebuked demons was possessed, and that he who crushed Beelzebub worked his divine signs by Beelzebub. Then, finally, they brought him to Pilate, and they accused him, saying nothing of the truth, but rather using falsehoods and slanders. For they said, that this man stirs up the crowds, and forbids giving tribute to Caesar; and other things to to these things, which will pour down upon their own head the unquenchable flame. For these things the Savior himself also accused them, saying through the voice of Hosea: "Woe to them, for they have leaped away from me; they are wretched, for they have acted impiously against me. But I redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me." And through the voice of Jeremiah: "I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance, I have given my beloved soul into the hands of her enemies. My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest; it has raised its voice against me, therefore I have hated it." For in addition to the other slanders, which they have made against him, they have often dared to say when bringing him before Pilate: "Away, away, crucify him." The leaders of the Synagogue of the Jews, more than the others, have done this. For although they knew that he is the heir, they said among themselves: "Come, let us kill him, and let us take his inheritance for ourselves." But their hope failed them. For they indeed killed him, but he did not remain held by death; for he rose again, and has given the vineyard to other husbandmen, having miserably destroyed the ungrateful and Lord-slaying ones. Therefore, O lawless sons, he says, O seed of adulterers and of a harlot. And by these he calls adulterers the Scribes and teachers of the law, who were appointed to lead, who all but committed adultery with the Synagogue, speaking to it the things from the divine law. But they turn aside rather to things which are not lawful, and teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. And the Synagogue of the Jews is rightly a harlot, receiving the seeds of those who commit adultery, and setting aside the law of the all-wise Moses. For this very reason he very rightly calls them lawless sons. Tell me then, in what, he says, have you reveled, and against whom have you opened your mouth, and against whom have you let loose your tongue . Many times, he says, you have uttered railings against holy prophets, but they were, though genuine to the God over all, yet servants, and yoked under, and having the human measure, and their sins were against fellow-servants. But now, against whom have you let loose your tongue? For you were not willing to receive the one who saves; and lawless seed; for you did not endure the one who orders toward piety through evangelical decrees. You who call upon idols under thick trees, slaying your children in the valleys in the midst of the rocks. That is your portion, this is your lot, and to them you poured out libations, and to them you brought sacrifices. Over these things, then, shall I not be angry? Upon a high and lofty mountain, there is your bed, and there you brought up sacrifices, and behind the posts of your door you have set up your memorial. Having declared them slayers of the Lord, he shows that their God-hating sickness, and their readiness for bloodshed, was not new in them, but had been in them for a long time and from the beginning. For you are the ones who in former times, he says, called upon idols under thick trees. For although the law through Moses awarded them useful things, and stated expressly, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve," they slipped into such madness, or rather into unrestrained impiety beyond all measure, so as to become makers of idols, and to perform sacred rites to them, and to call upon them, that is, to teach others to worship under thick trees, and to crown them with honors fitting for God. The God of all makes this clear, saying through the voice of Jeremiah: "Have you seen what the house of Israel has done to me? They went upon every high mountain, and under every leafy tree, and committed fornication there." For taking possession of the tops of mountains and the most flourishing parts of the groves, they constructed altars and sanctuaries, and there they offered sacrifices and libations to unclean demons; and there are also those who did not spare their own children. For Jechonias slaughtered his own son to those that are not to gods. This God himself said somewhere through one of the holy prophets, showing the cruelty of those accustomed to do such things: "Sacrifice men; for calves have failed." You therefore, he says, are the ones who call upon idols, slaughtering their children under shady trees in the ravines among the rocks. What then for these things? That is your portion, this is your lot. For you have worshipped, he says, vain things; and you will have such a portion, and your lot will be vain. That is, it probably means to declare this: You have slaughtered their children in the ravines, he says. Therefore that is your portion, this is your lot, that is, you will be held in equal evils, and the slaughter will be your portion and lot. For what reason? First, because you have become a child-murderer, then because you poured out libations to unclean demons and lifeless idols, and offered sacrifices to them. Shall I not therefore be angry at these things? he says; is not my wrath well-occasioned against you, and does not justice have a reasonable starting-point? Upon a high and lofty mountain, there is your bed, there you brought up sacrifices, and behind the posts of your door you have set your memorial. That they slept on the mountains for the sake of dreams, the prophetic word has declared to us in many places. They say that Israel slipped into this error, so as to carve the forms of idols on the doors and on the posts, so that both entering their houses and walking outside they might see them, and have them in unceasing memories. This matter would be reckoned to them as a clear proof of complete godlessness, and very rightly so; and they called the carved images of the idols salvations [alt. saviors] and guardians of the house. You thought that if you should depart from me, you would have something more. You loved those who lay with you, and you multiplied your fornication with them, and you made many those who were far from you, and you sent ambassadors beyond your borders. All unseemly pleasure, and all evil, which bewitches the human mind, all but promises some experience of a good thing, and that one will partake of things not long ago known, and will be in better circumstances than before. For having thus taken it captive, it carries it off to whatever they might choose. But the foolish, having learned by experience where they are of evil, with difficulty return to their former state; but those who with the eyes of the mind perceive very well the end of each matter, do not endure a turning away; but rather they keep the mind untouched, seeing before experience the things that come after it. But such was not the Synagogue of the Jews; for it was under the hand of the all-powerful God, and clothed with glory from him, it was terrible and unbearable to its neighbors, and having a thrice-desired hope, and full of all prosperity. For following the law through Moses it served the God who is by nature and in truth God; and it continued for seasons not enduring to call, that is, to know how to worship, another God besides him. But when it was inclined to certain teachers and unholy shepherds, it fell into apostasy from God, and worshipped the works of its own hands; thinking perhaps, that it would also be in better circumstances, having slipped away from the love of God. For these things he accuses it, saying: You thought that if you should depart from me, you would have something more. But the expected outcomes of so cold and vain a hope did not come to pass for it; for they have rather been in every evil. Therefore they have had nothing extra for prospering, having cast away what is genuine, and considering what is firm in these things worthy of almost no account at all. And what is even more irrational than this, You loved, he says, those who lay with you, and you multiplied your fornication with them; and he speaks as to a harlot. But who were those who lay with her, except perhaps "false shepherds, men seared in their mind," as the blessed Paul says, and full of diabolical darkness? These have become for it both a way and a pretext of destruction, leading away of genuineness toward God, but injecting as it were the seeds of impiety, and persuading them to bear fruit for Satan, the crimes of drunken insolence against God. And we say that the for- nication of some is multiplied, that is, the apostasy from God, when the force of the accusations is not seen, perhaps, as being of one manner and of one kind, but as being accomplished out of excessive perverse- ness, and bringing forth many things against them for which one might, and very justly, find fault with those who do them; for instance, I say: it certainly follows for one who has chosen to serve Satan to tolerate doing nothing wholesome; but to be scattered, as it were, into every path of profane and abominable pleasure. And concurrent with such accusations would be the other evils of this sort, both sorceries and necromancies, and the useless little tales of the interpreters of portents, both false prophecies and incantations, and the slanders of the astrologers, and the observance of days, and in addition to this, of hours, seasons and years. Thus, he says, multiplying your fornication, you made many to be far from you. And who these might be, it is necessary to see again. For either he means the holy prophets, who, seeing her going beyond all audacity, and driving toward the end of all godlessness, departed from her as from one defiled, almost crying out and say- ing: "We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed; let us forsake her, and let us go each one to his own land; for her judgment has reached to heaven, and has been lifted up even to the stars." (for since Babylon was named a land of graven images, and Jerusalem was grievously sick with this, for this very reason the divine prophets very fitting- ly call her Babylon;) or perhaps, she has made many to be far from her- self. For, being curious about the objects of worship of the neighboring nations, and the falsely-named gods among each one, they sent for these; and they were devoted to them and have served, some these, others those. And indeed God said somewhere through the voice of Jeremiah, that "According to the num- ber of your cities were your gods, O Judah, and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up al- tars to burn incense to Baal." This, I think, is also what is shown by, You sent ambassadors beyond your borders. For not being content with the gods present among them, they sent for, as I said, many others as well, each according to what was supposed to be good for them. Or perhaps the phrase, You sent ambassadors beyond your borders, might signify that the acts of fornication were practiced among them beyond measure, so that what is said is in the manner of a parable, and a common expression, spoken of those who go beyond what is reasonable in each of their affairs. And you turned away, and you were humbled even to Hades. You have wearied yourself in your many ways, and you did not say: I will cease and be strong. Because you have done these things, for this reason you did not beseech me; you, revering whom were you afraid, that you lied to me? What is the end of the apostasy from God, of the immeasurable fornication, and of the unholy undertakings, that is, of the turning away from better things to worse? Utter humiliation, and to arrive, he says, at the lowest abyss of destruction. For since you were not willing to remain exalted, and to have unshaken prosperity, for this very reason you have become humble. For that some of Israel were exalted, at least as far as concerns the glory from God, would become clear from His saying about them through the voice of Isaiah: "I have begotten and exalted sons." Therefore, she has a self-inflicted humiliation; for she has acted impiously against the God who exalts. And in what way she has been humbled, he shows immediately; for he said: You have wearied yourself in your many ways. For by going, as it were, into every way of destruction, they have spent the vi- gors of the soul—clearly meaning the intellectual ones—on nothing useful, and they have grown weary not moderately, by placing their earnestness in destructive matters. Or perhaps by "many ways" in these things he means the constant changing to other gods, and despising those already acquired, but seeking those that belong to certain others, and becoming drunk as if being scattered everywhere, and for the mind within them to have no support or stability. And we happen to suffer this also in the excesses of pleasures. For the mind is sometimes carried away towards every form of impurity, and sometimes it praises being rich, and sometimes it loves the flesh, and is overcome by empty glory, and is, as it were, carried about by every wind, according to what was said through the voice of Jeremiah concerning a certain one: "In the desires of her soul she was carried away by the wind; she was given over, who will turn her back?" For the soul that has suffered this will certainly be given over to the assaults of the passions; and the Proverb-writer teaches this, saying: "For crooked thoughts separate from God, and the wandering of desire subverts an innocent mind." It is necessary, therefore, for us to restrain the mind, if it should somehow wish to go unrestrained over rocks, and to delight in and associate with the excesses of pleasures, so that, wearied from much wandering, it may not become the devil's prey. Therefore, having done these things, he says, O Jerusalem, you did not say: I will cease being strong, that is, you did not check with your reasonings the advance towards baser things, you did not measure the apostasy, you did not put an end to your zeal for what is vile, but you rather more intensely apply yourself to wanting to do the things which ought not to have happened in the first place. For it is the work of a soul, at least of one having moderate understanding, not to want to be caught in accusations leading to sin; but if it should happen to suffer this, at least to choose to repent, and through the return to what is better, to cast off the charges. But if it should be carried unrestrainedly towards baser things, and in addition reject the need to repent, it has added sin upon sin, and one can see it suffering sickness upon sickness. At any rate, the God of all accuses those who are in these things, and says: "Does not he who falls rise? Or he who turns away not turn back? Why has this people turned away with a shameless turning, and they have been held fast in their choice, and have not been willing to turn back?" But because you have done these things, he says, for this reason you did not entreat me. And yet how was it not more necessary, since you have dared to do such shameful and rejectable things, to lift up supplications, and to ask for mercy from God? For he receives those who are willing to repent, being good by nature, and knowing our frame, according to what is written. For he said through one of the holy prophets: "Return, O returning children, and I will heal your breakings." It is, therefore, proof of the utmost folly and of a complete turning away, for one who has been in so many evils, not to endure to seek from God even to be shown mercy with the confession of his stumblings. For it is written, that "Declare you your iniquities first, that you may be justified." And someone sings, and says: "I said: I will confess my iniquity against myself to the Lord; and you forgave the ungodliness of my heart." But there was a certain argument among the Jews, both rotten and weak, and full of ignorance; for they were contending to turn away from the living God, and to incline towards other gods, since the host of the Babylonians was being announced to them as about to arrive at any moment. But, O madman, he says, whom having feared did you revere, and lie to me? The tyrant of the Babylonians is a man, and as for the divine strength, his army is absolutely nothing. For it is written concerning God: "He who holds the circle of the earth; and those who dwell in it are as grasshoppers." And again the prophet Isaiah said: "If all the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and will be counted as spittle, and were counted as the turn of a scale, to whom have you likened the Lord, and with what likeness have you likened him?" Therefore, most foolish are those who considered the man from earth to be greater than God, and who lied about their piety towards him, and thought that they would be saved through gods that are not. For what benefit could come from stone and wood? At any rate, it is said concerning them: And in the time of their evils they will say: Arise and save us. And where are your gods, which you made for yourself? If they will arise, and save you in the time of your affliction. And they lied to God, not doing this in word only, but indeed through the things themselves, of what sort is that which was said about them as in the manner of an example: "And I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns, and not justice, but a judgement." And somewhere the divine Psalmist also said, as from the person of Christ, about them: "Alien sons lied to me, alien sons have grown old, and they have limped from their paths." And you did not remember me, nor did you take me into your mind, nor into your heart. And I, seeing you, overlook you, and you did not fear me. And I will declare my righteousness, and your evil deeds, which will not profit you. When you cry out, let them deliver you in your affliction. For a wind will take all these, and a tempest will carry them away. God said somewhere through the voice of Ezekiel to the mother of the Jews, I mean, the Synagogue: "As you have done, so shall it be to you; your recompense will be returned upon your head." Yes, and also the prophet Isaiah: "Woe to the lawless," he says; "evil things according to the works of his hands will happen to him." Something of this sort is also now signified through the preceding words. For since you have rejected the knowledge concerning me, he says, you will be overlooked by me, and you will endure a penalty equal to your transgressions. But one forgets God who is by nature and truly God, and who rules over all things, not, of course, by coming entirely into a state of forgetting that God exists (for even the demons believe, and shudder, according to the voice of the apostle), but rather by scorning the will to be subject to him, and by caring little for the things ordained by him; so as to be seen as unruly and disobedient, and having completely turned aside towards everything contrary to what he ought to fulfill. But God forgets, that is, overlooks those who are unmindful of him, all but withdrawing his helping hand, and stripping them of all mercy; which indeed Israel has suffered. For he did not fear the Lord of heaven and earth, and the creator and craftsman of all things; but having freed his neck, as it were, from his scepters, he has been enslaved to gods that are not. For this reason he says, that You did not fear me, and I will declare my righteousness, and your evil deeds; calling 'evil deeds' evidently the apostasy from him, and, I mean, the inclining to those gods which he himself made. And the God of all declares his righteousness upon those who are accustomed to do such things, pronouncing a divine sentence upon them, and imposing a punishment of equal measure. For the audacious acts are not against one who is like us, but they are committed against the very high and exalted nature that rules over all. But that the invention of falsely-named gods is ineffectual [alt. unprofitable] to them, he clearly shows by saying, that "They will not profit you;" and that the matter is true, he further declares, saying: "When you cry out, let them deliver you in your affliction." Therefore, as the prophet says, "What does a graven image profit, that they have graven it? They formed it, a molten image, a false fantasy, and a craftsman made it, and it is not God." Then how could an image made of wood and stone, and the findings of human art rather than God, help those who are deceived? For this reason he says, that a wind will take them all, and a tempest will carry them away. But these, who? Either the gods devised by them, or perhaps those who worship them, who, like dust and ashes, are tossed up by the blasts of the winds. And this, I think, is what is said in the book of Psalms: "Let them become like dust before the face of the wind;" that is, "they will go towards nothingness." And it is a custom for the divinely-inspired Scripture often to compare the onsets of temptations, that is, of punishments, to a whirlwind and a tempest. But those who hold fast to me will possess the land, and will inherit my holy mountain; and they will say: Clear the ways from before him, and take away stumbling blocks from the way of my people. Necessarily, these things also have been added to what came before. For it was necessary, it was necessary, for the punishment of the lovers of sin and the apostates to become clear, and the works of those who love him. And in general indeed True is the promise; for everyone who holds fast to God, and considers nothing better than complete love for him, and also excels in all good works; this one will be an heir of the land prepared for the saints, which indeed the Savior himself signified to us, saying: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." But by holy mountain in these things I mean, perhaps, the city above, the heavenly Jerusalem, the beautiful city of the saints. For somewhere the divine David sings and says concerning it: "Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart." Therefore, for all who hold fast to God, the inheritance will be the land of the saints, and the revered and renowned mountain. And he now seems to be making his arguments concerning those from the Jewish ranks who have believed in him, of whom the first-fruits and first ones were the divine disciples, clinging tightly to the love for Christ, having unshakable faith in him, and unassailable submission, and inseparable love. For they say, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" These have become heirs of the kingdom of heaven, and have taken possession of the land above which has been prepared for the meek. The name of meekness would be fitting for those who live the evangelical life, to whom Christ also commanded not to be angry, nor indeed to avenge oneself on any who have caused grief, but rather to hasten to do good even to those who are in the category of enemies. For "Do good," he says, "to your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, and to him who strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." To excel in these things would be proof of forbearance and meekness to the highest degree. But to those who have acquired the land and the holy mountain, as it will be said in promise and in hope, he says: "Clear ways from before his face;" this is clearly, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." And in what manner the preparation is done, he clarified by saying: "Take up the stumbling blocks from the way of my people;" that is, make the way of salvation through faith smooth and easy for those throughout all the earth; let there be nothing rough and steep. For the law through Moses did not know how to pity, and it was difficult to fulfill; for we all stumble in many ways, and it was hard to find one who was completely free, and able to complete it blamelessly. And so the divine disciples said to those who after the faith wished to return to the shadows of the law: And now why do you test God, to place a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear? And Paul also said, that the law was added because of transgressions; for the law is a conviction of sin, and stumbling against it, they were under blame and indictment. Therefore, the difficulty of the life under the law was a hindrance. But let it be taken away from the midst, he says; and let the well-trodden path, passable without sweat, be shown, that is, the power of the evangelical life bringing in true worship. God said something like this also elsewhere to the holy mystagogues: "Go through my gates, and cast the stones out of the way;" that is, free the way from all difficulty, which would lead to God through worship in spirit and in truth, and through the brightness of faith. Thus says the Lord the most high, who dwells in the high places for ever, holy resting among the holy, and giving long-suffering to the faint-hearted, and giving life to the contrite in heart; I will not take vengeance on you forever, nor will I be angry with you for all time. For a spirit shall go forth from me, and I have made every breath. The blessed prophets, when the Lord of all promises something great and befitting of God to some, they receive the great wonder of his glory and gentleness, and as if leaping for joy they turn to doxology. We shall now find the prophet having experienced something of this kind; for he did not simply say, Thus says the Lord, but he necessarily adds, the most high, that is, he who by nature is beyond and above all that has been brought into existence; and by saying, who dwells in the high places, he indicates again that the divine and most supreme nature is in unshakeable eminences and in ineffable heights. And yet this, I think, is what it is for it to dwell in the high places forever; for it possesses unchangeably in things pertaining to itself, and could not in any way be in better things than what it is, but rather it is inherent in it unchangeably to be continuously in what it is. And he says that he, the Holy One, rests and dwells in the holy, hinting that he rejects those of the blood of Israel as polluted through much sin, but lovingly abides in those who have been cleansed through faith and sanctified in spirit. And he gives longsuffering to the fainthearted, and he calls fainthearted those who are accustomed at times to be somewhat weak regarding the purpose of life set before them. And he gives to them longsuffering, that is, endurance and patience, almost crying out and saying: "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord." And he also gives life to those who are contrite in heart, that is, to the poor in spirit; and such are all those in obedience to God, and who have a yielding mind; these would be they who through faith are called to the knowledge of Christ; and they are called poor in spirit, walking the opposite path to those from Israel. For the latter were boastful, disobedient, and unbroken; but the former are good, and good-hearted, and assign to the laws of God the necessity to prevail, and place the neck of their mind under the yoke of Christ. And these are the works of those in Christ. But what does the Most High say to those who have slipped through disobedience into the crimes of impiety toward him? I will not vindicate you forever, nor will I be angry with you always. He does not cut off the hope of being saved from those from Israel; for the remnant has been saved; a very great portion of their multitude has been called, and will they also be called in the last times? with God checking his anger against them, and pulling back the punishment, so that it might not be extended against them entirely. For being good, he has kept his unfailing promise to their fathers. And he gives another reason, as a compassionate God. For a spirit, he says, will go forth from me. And in what way it will go forth, he clarified by saying: I have made every breath. For he is the Father of spirits. Yet he is not understood as having begotten them from his own nature, as he did his own Son, nor do we say that they have had a procession, that is, a proceeding forth, from the essence in the same way as the Holy Spirit; but rather we affirm, thinking correctly, that they came forth from God creatively into being; for he himself made every breath. And wherever creation is named at all, there would certainly be the going forth, that is, the exodus, not essentially, but rather as signifying in a figurative word the act of bringing into being. For a short time I grieved him for sin, and I struck him, and he turned my face from him; and he was grieved, and went sullen in his ways. I have seen his ways, and I healed him, and I comforted him, and I gave him true comfort, peace upon peace to those who are far and to those who are near. And the Lord said: I will heal them; but the unjust will be so tossed, and will not be able to rest. There is no joy for the wicked, said the Lord God. The Jews have paid the penalties for their drunken violence against Christ, unbearable indeed for any man, yet measured, insofar as it came to equality with their sins. For they have committed impiety beyond all measure, killing the righteous, and making themselves guilty of the blood of holy prophets. And finally they laid their hands also upon Christ himself, whom the Father sent, being his Son, with the servants. But they even so boasted against him, although they said to one another: "This is the heir." Therefore, for this sin I grieved him, he says, and I struck him, and I turned my face away from him. For he said: "When you stretch out your hands to me, I will turn my eyes from you; and if you multiply your prayer, I will not listen to you; for your hands are full of blood." But in later times when Israel repents (for he will go on gloomily), the things of the turning away will cease; and he will be accepted through faith, and will be delivered from his ancient sins, God having pity on him; and he will receive a true consolation. And what do we say this is, if not clearly the grace through Christ, which justifies by faith, and delivers from sins, and also provides the sanctification through the Spirit, and the glory of adoption, and the hope of the rewards prepared for the saints? Therefore, the consolation is true, which brings to those who have been deemed worthy of it, in addition to all other good things, peace upon peace, that is, the continuous and unfailing tranquility of peace, which the Savior gave both to those who are far off and to those who are near, that is, both to those from the Gentiles and to those of the blood of Israel. For the blessed Paul has addressed the Gentiles, saying, "But now altogether, you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ." For inasmuch as it came to Israel to be yoked to the law, and to worship the living and true God, at least according to what seems to be in the sacred proclamations (for it was said to them: "The Lord your God, the Lord is one"), they seemed to be near in some way; but the Gentiles were far off, because they were entirely alienated, both from holy teachings and from knowing the Creator and Lord of all. But peace has been given to these and to those by God the Father, clearly that through Christ, who made both one, and created the two peoples into one new man, and broke down the middle wall of the fence, and abolished the law of commandments in ordinances. Therefore, through him we have received reconciliation, and undivided peace, toward God and toward one another. For Christ said somewhere to the Father and God in heaven: "I desire that, just as I and you are one, so they also may be one in us." And the prophet adds to these things: And the Lord said, I will heal them, making through this a kind of recapitulation of the whole discourse, and establishing a clear and true promise of the God who rules over all; for he promised, he says, saying that he will heal them; but the unrighteous will be so tossed by waves, and will not be able to rest. For since he went through the rewards of those who will be called, for this reason, and very rightly, he also usefully announces the punishments of the disobedient, and the storm among them, and the endless torments. For there is no joy for them, he says, said the Lord God. And when the Lord and God of all has removed their joy, what manner of gladness will there be for them? But that even at the time of the calling of those from Israel, some will remain in disobedience, cleaving to the son of lawlessness, the all-wise Paul will make clear, saying: "Because they did not receive the knowledge of the truth, for this reason God will send them a working of error." And the Savior himself also said: "I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name," that is, the son of lawlessness, as I said, "him you will receive." Therefore, Israel will be called in due course to the knowledge of Christ, and will be enriched with grace through faith in him; but some impious and unrighteous people will remain; and then, having fallen as if into an unstable storm, and having cast away all joy, they will by no means be able to rest; for they will be crushed, being held fast by a long and endless punishment. Cry out with strength, and do not hold back; like a trumpet lift up your voice, and declare to my people their sins, and to the to the house of Jacob their iniquities. Having finished the discourses concerning the calling of those from Israel, he comes to another kind of admonition, a good and beneficial one, productive of all good order, and one which makes for glorious crowns; and I say that it is necessary to first lay bare the purpose of the prophecy to those who will encounter it, so that they may know to what end the sense of what has been said tends. Therefore, in the previous discourses, which God made concerning those from Israel, there were clear [proclamations] of war and of an inescapable disaster which was yet to come. For He said: "And you did not remember me, nor did you take me into your mind, nor into your heart; and I, seeing you, overlook you, and you did not fear me; and I will declare my righteousness, and your evils, which will not profit you. When you cry out, let them deliver you in your affliction." We were saying that in these things he calls the inventions concerning idols the evils of those from Israel. For this reason he also said: "When you cry out, let them deliver you in your affliction." There was, therefore, a certain proclamation of war, and this was rumored among the peoples of the Jews; but there were some among them who put on a pretense of piety, and while acting heedlessly, doing things which it is not even lawful to speak of, they adorned themselves with outward embellishments, and, as I said, snatched at a reputation for equity. These men also feigned fasts, and made frequent prayers, thinking by this to avert the things from the divine wrath. Therefore, since they were brought to a forgetfulness of their own faults, they thought that for those accustomed to do the most shameful things, fasting alone and prayer would suffice for justification and sanctification; God commands the prophet, saying: "Cry aloud with strength, and do not spare; lift up your voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their sins." For do not speak secretly, he says, nor indeed in a corner to some; but rather use a certain high and lifted-up voice, and with all boldness rebuke the transgressors, and let them learn their own transgressions, and from what they should have abstained, if they wished to be honored by God, and worthy of forbearance by the [perhaps of the] from him. They seek me day by day, and desire to know my ways, as a people that has done righteousness, and has not forsaken the judgment of their God. They join, he says, day to days, seeking help from me, and wanting to know my ways, that is, the administrations for each matter. For with war having been announced, and fear having thrown everything into confusion, they have indeed fasted, and they thought that they would learn even to what end the matter would come. This, I think, is the meaning of, They desire to know my ways. They desire this as a people that has done righteousness, and has not forsaken the judgment of their God; that is, as those who have conducted themselves lawfully, and have become the best guardians of the ordinances given to them, and have a blameless life, and are clothed with the boast of a pious polity. For it would be fitting for such people to also seek God, that is, to wish to be near him, and to enjoy forbearance from above, and in addition to this to know his ways. For it has been said through one of the holy prophets: "Seek the Lord, and when you find him, call upon him. And when he draws near to you, let the ungodly forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his counsel, and let him return to the Lord, and he shall have mercy; for he will abundantly pardon their sins." They now ask of me a just judgment, and desire to draw near to God, saying: Why is it that we have fasted, and you did not see? we have humbled our souls, and you did not know? For in the days of your fasts you find your own wills, and you oppress all who are under your hand, you fast for judgments and strifes, and you strike the humble with your fists. They accuse me, he says, as one who does not dispense just things because of not wishing to have mercy on the humble through fasting and prayer; then they wish also to be near God, though on account of nothing pertaining to piety boasting of deeds of valor, but not even clothed with the radiance that comes from virtues, but because of mere abstinence from food alone; and indeed they say, "We have fasted, and You did not see; we have humbled our souls, and You did not know." And they do not say such things as if God were ignorant of their humiliation through fasting; but because they have not come to a sense of their accusations, they say, "You did not see," and "You did not know." For we say that God of all then knows the labors of some, those done through prayer and ascetic practice, I say, when He assents to their requests. Why then He did not accept those who fasted, and made unacceptable the prayers of those who had humbled themselves, He explains, saying: For in the days of your fasts you find your own wills. For fasting is an excellent thing, and prayer is also beneficial; and to humble oneself in the eyes of God has the greatest benefit. For it is written, "I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer shall return to my own bosom." And the divine David also said: "My knees are weakened from fasting, and my flesh is changed for mercy;" yes, and also the God of all Himself: "Turn to me," He says, "with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning." For He readily pities those who make their humiliation through toil self-chosen. But it is most absurd for those who wish to be pitied to provoke the lawgiver in another way, and to call Him to wrath by loving to do none of the things that have been commanded; for in every way those who approach God must be holy, and excel in good works, and be seen as free from all filth. For because of this reason He says: You have fasted, but I did not see, that is, I did not pay attention; you humbled your souls, and I did not know, that is, I did not deem your humiliation worthy of any reward; because in the days of your fasts you find your own wills. It is necessary, therefore, that those who wish to fast purely and holily, should depart from their own wills, and choose what seems good to God, and submit a compliant neck to His wills; but those from Israel did not do this at all; but rather they followed their own wills, dishonoring what seemed good to the lawgiver, and they pricked their subjects to judgment and battles; and yet it was necessary to gather into one accord those who were set against one another, and to award peace to those who were brought into disputes. But they turned their zeal to the very opposite. And they struck the humble, and not entirely with hands, but with insults and greed, that is, by some other manner of injustice. Then how was it possible to praise those fasting, when such impurity was in them? or how could the prayers of such wicked men be accepted? To what purpose do you fast for Me, so that your voice is heard today with a cry? I have not chosen this fast, and a day for a man to humble his soul. Nor if you bend your neck like a ring, and spread sackcloth and ashes, not even so will you call it an acceptable fast. The power of the true fast has an extraordinary cry before the God who rules all things. For He perhaps gladly receives the prayers of those who worship Him; and if He sees them humbled through toils and ascetic practices, without any delay He grants their requests. But indeed, of that which might be done lazily and carelessly, He makes its manner rejected. And we say that a fast is holy, that which is accomplished from a pure conscience; which someone might do, having first departed mightily from the ways of wickedness, and having sent away every stain from his mind, and having wiped away the filth of the love of the flesh, and having washed his hands in innocency, according to what is written; and simply, having been shown to be a practitioner of every good work. But that which is not such, is like one gone astray, and while in the form of a fast, it has absolutely none of the things that befit it, it is both ridiculous and unseemly. For those who are good and completely neglecting good things, and having accomplished none of the best deeds of valor; then practicing unprofitable and useless fasting, as if it were some great thing and honorable before God; they box in vain, and they beat the air; for their labor is not rewarded, because it is also unacceptable to God. Why then do you fast for me, he says, so that the cry of your voice may be heard in one day? He says "cry," meaning either the prayer with, I say, the useless fasting, or the cry from the matter itself. For the things done by us are said to have a certain voice to God, according to what was said to Cain by him: "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the earth." But this is not the fast I have chosen, he says; and what this fast is, he has already declared, saying, that "In the days of your fasts you find your own pleasures, and you prick all your subordinates into judgment and fights. You fast, and you strike the lowly with your fists." Therefore, not even if you bend your neck like a ring, and spread out sackcloth and ashes, that is, even if you practice extreme humiliation, and tread an unbearable path of labor, with such shameful accusations, not even so will you call it an acceptable fast. For if you wish, he says, to speak the truth, not even you yourselves would call it an acceptable fast. Is not this the fast that I have chosen, says the Lord, but loose every bond of wickedness, undo the knots of forced contracts, send the crushed away in forgiveness, and tear up every unjust document. Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house. If you see one naked, cover him, and you will not overlook the members of your own seed. to Cain by him: "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the earth." But this is not the fast I have chosen, he says; and what this fast is, he has already declared, saying, that "In the days of your fasts you find your own pleasures, and you prick all your subordinates into judgment and fights. You fast, and you strike the lowly with your fists." Therefore, not even if you bend your neck like a ring, and spread out sackcloth and ashes, that is, even if you practice extreme humiliation, and tread an unbearable path of labor, with such shameful accusations, not even so will you call it an acceptable fast. For if you wish, he says, to speak the truth, not even you yourselves would call it an acceptable fast. Is not this the fast that I have chosen, says the Lord, but loose every bond of wickedness, undo the knots of forced contracts, send the crushed away in forgiveness, and tear up every unjust document. Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house. If you see one naked, cover him, and you will not overlook the members of your own seed. It was necessary for those who did not know the manner of the true fast to be shown this by God. For from him comes all wisdom, and understanding, and the way to everything that is best is revealed. At any rate, the divine David also sings, and says: "Lead me, O Lord, in your way, and I will walk in your truth." Therefore, he made the most artless and in no way beneficial fast of the Jews rejected, and he reveals the power of the true one. For loose, he says, every bond of wickedness, that is, rid yourself of the desire to take advantage of anyone; for greed is a bond of wickedness, and attacking some of the weaker ones, and, as it were, binding them with inescapable entanglements of accusations, in order to make them terrified, and thus to seek to receive from them whatever they might wish. Undo the knots of forced contracts. And we say that commercial transactions are full of forced contracts, and those resulting from knots, that is, ill-nature. And in addition to these, the other things of so-called givings and takings, which involve certain kinds of greed, and prove men to be lovers of shameful gains those accustomed to doing the same things. And the broken, he says, send away in release, that is, those who endure crushing, or toil, or from the bond of injustice, or from violent transactions. Release in release, that is, free them from the distress that has been brought upon them; permit the weary to rest at last. And tear apart every unjust contract; as I think, he means the notes of the moneylenders, often drawn up without even the giving of as much money as the measure of the contract travails with. But when you refrain from these things, he says, then add what is lacking. And this is to bear fruit for one's neighbor the good things that come from love. For the fulfillment of the law is love, according to what is written. And the fulfillment of love toward brethren, and proof of compassion which is honored by God, is to break bread for the hungry, to take the poor and homeless into one's house, and to clothe the naked, and to one's own kin, that is, those of one's family, sufficient care, I think, [to bestow] and to share with them the breadth of the abundance given by God. But observe, that to refrain from evil is not the same as to do good. Nor would it suffice for some as a boast before God not to have done what is wicked, but one must follow in every way and altogether, and fulfill the need for good works, and hold fast to the pursuits of piety. For to undo the knots of violent transactions, and every bond of injustice, and to tear apart every unjust contract, is nothing other than only to depart from wickedness. But to choose to fulfill the works of love by breaking bread for the hungry, and taking in the poor and homeless, and clothing the naked, and not tolerating any of one's own kin, has clear proof of the best virtues. For this reason also the old law, being a tutor unto Christ, did not bring in the fulfillment of the good to those of that time, but rather taught them to depart from wickedness beforehand. For, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not swear falsely," has this force. But the perfect, and the fulfillment of all good was reserved for the ordinances through Christ, from whom we learned to fulfill the works of love toward God and brethren.

Discourse 29

Then your light shall break forth like the morning, and your healing shall spring up speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall be your rear guard. Then you will call, and God will hear you. While you are still speaking, He will say, "Behold, I am here." If you fast purely, he says, and show to God hands that have been cleansed, and a mind freed from all filth, that is, when you wash away the striking of the lowly with fists, and the goading of your subordinates into judgment and fights, and following his [alt. your] desires and pleasures, when you break bread for the hungry, clothe the naked, bring the poor and homeless into your house; then your light shall break forth like the morning. The word has the greatest emphasis. For he did not simply say, "The light will be given to you by God," but rather "it will break forth," as if like a flash of lightning, sent down by God with impetus and speed, through which is clearly shown the eagerness of the one who bestows it. And by saying "early," he teaches that it will come down even before its time. For God, the steward of our affairs, the giver of spiritual gifts, knows the appropriate time for the honors for each person. But if someone becomes fine and good, and in addition merciful and gentle, to this person early rewards will be given by him, so that they also spring up in him like ears of corn; and his healings, that is, the removal of all sickness, and the influx of better things. For when someone is freed from sicknesses of the soul, he will certainly bear as fruit the desire and readiness for anything good whatsoever. Therefore, when the divine and intelligible light shines in us, healings also arise in every way and entirely, with God moving us and weakening our passions, and introducing into us the will to do good and to excel in righteousness. For this reason he says, "Your righteousness shall go before you." It will go before, clearly making the path to piety easy, and changing the rough to the smooth and passable, and bringing down the steep, and as it were directing the course in all the best things. And he adds something else. "For the glory of God," he says, "will encompass you," that is, it will surround you, and will make you admired, and a common benefit to many. For the brightness of the saints benefits not a little those who look upon them. And so Christ said to the holy apostles: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Therefore we shall be brilliant, with the glory from God going about us and as it were clothing us, which He would grant to those who are diligent in [perhaps of the] righteousness; therefore, when these things belong to you, he says, you will then cry out, and God will hear you; while you are still speaking He will say: Behold, I am here. "For he hearkens to the prayers of the righteous," according to what is written. And as the Psalmist says, "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer." For as one who is good He will assent to those who ask, but not to all of them immediately. But to those who have excelled in righteousness, without any delay He grants their requests, and holds his hearing most ready for them, so that rejoicing at each of their requests they say: "He heard my voice out of his holy temple, and my cry before him will enter into his ears." Therefore, the un-postponable nature of the honor, and the great readiness of God the giver, is clearly demonstrated by His crying out, Behold, I am here, while the righteous man is still speaking and raising his prayers. If you take away from you the yoke, and the stretching forth of the hand, and the word of murmuring, and give your bread to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday, and your God will be with you always. The excellent points of the lessons, even if they are said often to some, nevertheless have their benefit. And so the all-wise Paul writes to those who believed through him: "To say the same things to you is not tedious for me, but for you it is safe." Therefore in many ways through the same things he comes to us, speaking and making clear the paths of good repute, and describing the splendor of the rewards to be given to the saints, so that he might make them even more eager to choose to do those things through which they would become venerable, and will find the honor from above and from him . Therefore, "If you take away," he says, "from you the yoke, and the stretching forth of the hand." And by yoke, as I think, he means the wickedness of the nations, their awkwardness and contentiousness, and the practice of making, as it were, conspiracies of things against some, and making inquiries of crooked inventions, so as to bind some at times, and to cast them into inescapable snares of circumstances. For a man must be simple and approachable, if he has the aim of being watched over by God, and of desiring the gifts from Him. And by stretching forth of the hand perhaps he means bribery, and desiring shameful gains, for we sometimes say of certain men that he has his hand stretched out to receive, and of those who reject shameful gain, that he has his hand drawn in. And it has been said concerning the leaders of the Jewish Synagogue: "Her leaders judged for a bribe, and her priests divined for money," and that they have become companions of thieves, loving gifts, pursuing recompense. And somewhere the divine Habakkuk also said: "Judgment has come before me, and the judge accepts [a bribe]." Therefore the name will either be significant of bribery, that is, the stretching out of the hand, which indeed He has commanded to take away, that is, to put away; or else, in another way, it signifies to avenge oneself, and to return evil for evil. For the Psalmist said concerning some people, that "He stretched out his hand in retribution." And he adds that "They have profaned His covenant." Therefore the stretching out of the hand would signify, as I said, also the retribution, which someone might make, taking vengeance on those who have grieved them, and bringing things born of anger against those who have offended them. And we remember the Savior Himself saying that "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." For it would be a proof of complete gentleness and freedom from anger to know how to persevere when taken advantage of, and not to love taking revenge on those who have grieved us, but rather to be disposed toward them without malice. And in addition to this He wishes to take away also words of murmuring. For we must submit to the divine laws with a cheerful mind, and make no outcry against the excellent way of life, as if shaking off the yoke, with the mind descending to the desire for worse things, and praising the love of pleasure rather than self-control, and preferring the luxuries in the world to choosing to live reverently. Which indeed those of Israel did while traversing that deep desert. For when God sent down the manna to them, they received an inclination toward baser things, saying, "Would that we had died, smitten by the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, and ate bread to the full." But their murmuring against God resulted in their destruction, for they were destroyed by the serpents. For this reason also the most wise Paul says, "Do not murmur, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the serpents." Therefore, it is fitting for the caretaker of all good order, and for the one who strives for excellent acts of virtue, to have a cheerful mind; and having taken away the word of murmuring, if you give bread to the hungry, and satisfy an afflicted soul, that is, if you become compassionate, a lover of good and a lover of your fellow men, generous, and sociable, and loving your neighbor as yourself, then your light will rise in the darkness. But how, then, is this so? For just as day comes from night, so in us, when the intelligible darkness is cast out, the divine light enters in its place, so that one seems to be at midday, that is, at the height of brightness. For the circle of the sun at midday then indeed especially sends forth its most intense light upon those on the earth. So thus your God will be with you always. And this, in addition to the other things, is immensely great. For what good thing is not available to those who obtain this? Or of what gifts will a person not be full, when God who is all-powerful is with him, and with a rich hand distributes those things of which He is the supplier and giver, and warding off the assaults of temptations, and making one so strong, as to stand up bravely both against Satan himself and against the outrages from the passions? And you shall be satisfied, as your soul desires, and your bones shall be made fat, like a well-watered garden, and as a spring whose water has not failed, and your bones shall spring up like grass and be made fat, and they shall inherit for generations of generations. And with what, then, shall you be filled? he says. Of divine gifts, clearly, and of nourishment befitting saints; for as Christ Himself said somewhere: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God," this was also of old inscribed as in a type for those of the blood of Israel, when God sent down the manna from heaven; since in a way it might be conceived as the bread of angels, and the bread of heaven. And if there should be any, in whose mind the divine light has flashed richly, and of the sacred Scriptures an accurate and has worked a blameless knowledge, and we say that these have been filled, and have come to satiety of the delight from above and from God; but Israel has fallen away from this; but the nations have come into possession and ownership of it through faith, and as many as approach the evangelical and saving word. And so our Lord Jesus Christ said to the holy apostles, that "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given," that is, to those who did not believe, to whom indeed the divine word also proclaimed, "Those who serve me shall eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, those who serve me shall drink, but you shall be thirsty." For they have hungered and thirsted, having no share in the good things through the Spirit, and completely without taste of the gifts through Christ, that is, of the divine and evangelical instruction. For he said somewhere through one of the holy prophets; "Behold, I am bringing a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord, and they shall run about from east to west seeking the word of the Lord, and they shall not find it." For the life-giving and most nourishing word of God has been taken away from the flock of the Jews. But it has been given, as I said, to those who love Christ, to whom indeed he also proclaimed, saying: "Eat, and be drunk, O friends." And so the divine David also sings, since he too had a share in such a venerable and abundant honor; "You have prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you have anointed my head with oil, and your cup makes me drunk, as the best." Therefore, as many as have had knowledge of his divine mysteries, that is, have been filled with them, their bones have been made fat. But the saying is fashioned as from those who are accustomed to live luxuriously in a carnal manner; the soul of such persons would become like a well-watered garden, that is, blooming, and full of fine trees, and adorned with various kinds of flowers, and bringing forth all sorts of fruits. For waterless gardens are very ugly; for they are dry and destitute of all fruit, or perhaps even lacking the plants themselves. But those that are soaked by unstinting streams of water are crowned with all sorts of fruits, as I said. Indeed, the Church has become the garden of Christ, and taking on its person, the bride described in the Song of Songs says, "Let my kinsman come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his choice trees;" for what the choice fruit is among plants, that is, beautiful fruit, this in the souls of the saints is a good virtue and most pleasing to God. Therefore, your soul shall be, he says, like a well-watered garden, and yes, also like a spring, whose water has not failed. Such have the divine mystagogues become, sending forth the streams of pious teaching as from an ever-flowing spring of their own heart, and richly watering the souls of those being instructed. And the dispenser of such excellent gifts himself will confirm it, saying, "He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water." And again: "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will have in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." We say that such are the holy apostles and evangelists, and all who proclaim the divine word, on the one hand being well-versed in dogmatic skill, and on the other hand also revealing the path of brightness in works. And your bones, he says, will spring up like grass, and they will be made fat, and they will inherit for generations of generations. In these things he seems to reveal the mystery of the resurrection; for then the body will rise again, just like some grass in a field, which during the winter season withered and closed up, but when the fine spring weather smiles, grows again, and as it were returns to the beauty that is in it by nature. But the bones, having sprung up like grass, will be made fat, he says, evidently by the life-giving grace the from God. For somewhere the divine David sings and says: "You will send forth your Spirit, and they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth," that is, of those on the earth. Then we will inherit generations of generations, that is, a long life, since death will have been abolished, and corruption entirely removed. And it is said in many places of the divinely inspired Scripture, that the intelligible bones of the soul are certain practical powers and energies of it, as in the saying that "God has scattered the bones of the men-pleasers." For God does not scatter the bones of the body, but rather shatters the powers of their soul, so that nothing is able to be accomplished by those who see them, nor indeed is anything they are fond of doing done for the glory of God, nor for the benefit of their own soul. And again the divine Psalmist said, "Because I was silent, my bones grew old from my crying all the day," that is, to give glory and to pray, I have become silent, having fallen into human faint-heartedness. My bones grew old, that is, the powers of the mind, or of the soul, became weak. These, therefore, sometimes paralyzed for a short time by sloth, again spring up like grass, as God fattens them with consolations through the Holy Spirit, and strengthens it, so that for this reason we may be made heirs of long-enduring life; for this, and nothing else, is what "for generations of generations" signifies. And your everlasting deserts shall be built, and your foundations shall be for generations of generations, and you shall be called the builder of fences, and you will cause the paths between them to cease. Through two other examples the prophetic word comes to us, and the beauty of the hidden meanings is revealed. For the form of the word is fashioned as if upon a city once made desolate, and completely shaken, so that it remained without walls. For your deserts, he says, shall be built forever, that is, you will not be bare of good thoughts inhabiting your heart, nor indeed will you remain without walls, or unguarded, and having no firm foundation. For Christ will be to you a foundation and continual security, and you shall be as a populous city, having innumerable inhabitants. For the souls of the saints are full of words and thoughts, those concerning God, that is. These are very many, and coming by means of perfect accuracy, they run up and down through it, showing it to be full of every good thing. And in addition to this you will be called the builder of fences, and you will cause the paths between them to cease; for many are they who go through deserted gardens. For with no one at all standing guard, that is, fencing it securely, there would be nothing to prevent those who wish to walk through the middle. But if they should somehow become secure under a gardener, then they also cast off being subject to the feet of the many, a fence having clearly been raised. For in this way the paths through the middle will cease. You shall be, therefore, he says, as a diligent gardener raising fences, and causing the paths between them to cease. For as long as the soul is unguarded, snoring toward sloth, and for this reason not untrodden by the strange paths of pleasures, it is like a garden traversed by anyone whatsoever. But when, having become sober, it leaps away from the snares of wickedness, and rather seizes the will to do good, and raises up security for the mind as a kind of fence, I mean, that from the fear of God, and drives away from the intellect the thoughts that formerly held it, which went as it were through the middle of it, having it underfoot, and making it a thing to be trampled by mastering it, then it will also be called the builder of fences. But it must be known that also the evil and opposing powers sometimes run down the wretched soul, bringing forth foul pleasures, and carrying it off tyrannically wherever they wish, and walking as through a fallow garden. But they will cease from trampling it, a fence having been raised, which the fear of God raises in us. You will apply such a saying also to each of the holy mystagogues. For they have become builders of fences, securing with admonitions to virtue the souls of those being instructed, so that they have their minds in a way untrodden by the assaults of pleasures and vulgarities, and by those accustomed to speak empty words, who corrupt the right word of faith, not knowing either what they are saying, or about what things they are making confident assertions. If you turn your foot away from the Sabbaths, from doing your own will on the holy day, and call the Sabbaths delicate, holy to your God, you will not lift your foot to a task, nor will you speak a word in anger from your mouth, and you shall trust in the Lord, and he will bring you up to the good things of the earth, and will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your Father. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. The divine Paul, setting aside the shadow of the law as ineffective, transfers the things in it to a spiritual contemplation. For one might observe him not accepting either circumcision according to the flesh, or inactivity on the Sabbath, but rather he is seen proclaiming a spiritual circumcision, and likewise a Sabbath-rest. For he said, "He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not from men but from God." Concerning the Sabbath: therefore a Sabbath-rest remains for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Therefore, if someone ceases from his own works, that is, yields the need to hold to his own desires to the sacred decrees, thus he keeps the Sabbath spiritually, and truly observes a holy day. This the saying of the prophecy at hand also shows us. For if you turn away, it says, your foot from the Sabbaths, from doing your own will on the holy day. But "turn away your foot from the Sabbaths" would be nothing other, as I think, than that one must not do what one wishes, and follow the paths of one's own desires. For that the goal of human desires looks toward the love of pleasure, the all-wise Paul will confirm, writing: "For I do not do the good that I wish, but the evil that I hate is what I do. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." Therefore, it is necessary indeed for those wishing to be well-pleasing to God to vigorously contend against their own will, and following His divine laws everywhere, to traverse the admirable path of righteousness. But he calls Sabbaths delicate which have nothing from one's own judgment. But a hard and harsh judgment is to not want to be subject to what God wills; being such, He rebuked Israel, saying, "I know that you are stubborn, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead bronze." Therefore, obedience, and tractability, and the yielding quality of one's manner, render the inactivity on the Sabbath delicate to God, that is, the spiritual Sabbath-rest, which those wishing to achieve blamelessly do not lift their foot to a task, that is, they do not walk practically, but rather they accomplish the holy and profitable inactivity, I mean, in respect to things most shameful, and abominable, and hateful to God. He wants such people to be seen as being masters of anger and wrath, and having a door and a bolt upon their tongue. For you shall not speak a word, it says, in anger from your mouth. Therefore he here circumcises two terrible and very difficult things, from which if one departs, he will be perfect before God. For one of the holy apostles said, "If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." But he who is superior to anger is surely also well-mannered, if the opposite is also true; for it is written that "A man the wrathful is not comely." Therefore, God wants those who observe the sabbath spiritually, and holily, and delicately, to be gentle and possessing the greatest virtue, and he commands them to trust, not in wealth rather than worldly powers, not in the strength of bodies, not in any other such thing, which, like the grasses in the fields, are both temporary and easily withered, but rather in the Lord, the giver and ruler of all cheerfulness. The things of those accustomed to live thus, what sort of men they might be, crowning them, he points out saying, that "He will bring you up to the good things of the earth, and will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father." For the God of all promised the land of promise to the fathers of the Jews, and indeed they were brought into it under the leadership of Jesus after the hierophant Moses; Then how through the preceding verses, as to those who had not yet received the inheritance promised to the patriarch Jacob, does he promise to give it to them? Therefore, the promise was not from God to the divine Jacob concerning the perceptible land, that is, the one bequeathed to them, that is, to Abraham and Isaac, but rather concerning that which the Savior himself signified to us, saying: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And that the things promised will in every way and altogether come to fulfillment, he confirms by saying: For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things; and it is impossible for the divine words to fall away; for God is truth. Is my hand not strong enough to save? Or has his ear become heavy, that it cannot hear? But your sins separate between you and God, because of your sins he has turned his face from you, so as not to have mercy. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with sins. And your lips have spoken iniquity, and your tongue meditates injustice; no one speaks righteous things, nor is there true judgment. They have trusted in vain things, and speak empty things. A little before this, the person of God was introduced, saying to the divine prophet: "Cry out with strength, and do not spare, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their iniquities, and to the house of Israel their sins. They seek me day by day, and desire to know my ways, as a people who have done righteousness, and have not forsaken the judgment of their God. They now ask of me a righteous judgment, and desire to draw near to God, saying, Why is it that we have fasted, and you have not seen? we have humbled our souls, and you have not known? For in the days of your fasts you find your own wills, and you oppress all who are under your hand, you fast for judgment and strife; I have not chosen this fast, says the Lord." And we were explaining the power of the prophecy, as is possible, interpreting that, rising up against the things established through the all-wise Moses, and considering it of little account at all to live rightly, they did their usual things, practicing a way of life hateful to God and fond of sin, then when war was announced, they sometimes considered fasting through a bare and mere fast, that is, abstinence from food, thinking they would render the judge merciful to themselves. Then, having failed in their hope, they grumbled, and indeed they said: Why is it that we have fasted, and you have not seen? we have humbled our souls, and you have not known? Behold then, behold the divine prophet, as out of a very great love for God he rebukes them, and says, Is the hand of the Lord not strong enough to save, or has his ear become heavy, that it cannot hear? For the all-powerful right hand of the Lord, he says, has not become weak, nor is his ear heavy and turned away, so as not to listen. But your sins separate between you and him. Therefore, if one should remove the difference, and take away that which walls off the knowledge of God, that is, sin, he who saves is not far off, but will certainly receive the supplications. For in him is both the all-powerful, and the capacity to benevolently receive the prayers from those who are weary. What sins therefore separate between God, and those of the blood of Israel he brings forth, saying: "For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with sins. And your lips have spoken lawlessness, and your tongue meditates injustice." For they killed the holy prophets who were sent from God, and they have spoken against him. For Jeremiah said, My strength has failed because of those who curse me; but leaving such things aside now, he seems to be accusing them of impiety against Christ, saying their hands are defiled with blood. For they became killers of the Lord, and their lips spoke lawlessness, and their tongue meditated injustice; for they have not ceased fighting and reviling and speaking against Christ, and at one time mocking his divine signs and bearing false witness against his god-fitting great works, and at another time accusing and saying: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him." And sometimes for this reason, as Christ endured an unjust sentence, the prophet cries out with holy boldness, No one spoke what is just, nor is there true judgment. They have trusted in vain things, and call on what is empty. And what is their vain trust? For they thought that by removing the heir from their midst, they would possess his inheritance; and speaking these empty words to one another, the wretched ones have acted impiously against him. Therefore, the prophetic word either accuses those of the blood of Israel of impiety toward Christ, that is, that being in no way righteous, they would be convicted, they who have hands defiled with blood, and lips and a tongue that know how to meditate on nothing else except things tending to impiety, and lawlessness, and injustice, and that in addition to these things they have become unjust judges, taking bribes, that is, and being overcome by shameful gains. For it is said somewhere else, "How the faithful city has become a harlot, Zion, full of judgment, in which righteousness lodged, but now murderers! Your silver is worthless, your wine merchants mix the wine with water, your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving gifts, seeking rewards, not judging orphans, and not heeding the judgment of the widow." Because they conceive trouble and bring forth lawlessness. They have broken asps' eggs, and weave a spider's web, and he who is about to eat of their eggs, having crushed an addled one, found also a basilisk in it. Their web will not become a garment, nor will they cover themselves with the works of their hands. It is a custom in the divinely-inspired Scripture to always call envy 'trouble'. And the saying has much probability; for it melts away and withers the hearts of those who receive it. The Psalmist also says something of this sort about someone, that is, about the people of the Jews, "He has conceived trouble and brought forth lawlessness." For having been in labor with envy against Christ, they have brought forth impiety against him, that is, lawlessness; for they would be convicted by their very arguments of saying that prophetic word: "Let us bind the just man, for he is unprofitable to us." And we will find them in their councils taking a most outrageous counsel. For they were saying concerning the Savior of us all, Christ: "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, the Romans will come and take away both our nation and our land. And one of them, Caiaphas, this one became the inventor of the impiety against Christ; for he said again, "You know nothing at all, but that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." Most clearly, therefore, from what has been said, it is possible to see that, having conceived trouble, that is, having been in labor with trouble against him, they have brought forth lawlessness. What then does the prophetic word signify to us in these things? They have broken asps' eggs, and he who is about to eat of their eggs, having crushed an addled one, found. For the Jews thought that their deliberations against Christ would come to a favorable end for them, and would be for the benefit of the whole nation. But they missed the mark, and it has happened that they have suffered something like what those suffer from excessive folly, who the things of breaking the eggs of asps. For having crushed them, they will find nothing else, except a basilisk in it; and this is the most difficult offspring of a serpent, and deadly besides. Therefore, the end of their audacious acts against Christ is profitless for the Jews, but rather also a cause of destruction. For a serpent has, as it were, come forth for them, and an acknowledged offspring, that brings them to the abyss of hades; but that the conspiracy against Christ has been entirely useless, he shows immediately also through another example; For they weave, he says, a spider's web. For the spider, I mean this small and most insignificant creature, weaves webs in the less used parts of rooms, skillfully woven with thin threads, which, having been made with the greatest labor, profit them not at all in the end; for they will not be a garment for the one who made it, but are easily torn when used for a covering, and better than the art itself. Thus, he says, are also the inventions of the Jews, clearly those against Christ; for by weaving deceits and entwining false accusations, they thought, as I said, that by covering him with the death of the flesh, they would accomplish something beneficial for themselves, and to be enriched with the covering from their own undertakings, but the end of what they hoped for came to nothing for them. For they have become naked of the good will from above, and have cast off their protector, that is, Christ; for from good works, a covering will come to those who wish to do them, with God bestowing this on them; but for the workers of evil, what comes from them will not be for a covering, but rather they will be destitute of the covering from God. For their works are works of iniquity, and their feet run to evil, they are swift to shed blood, and their thoughts are thoughts of murder; destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There will be no judgment in their ways. For their paths are crooked, which they travel, and they do not know peace. For this reason judgment has departed from them. Each of the Jewish transgressions is enumerated in detail, so that since they have been cast out of intimacy with him, they may be convicted of having suffered this by a just sentence. For he says all their works are works of iniquity, and in these, in summary, the condemnation of their entire life has become true; and so he runs through each of the accusations, saying that their feet run to evil, and are swift to shed blood, and that they have had thoughts set on murder. Consider again for me, that although their transgressions are very many, he first mentions their readiness for, I mean, choosing to murder. For he said their feet run to this, and are sharp or swift to receive thoughts of blood and murder; and he insists that destruction and misery are in their ways, and that they do not know peace, or the way of peace. For what they did unholily, and going beyond all boldness, became for them a cause of destruction and misery, or rather, from them to others. And they were certainly full of meddlesomeness, and litigious, and very sick with contentiousness; and the pretext for this was the desire for gains and bribe-taking. Therefore, quite rightly, he says, "There is no judgment in their ways." And by judgment he here means righteousness, that is, a most lawful and irreproachable way of life. For thus somewhere the divine David says concerning the commandment through Moses, "You have established judgment and righteousness in Jacob." Therefore, uprightness, that is righteousness, is not in their ways. For they are crooked, and they flee peace, that is, refusing to be peaceful towards others, or rather, by peace here he means our Lord Jesus Christ, whom they did not wish to know, digging for themselves the pit of destruction. For this reason, he says, judgment departed from them, that is, for this cause righteousness departed from them, that is, the knowledge of doing those things which procure the crown of righteousness to those who have chosen to do them aright. But the Jews are outside of all spiritual skill, and as it were, the ability to know at all how to accomplish correctly anything of the things pleasing to God has flown away from their mind. While they waited for light, it became darkness to them; waiting for brightness, they walked in gloom. They will grope for the wall like a blind man, and as those who have no eyes they will grope, and they will fall at noonday as at midnight. They will groan like those who are dying, they will go together like a bear and a dove. Having declared their life accursed and most lawless; for he said what their works are, works of iniquity, and having enumerated these in detail, what they are, and in how many ways they come, he necessarily adds and sets forth both the loss inflicted on them from this and the recompense for their unbearable wickedness, that is, the fruits of the impiety within them. For the Jews indeed were expecting the illumination from Christ. They heard holy prophets crying out openly, "Be enlightened, be enlightened, Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." And then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and as for what pertains to the foretelling of the holy prophets, the wretched ones were not without good hope. And indeed the leaders of the synagogue of the Jews once spoke to one another, "Does the Christ come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the village?" And that Samaritan woman confessed clearly, speaking to Christ Himself, the power of His advent. For she said that, "We know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ; when He comes, He will tell us all things." Therefore they were expecting, as I said, the illumination from Christ, but the things of their hope turned out for them completely the opposite. For they did not receive the true light, but, as if self-invited, having brought darkness into their own minds, they have become blind, and guides of the blind, according to the voice of the Savior. Therefore, while they waited for light, that is, having hoped or expected, it became darkness to them, and waiting for brightness, they walked in gloom. Again, the prophet states this same thing in another way, that is, about the same thing, making the meaning of what was said clear. For those who expected brightness, walked in deep darkness. For this is what the word 'gloom' signifies. Then, showing the magnitude of the blindness that came upon them, he said they would grope for a wall like a blind man. For in this way it is sometimes the custom for those who suffer the affliction of blindness in their eyes to walk. But it being noonday, he says, they will fall as at midnight. And 'noonday' he usually calls the middle of the day, when the sun's orb also sends forth its strongest ray from mid-heaven upon those on earth, and as it were illuminates all things with richer beams; and 'midnight,' the middle of the night, when deep darkness is also poured down upon all under heaven. At noonday therefore, he says, that is, when a most abundant light, that is, a divine and intelligible one, was illuminating the world under heaven through Christ, the Savior of us all, the Jews will fall just like blind men, not even knowing where they are going; for they did not wish to obey Christ when He said, "While you have the light, walk in the light, that darkness may not overtake you." Therefore they were overtaken by darkness, not having endured to walk in the light; and they will suffer something else besides. For they will groan like those who are dying, he says, that is, as those who are held fast by a grievous and unbearable disease. And they will go together as a bear and a dove, and not as two distinct beings reconciling with each other, of whom one might be understood as a bear, and the other as a dove, but each one of them at the same time, according to his disposition and at least according to the mind within them, being at once a bear and a dove. For since he said they would groan, he shows very well what sort and how great their groaning will be. For they say that bears, if they should be bereaved of their young by someone, their of her cubs, to wail dreadfully, and to be filled with unmixed madness, to roam the mountains and glens, and to leap uncontrollably upon those it meets; and somewhere through one of the holy prophets He signifies something of this sort, when the God of all says concerning those of the blood of Israel, I will meet them as a bear bereaved, that is, savagely and fiercely. But the doves, settling in their nests, coo frequently, and send forth a sort of mournful sound. Such have the Jews become; for with their whole country having been sacked along with the holy city, I mean Jerusalem, and the temple itself also having been burnt, they have a beastly disposition against those who took it. Yet they mourn for its suffering like doves. For it is written, that "And they shall be on the mountains like mourning doves." Or perhaps we shall suppose the prophetic word in these things to indicate something else. For they will go, it says, as a bear and a dove, that is, they will live in a ferocity of mind, coupled with foolishness; and of ferocity the bear is an image, or an example, but of simplicity and foolishness, the dove. For it has been said concerning Israel through one of the holy prophets, And Ephraim was a silly dove, without a heart; and we will find the Jews to be truly somewhat savage and foolish. For the understanding and gentleness from Christ is not in them; for they denied Him who is the bestower of wisdom and understanding, who makes those who love him tame and gentle. Thus the prophet Jeremiah said concerning them at one time, that "Every man has become foolish from his knowledge," and at another time, "There is no wisdom in them, because they have rejected the word of the Lord." We waited for judgment, and there is no salvation, it is far from us; for our lawlessness is great before you, and our sins have stood against us; for our lawlessness is in us, and we have known our wrongdoings. We have acted impiously, and we have lied, and we have turned away from following our God. We have spoken unjustly, and have disobeyed; we have conceived, and have meditated from our heart unjust words, and we have turned judgment back, and justice stands far away. The word of the holy prophets is always a lover of truth. For the spirit of truth speaks in them, that is, of Christ. For this reason, whenever they make mention of the rejection of the nation of the Jews, and of the wrath brought upon them because of their impiety towards Christ, they also usefully call to mind their future conversion in the last times of the age, and of the calling in Christ through faith. Most providentially, therefore, lest anyone think that the truth speaks falsely, it introduces them repenting, and taking on their person, it almost presents them to God saying: We waited for judgment, and there is none. And by judgment they mean righteousness, that which is through Christ, of course, which they expected to receive, but it is not among them, for they have become hard and disobedient. Because of this it says, that salvation is far from us. For our lawlessness is great before you, and our sins are in us. For since they have utterly fallen away from the one who justifies by faith, they have also become far from the salvation from him, not having cast off the pollutions of sin, not having wiped away the charges of lawlessness, but as it were having the filth from it ingrained in them. For this reason Christ addressed them, saying, "Truly I say to you, that if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins." Therefore, since they have not believed, they have died in their sins; and since they have acted impiously against Christ in many ways, they make confession of these very things. For they say, that We have known our wrongdoings, we have acted impiously, and we have lied, and we have turned away from following our God. For they acted impiously, intolerably speaking falsely of the glory of the Savior of us all, Christ, and turning away from the will to follow him. More- And they confess, that We have spoken unjust things, and have been disobedient, we conceived, and we meditated from our heart unjust words. For they have spoken unjust things against Christ; for at one time mocking his glory, and slandering his divine signs, they were saying that by Beelzebul the prince of the demons he casts out demons, and at another time also bringing forth from their own heart unjust words; for they accused him, a Samaritan and one having a demon, daring to call him both a glutton and a wine-drinker, and they also slandered him before Pilate, saying that, "He stirs up the crowds, and forbids giving tribute to Caesar." For this reason they say that, "We have departed from behind our God, we have spoken unjust things, and have been disobedient; we conceived, and we meditated from our heart words of injustice, and we have put judgment behind, and righteousness has stood far off," that is, we have cast righteousness behind, and as it were have given our backs, having turned away from it. For this reason it has stood far off from us. These then indeed are the voices of those repenting, and of those seeking to be shown mercy by Christ. For a saving thing is to repent, and to make clear confessions of transgressions. For it is written, "Declare thou first thy transgressions, that thou mayest be justified." And the divine Psalmist also said; "I said, I will confess against myself my transgression unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my heart." That truth has been consumed in their ways, and they could not come by a straight path. And the truth is taken away, and they turned aside their mind, from understanding, and the Lord saw, and it did not please him, that there was no judgment. And he saw and there was no man, and he considered, and there was no one to help. And he defended them with his arm, and with the mercy, by which he was established, and he put on righteousness, as a breastplate, and placed a helmet of salvation upon his head. And he put on a garment of vengeance, and a cloak, as about to render a recompense, a reproach to his adversaries. And they from the west shall fear the name of the Lord, and they from the east the glorious name. For the wrath of the Lord will come as a violent river, it will come with anger. The prophet, having recalled what those from Israel will say at the time of their calling, asking from God the Father the grace of salvation through Christ, again shifts the words to his own person, and speaks against those from Israel, or rather agrees, that they have become wicked, and apostates, and enemies of the truth; and he asserts, saying, that Truth has been consumed in their ways, that is, it is all but spent, and has completely gone. For there was not at all in their works truth, that is, the law of truth. For this reason they could not pass through by a straight path; for those who have altogether slipped from the knowledge of how to live according to the law, and according to what seems right to the truth, and the law of God is everywhere called truth, how could they have come straight to what is fitting? or how have they not had crooked and perverted ways? And adding and saying, that The truth is taken away, and they turned aside their mind from understanding, he shows that truth had completely departed from them, and they were completely turned aside from being able to understand the things that lead to salvation. These things, he says, the Lord saw, and it did not please him. For there was no judgment among them, that is, just judgment, and law. Then; He has seen, he says, and there was no man, he considered and there was no one to help, For since he is compassionate, as God he remits, sometimes, even the charges against a whole city, for one, and only one righteous man found in it; and at least he said through the voice of Jeremiah; "Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and seek in the broad places thereof, and see if ye can find a man, if there is one that executes faith, and loves mercy, and I will be merciful to her, saith the Lord." And he also promised to Sodom that he would remit the punishment by fire, if they had five righteous men among them, that is, in each city one righteous man. He considered therefore, he says, and there was no man, there was no one to help. For the human race to be saved, that is, and before all others those from Israel, who have believed, to be in participation of the Holy Spirit, through whom also the boast of adoption is brought in, and to speak in a tongue the word of faith, as the all-wise Paul has written: " Do not say," he says, "in your heart: Who will ascend into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down, or, Who will descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does the Scripture say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that if you say, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation." We have received, therefore, from God the word of faith, that is, the confession: a saving thing, and a cause of righteousness: for thus Christ justifies the ungodly, He who also cried out of old, " Behold, I have blotted out your iniquities like a cloud, and your sins like a mist." Let this word of faith be in us continually, and it will not cease from our mouth. And we shall send it on to generations of generations, for thus also those after us will be justified. For if Christ is always both God and Lord, the confession of faith in Him will never cease among those who have known His appearing. Arise, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness and gloom shall cover the earth over the nations: but the Lord shall appear upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. And kings shall walk by your light, and nations by your brightness. As the promise has been given that Israel will be saved in due time, the prophetic word in these things leaps up, in a way, for us to gladness, for, raising a great cry on high, it almost exclaims: "Arise, shine," it says, "for your light has come." But consider how, when the divine light from God was distributed to those of Israel before all others—it is clear that this is through Christ—the prophet says, "your light has come," almost pointing out to them as present Him who was long ago foretold through the law and the holy prophets, but who shone upon those on earth in the last times of the age with flesh. And he says that the One who appeared is the glory of the Lord, for Christ has risen like some sun, illuminating all things with divine and intelligible light, and sending down the radiance of the true knowledge of God to those more ready for faith. And He is also the glory of God the Father. For in Him, and through Him, and with Him He is glorified. And He portrays, as if in His own nature, the One who begot Him. And since we have known the Son, we have seen through Him and in Him the majesty of the Father, and His incomparable glory, and the excellence of His divine dignities. And so Christ said somewhere: "Father, glorify your Son, that also the Your Son, I will glorify you." Therefore the glory of God the Father appeared among us, then, having separated Israel from all other nations, as one specially honored by God and being His inheritance, he adds and says: " Behold, darkness and gloom will cover the earth upon the nations, but upon you the Lord will appear." And he does not say such things as if darkness were about to overshadow the nations when Christ shone upon the world, but rather it was enlightened, and has cast off the darkness of ancient deceit. But those who interpret the divine Scripture are often indifferent concerning the rendering of tenses. Therefore they have put "will cover" instead of "covers." For it is true that even when Christ shone forth, and before others to those from Israel, the multitude of nations was still held in darkness, grace not yet having been transferred to them. Behold, therefore, he says, the whole land of the nations is covered with darkness and gloom, that is, of ignorance and of error, but upon you the Lord will appear, for, as I said, he shone upon them, and his glory was first seen by them, through exceptional great works, and signs, and wonders. For he performed miracles as God among them, raising the dead from tombs, putting light into the eyes of the blind, cleansing lepers with a command, rebuking demons with authority, and in short leaving no way unused which was sufficient for the conviction that he is truly God, and the Son of God by nature. "And kings shall come, he says, to your light, and nations to your brightness." Again the prophet connects the calling of the nations with the visitation of those from Israel, so that they might know that even if they dishonor the Redeemer by their disobedience, and leap away from love for him, to the destruction of their own head, he will not be destitute of worshippers, but rather will gather by faith both nations and kings: for by the brightness given to you, he says, that is by the illumination from Christ, kings and nations will come. And where will they come? To salvation through faith, obviously, to a glorious and blameless life, to knowing and confessing who the Creator and craftsman of all things is by nature and in truth. For they worshipped the creation rather than the creator, and attached their reverence to wood and stones. But since they were illuminated by the light given to you, they too, he says, will travel the straight and royal road, stumbling over none of the things lying in between, but as in the dawn and in the day, although they were sons of night and darkness, running past all the stumbling blocks. Lift up your eyes round about, and see your children gathered together: Behold, all your sons have come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders: then you will see, and you will fear, and you will be amazed in your mind, because the wealth of the sea will turn to you, and of nations, and of peoples, and droves of camels will come to you, and the camels of Midian will cover you m and Ephah. All shall come from Sheba, bearing gold and frankincense, and they shall bring precious stones, and shall proclaim the salvation of the Lord: and all the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, and the rams of Nebaioth shall come to you, and they shall be offered acceptably upon my altar, and my house of prayer shall be glorified. The word has a very great and wise economy. For it proclaims the calling of the gentiles, and the union of the two peoples in Christ, and the change from the shadow of the law to spiritual worship. For all things are new in Christ, and the old things have passed away, and he himself created the two peoples into one new man, making peace, and reconciling both in one body to the Father. Of all these things he makes the prediction, and indeed he says to the spiritual Jerusalem, that is, the Church, which from the beginning was constituted of the Jews: for they were the first to believe: " Lift up your eyes round about, and see your children gathered. For behold, all your sons have come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on shoulders." For as the divine and evangelical preaching gathers those who have believed from every nation and country, netting the whole world under heaven, and persuades them to go to a certain very well-towered city for the grace that comes through faith, that is, for the nourishment of the saints, I mean the Church, it says such things, just as, indeed, somewhere else: " For it shall be, it says, in the last days that the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, prepared on the tops of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and many nations shall come to it, and shall say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will announce to us his way. And we will walk in it." Therefore, the children of Jerusalem would not be called only those from the blood of Israel, but rather also all those from every nation and country called through faith into the light of truth. For as the all-wise Paul writes, "Not all those who are from Israel are Israel, nor because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." And it was said by God to the divine Abraham, that "I have made you a father of many nations." Therefore, as a multitude has already been gathered from the nations, and is worshipping Christ: Lift up, it says, your eyes round about, that is, survey the whole inhabited world, and from every part of it you will see your children running to you, and they shall come, though once they were far off, but far off not in place, but in mind and disposition of intellect. And so one of the holy prophets said to those who had fled from knowing the God who is by nature and truly so: "Remember, you who are far from the Lord, and let Jerusalem come up upon your heart." And the all-wise Paul also wrote concerning Christ, that " He came and preached peace ce to those who are far off, and to those who are near." And he writes to those from the Gentiles: "Remember you Gentiles, who are called the uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the hope of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God in the world, but now you who were once far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ." For those who did not know at all the God who is by nature and in truth, are said to be, and are, far off, according to disposition and mind, as I said. But behold, they have come, he says, that is, their calling will not be to a distant time, nor for a postponement: for they will run as if at the heels of the evangelical proclamations, and they will make their arrival to God through faith without any toil and free from all difficulty and sweat. For they will be carried on shoulders: for the figure of speech is formed as from an example from our own lives: for newborn infants love to be nursed, and seek to rest in their mothers' bosoms and arms. Something like this happens with those called from Hellenic error, for they are cared for by their instructors in the mysteries, not being led harshly, nor immediately taking the rough path, but, as it were, through a tender upbringing are fed with milk and ascend little by little toward a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. And so it was commanded to the holy apostles to baptize all the nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, and to teach them to observe all that he had commanded them. And they, wishing to do this, laid no burden at first on those who believed, using pedagogical skill. For they wrote to those from the Gentiles, that " It seemed good to the holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you, except that you abstain from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood." And the most excellent Paul also writes to some, that "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it, nor are you able even now." But solid food is for the perfect, of those who by practice have the senses of their heart trained for the discernment of good and evil. Therefore, on shoulders will your sons be carried, he says, and your daughters, and then you will see, and you will fear, and you will be amazed, that is, you will marvel: for thus somewhere also the divine Habakkuk: "Lord, he says, I have heard your report, and I was afraid. I considered your works, and was amazed." And we ourselves are somehow accustomed, to say at times, "I was amazed," whenever something paradoxical happens to be done by someone. You will marvel, therefore, he says, and what will be the reason for this? For the wealth of the sea will be transferred to you, and of nations, and of peoples. In these words he makes a clearer prediction, that in due time the multitude of the nations will be called to the knowledge of the truth. For it was indeed in the land in the more southern regions of the Jews, but indeed the parts towards the north, and the sea, and the cities, and the lands lying upon it, the flocks of the Gentiles divided among themselves. But since, having returned from their ancient deceit, they have undergone a change for the better, having been called to the knowledge of the God who is according to nature through those who minister the Gospel of Christ: for this reason, he says, the wealth of the sea will be transferred to the Church: and the wealth, as I said, of the cities and lands lying by the sea, are those who dwell in them. "And herds of ca- mels shall come to you, he says, and the camels of Midi an and Eph- ah shall cover you." For these are nations neighboring Jerusalem, and having common borders, both the Midianites and those from Ephah. For they were abominable, and uncircumcised, and idolaters, but that they themselves also will be called, and will bear fruit for God, he shows in these things. For they were camel-riders, and they provided the resources for living from both fighting and raising cattle: and they were especially so to those of Israel, but those who once wandered, both profane and unmixed with the sanctified, will come, he says, not one by one, but as in a herd, and in a multitude, either mounted on camels, that is, bringing what they have, and honoring God with what is at hand. "And all shall come from She ba, bringing gold and frankincense, and they shall bring a precious stone, and shall proclaim the salvation of the Lord." Again, Sheba is a land beyond that of the Ar abs, and rather near the Red Sea, from which She ba, the queen of the Ethiopians, in the times of Solomon visited Jerusalem. And the land is most fruitful in frankincense-trees, and gold, and Indian stones. Therefore they will come, he says, bearing fruit for the glory of G od, and offering frankincense, and gold, and stones, that is, the fragrance from good works, and intelligible brightness, and spiritual wealth. "And they will also proclaim the good news of the salvation of God." For very many who have been called from the nations, and having been made wise in heart, and having received a knowledgeable mind of the sacred doctrines, have obtained the dignity of teaching, and proclaiming to others the salvation and grace from Christ our all-Saviour, have put on the crown of genuineness. "And the sheep of Kedar, he says, and the rams of Nebaioth will come to you, and will be offered up acceptably upon my altar." And Kedar, and Nebaioth are again other lands, both rich and with good pastures, and having very many inhabitants in them, but they were idolaters, and wanderers. But these also, he says, will offer rams and sheep, and all will be acceptable upon my altar: and yet according to the law of Moses it was not permitted for foreigners to offer sacrifices to God. Nor if they had offered them would anyone have made them acceptable. But behold, God commands that these also be acceptable to the holy sacrif borders. For in Christ Jesus there is neither slave nor free, barbarian, Scythian, Greek and Jew, but Christ is all, and in all. For the two peoples have become one, since he brought down the middle wall of partition, and abolished the law of commandments in decrees. Therefore the sacrifices of all are acceptable, of those who approach God through faith in Christ. ¹And the house of prayer of God was glorified. And again, consider for me the depth of the word: for he no longer wishes the Church to be called a house of sacrifices and smoke, just as the temple in Jerusalem was, but rather of prayer, that is, of spiritual worship. For somewhere the divine David also sings and says: "Let my prayer be set forth as incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." And it should be noted that the Savior himself also recalled this verse somewhere when rebuking the commerce of the Jews, saying: "It is written: 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" Therefore, when it became a house of prayer, then it was also glorified. Who are these that fly like clouds, and like doves with their young? The islands have waited for me, and the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring your children from afar, and their silver and their gold with them, for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorious. It is possible to see again in these things the person of the Church introduced, that is of the spiritual Jerusalem, lifting up her eyes as in a circle, as she was commanded by God, then being astonished at the multitude of those running to her, and the people gathered through faith beyond all number. "For who are these that fly," it says, "like clouds, and like doves with their young?" For they are caught in the net through faith, not only the old, but with them also the young, and together fathers with children, and mothers with daughters. Therefore, for every age the linen-net of the evangelical proclamations is spread out, and this, I think, is what is written in the book of Psalms: "Young men and maidens, old men with younger ones, let them praise the name of the Lord." And it says they fly, either because they will walk to her, not carelessly and feebly, but like winged and swift creatures, or that, having left behind their earthly and base mindset, they are in a way raised on high, and just as clouds from the sea, so from worldly turmoil and luxury, they leap up high, and swim up, hastening to the city above. Therefore, as the Church marvels at the gathering through faith from every land, he who nets them lays bare again the cause of the matter, and says: "The islands have waited for me, and the ships of Tarshish to bring your children from afar, and their gold and their silver with them." And here you will understand islands not, of course, as the lands of the islands themselves, for that is foolish, nor yet as the very... Of another race, indeed, because not from the blood of Israel according to the flesh, but wise master builders, according to the divine Paul, and knowing well how to lay Christ as a foundation in us, that is, through faith and the teaching of good things. This, I think, is what is meant by, "Men of other races will build your walls, and their kings will stand by you." But whose kings? Clearly, those of the other races. By these he means kings, either the rulers and leaders of peoples, who have stood by the Church of Christ, as if serving as its bodyguard, and protecting its children, and warding off every attack of enemies visible and invisible, or in truth those crowned with the highest honors, and holding the scepter of kingship, who also have stood by the Church. And the 'standing by' in this context signifies obedience. For they yield to the divine and sacred decrees, and they deem the proclamation of the Church worthy of all account. For in my wrath I struck you, and in my mercy I have loved you. And your gates will be opened continually, day and night, and they will not be shut, to bring in to you the power of nations, and kings being led. For the nations and the kings that will not serve you will perish, and the nations will be made desolate. For since, it says, you were found guilty of very many and intolerable sins, you have undergone the commensurate penalty. For it was necessary for one who was such to undergo the things that come from wrath. But since again it was necessary for you as from a good and compassionate Lord and God for mercy to be given, it is given, and I will banish the things that come from wrath. What then will there be, what will be given, when the grim things have ceased? "Your gates," it says, "will be opened continually, day and night, and they will not be shut." In these words it seems he promises them peace, and the calm weather that comes from it. For cities that are under suspicion of an enemy attack do not always have their gates thrown open, but as occasion and need require, and hardly in the daytime, and not without fear: but those completely freed from expecting to suffer any such thing open them wide to those entering, even if some do this at night. If, therefore, God promises them peace, and a breadth of prosperity, that is, the concourse of those coming to it will be uninterrupted, and the entry, as it were, continuous, as they are drawn in a certain way through faith to the knowledge of Christ, so that the gates seem to be opened, and there is no time at which it is proper for them to be closed, and not only for those of a humble life, and under the yoke of kingship, but indeed also for those themselves who hold power over all. And it is possible to see through the events the power of the prophecy prevailing to this day. For the Church receives at all times those willing to believe, and shuts out from this endeavor absolutely no one: and it is possible for those who wish, with no one hindering, at whatever time they might wish, to to be led to the light of the true knowledge of God: and God and the Father leads all to the knowledge of the Son, through whom, and in whom, and with whom he is glorified. And he himself has revealed this to us, saying: "No one can come to me, unless my Father who sent me draws him." But he says that the power of the nations will be brought in, so that you might not think only, as I said, of those in smallness and in a low state, but also those in power, and glory in this life. And he adds that, "And the nations, and the kings, who will not serve you, will perish, and will be made desolate." For the unbelieving, and uninitiated, and those without a share in the salvation through Christ, whether they be some of the distinguished, or of the more obscure, will fall into the pit of Hades, and into the snare of death: for they will have died in their own sins, and they will suffer the final punishment of all. And the glory of Lebanon will come to you in cypress, and pine, and cedar, together to glorify my holy place. Lebanon is a mountain of Phoenicia, full of cedars, and cypresses, and pines, and with these very plants of Lebanon. And for this reason the aforementioned mountain is admired, as having the most abundant timber, and abounding with the tallest and most fragrant trees. This glory, therefore, will be given to you, he says, that is, intelligibly, and spiritually. For the Church of Christ nourishes very many, and renowned heads of the saints raised on high from virtues, and yes, most fragrant. For they have the fragrance of Christ: and in them is also the state of being beyond the corruption that comes from a carnal mind, just as indeed the pine and the cedar do not decay. But it is the custom of the divinely-inspired Scripture at times to liken the multitude of the saints to such plants, and so God said somewhere again through the voice of Isaiah: "And I will make water in the desert, and rivers in the waterless land. I will place in the waterless earth the cedar, and the box-tree, and the myrtle, and the cypress, and the white poplar." For he likens the nations to a desolate and waterless land: for the divine word was not among them, which is able to give life, and to bring to growth in piety and knowledge of God, but there have come to be among them the cedar, and the box-tree and the myrtle, and the cypress, and the white poplar, that is, tall and admirable plants, of which also the divine Psalmist makes mention, saying: "Bread strengthens man's heart, the trees of the plain will be satisfied, and the cedars of Lebanon, which you have planted." For as the all-wise Paul writes, "We are God's field." This glory of Lebanon, therefore, he says, will be given to you, that is, you will be seen abounding with many and admired heads of saints. And this will be, so that my holy place may be glorified. For the boast of the Churches are those who have entered into the heights of the virtues, and having nothing low, that is earthly, and cast on the ground in mind because of the to mind the things of the flesh, but rather rushing on high, and minding the things that are above, and as it were departing from the earth, and while walking upon it, yet having our citizenship above and in the heavens. And the sons of those who humbled you and provoked you shall come to you in fear, and you shall be called the city of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. The very outcome of events shows precisely the power of the prophecy, not straying from the truth: for having acted insolently towards the Savior of all, our Jesus Christ, Jerusalem has been humbled, having been cast out from intimacy with God, and having slipped away from hope in him, and having become destitute of mercy from above, and having fallen into the hands of enemies, who indeed having laid waste to all of Judea, also burned the divine and famous temple. But since the remnant has been saved through God's pity, for not a few of those from Israel have believed in Christ, it has been called the Church of Christ, and has become a mother, as it were, of nations. For the sons of those who once humbled her, that is, those who hold power in earthly matters, and coming as it were from them in the succession of scepters, consider the Church venerable, and in fear, that is, with reverence, and having the divine fear in mind, they approach her: "For she has been called the city of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel." For the Church is the city of God, and the divine David teaches this, as if to her, "Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God." And the Lord of all himself says somewhere through the lyre of the Psalmist: " Here I will dwell, for I have chosen it; I will bless her provision, I will satisfy her poor with bread; I will clothe her priests with salvation." But if anyone should wish to name the successive sons of the kings who once persecuted the Church, who now approach her with honor and fear, and honor her as a divine city, he is not carried outside the scope. For we see the outcome of events has turned out this way. Because you were forsaken and hated, and there was no one to help you, I will make you an everlasting exultation, a joy from generation to generation. And you shall suck the milk of nations, and you shall eat the wealth of kings; and you shall know that I am the Lord who saves you, and the God of Israel who redeems you. "For you have become, he says, forsaken, and hated, and there was no one to help." This was the cause of your humiliation, for you acted insolently toward the one able to exalt you and to guard your prosperity unshakably, but there was no one to extend a helping hand, since you were hated by God: for you acted insolently not against some one of those in a servile station, and having a diaconal ministry, but against the very King and Lord of all. But since you have once suffered humiliation, the wicked things will pass away, and he will reclaim you with the second things. For just as having disobeyed if it was necessary for her to be punished by the just decree of God, so it is fitting for her when she has returned to be pitied. "I will make you, therefore," he says, "a joy for generations of generations:" For there is nothing gloomy in the Church of Christ, where there is altogether the hope of incorruption, and of unending life, and of unfading glory, and of the kingdom of the heavens, what dejection could it have? And you shall suck the milk of nations, and you shall eat the wealth of kings. And the meaning of the prophecy seems to some to teach something of this sort, that many from the Hellenic flock, having been made wise in their mind by the God-inspired Scriptures, and having leaped up to a knowledge of dogmatic skill, will be teachers of the Synagogue from the Jews. But somehow for the present the text seems to go not so much this way of thought, but perhaps wants to make this clear, that she will be filled with the fruitfulness from the nations, and with royal offerings. For the experience of things shows that this too is true. But with these things thus accomplished, he says that, "I am the Lord who saves you." For as the prophet Isaiah says: "Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become as Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah." For by the grace and loving-kindness of God the remnant of Israel has been saved, so that the nation from the holy fathers should not be utterly destroyed. And instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and instead of iron I will bring you silver, and instead of wood, I will bring you bronze, and instead of stones, iron. And I will give your rulers in peace, and your overseers in righteousness. He takes up the materials as in the order of examples, having a very great difference from one another. But he signifies something spiritual and profound indirectly. For he wishes to say that all things will be changed for the better, and the second things will differ from the first. For the education in the law will in every way yield to that through Christ, that is, to the evangelical ordinances, and the difference will be as great as that between bronze and gold. For bronze has the appearance of gold, but it is not gold; and iron has the appearance of silver, for it has brightness in it, but it is not silver, but is very much inferior to the superior one. Therefore one might liken the education in the law to bronze, but that through Christ to gold: and again one might liken the power of the way of life in the law to iron, which has a measured brightness, but that in Christ and the gospel, rather to silver: for it has perfect brightness, spiritually speaking. For this very reason, the all-wise Paul, although saying that he had the greatest boast from the life in the law, and from the knowledge under it, considered all things to be refuse, but wished to gain Christ, and the surpassingness of the knowledge of him. And wood and stones are useful for building: and we will find the all-wise Paul likening the power of the initiation by some to these materials. "For if anyone," he says, "builds upon the foundation, wood, ...wood, hay, stones, stubble." This being so, we say this, that the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees, that is, the instruction of the unbelieving Jews as a whole, who do not understand the mystery of Christ at all, since they have not believed in him, might be compared to wood perhaps, and to stones, but the teaching in Christ, the evangelical, is so much better, as bronze is to wood, and iron to stone. For their teachings and thoughts were easily broken, but those of the Christians were solid, and as it were unbreakable, along with being splendid and precious. For the Jews fall into genealogies and endless myths, explaining to the people under them, weaving in certain trifles and old wives' chatter: but those who bear Christ in mind teach those under them every way of holy skill, and make those who come to them lovers of dogmatic precision, and workers of every virtue: and the following passage immediately shows somehow that the meaning of the prophecy has this purpose. "For I will give," he says, "your rulers in peace, and your overseers in righteousness." For with the first ones, he says, having been cast out, the Savior of all raises up other rulers and overseers of the peoples, excelling in peace and righteousness. For those are at peace with God, who are eager to think the things that are pleasing to him, and who are crowned with the boasts of righteousness. The prophet Isaiah said something of this sort again elsewhere, or rather God through the prophet to the mother of the Jews, I mean Jerusalem: "And I will bring my hand upon you, and I will purge you to purity, and I will destroy the disobedient, and I will take away all the lawless from you, and I will humble all the arrogant; and I will establish your judges as before and your counselors as from the beginning, and after these things you will be called the city of righteousness, the faithful metropolis Zion." Indeed, the Savior himself also rebuked the teachers of the Jews, saying: "Truly, truly I say to you, the kingdom of heaven will be taken away from you and will be given to another nation, producing its fruits."

Discourse 30

And injustice will no longer be heard in your land, nor destruction and misery in your borders, but your walls will be called salvation, and your gates a sculpture. And the saying is very likely. For if her rulers are in peace, and the overseers are pre-eminent in boasts of righteousness, surely the practice of living eagerly in all righteousness and piety according to Christ will prevail also among those under their yoke. "Not And there shall be, he says, no devastation within your borders." By devastation he means greed, especially against those in a subordinate and weak position. For such people are an easy path, and are set forth as a most ready prey for those who wish to plunder. And at times, the leaders of the Synagogue of the Jews have become unjust and greedy, and rising up against the divine laws, they made their judgments on every matter perverse. For Sacred Scripture in many places accuses them of having advanced to such a measure of unholiness that they were seen to be liable to intolerable charges: for at one time it says that her leaders judged for bribes, and her prophets divined for silver. And the divine one also sings, "Devastation and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes." And the God of all rebuked them even when they were fasting, saying thus: "For in the days of your fasts you find your own wills, and you provoke all who are under your hand. You fast for judgments and quarrels, and you strike the lowly with your fists:" and in addition to these things, through the voice of Isaiah: "And they coveted fields, and they plundered orphans, and they oppressed houses, and they plundered a man and his house, a man and his inheritance." Since their ways have ceased, but the choir of the holy apostles has been raised up in their place, and those after them who still endeavor to follow in their footsteps rightly divide the word of truth, and have become the best teachers of those under their hand. For this reason, and very rightly, he says that injustice will no longer be heard in their land, nor devastation and misery: but her walls will rather be called salvation, and her gates a carving, and by walls, as I think, he means the holy teachers, securing the Church with dogmatic and ethical instructions, so that it is also impregnable to enemies, whether they be visible or invisible. And these same ones would also be gates, since indeed they use an introductory word, and bring in through faith to the knowledge of truth those who were until now outside of it. And a carving because their word was exceedingly beautiful, and as it were, turned on a lathe toward truth: for everything that is carved is comely: and the Seventy have given this interpretation, but the other interpreters have put Jesus instead of carving. And this is also true. For he was and is called beautiful in his comeliness beyond the sons of men, and we have been enriched with him as walls and gates. For he secures us with unspeakable power, and with the aid of the holy angels: "For he shall give his angels charge over you," he says, "to keep you in all your ways:" and "The angel of the Lord will encamp round about those that fear him, and will deliver them." But we come d through him to the knowledge of the Father, and for this he has become both a door, and a gate, and a way. For he said that " I am the door, and the way, and no one comes to the Father, except through me." And he is also an engraving, that is the form, and the appearance of the one who begot him, and the character of his substance, and an image, and the effulgence of his glory. And the sun will not be for you a light by day, nor will the rising of the moon give you light by night, but the Lord will be for you an everlasting light, and God your glory. For your sun will not set, and the moon will not fail. For the Lord will be for you an everlasting light. Some wish, through the meaning of the preceding words, to lead us to suppose something of this kind. For in the last times of the age, when those who lie in the earth have been raised, and our Savior of all, Christ, has descended from heaven with the holy angels in the glory of the Father, the brightness of the elements will cease, but we expect new heavens, and a new earth, and his promises, according to what is written. And the Savior himself also said something of this sort, that " In those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light." For the glory of the Savior himself will be sufficient for the enlightenment of the saints. But so that the preceding words might seem somehow to follow the meaning of what has gone before, having praised this interpretation, we also say that something else is signified through the preceding verses. For the light of the sun, and additionally that of the moon, is both useful and necessary for the eyes of the body. But at night the light of the sun is withdrawn, and in the day that of the moon. For they alternately yield to each other to shine. But the divine and intelligible light, which the Savior of all sends into the hearts of believers, he says, through the Holy Spirit, and through those who know well how to initiate into the mysteries, will be unquenchable, and unending, and ever-shining, so that the mind of each is in no need of sun or moon for illumination, or for sight: for the mind is not illumined by perceptible light, but is rather satisfied by the illumination and brightness through the Holy Spirit to be able to see the glory of Christ, and whatever resemblance he might have to the one who begot him, in substance, of course, and indeed also to know unerringly the way of the best life. The Savior has therefore become for us an everlasting light, and this he makes clear to us, saying: " I am the light of the world," and again: " As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." " He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life." And the days of your mourning will be fulfilled, and all your people will be righteous, and they will inherit the land forever, guarding the planting, the works of his hands for glory. The few will become a thousand, and the least a great nation. I the Lord in due time will gather them. Those who the Saying that the time of the consummation is being revealed through the fact that the light of the sun, or that of the moon, no longer shines, but is rather diminished, so that our Lord may become an eternal light, they say that for those who mourn now, whom the Savior says will indeed be comforted, there will be an end of mourning at about that time: for they will cease from doing so any longer, and from being worn out, and they will obtain eternal rewards. For this, I think, is what it means to be comforted. But since again it is necessary to follow the lofty aspects of the contemplations, we say this, that for those who remain in transgressions dejection is fitting and most appropriate. For they expect not honors and crowns, not comfort from God, but rather punishment, and fire, and darkness: whereas those who are engaged in good works rejoice in hope, as the all-wise Paul says: for their goodness is succeeded by glory and delight for endless ages: except when he turns to the Lord, even he who is held fast by very many sins, then is justified through faith, and receives the remission of his offenses, and will expect to receive also the honors prepared for the saints. Then indeed the days of his mourning will cease, and toil and dejection will end, and what follows confirms this thought, as it were: "For it shall be," it says, "all your people will be righteous," that is, every people that follows you will be justified: and the word is as to the Church: for Christ justifies the impious by grace and loving-kindness, and He Himself releases from every charge those who have been caught. For who will be the provider of such things, He has revealed, by saying: Protecting the planting, the works of His hands for glory. For we are a planting of the plants of our Savior of all, Christ, and His work: for being wild olives we were grafted into a good olive tree, with Christ, as it were, working on us Himself: for not an ambassador, not an angel, but the Lord Himself saved us. For He Himself said: "Behold, I who speak am here."-"And it shall be," it says, "that the few will become a thousand, and the least a great nation." For now, that is, in this age, the glory of the saints is hidden, and with respect to worldly arrogance they seem to be very few, not having manifest glory. But when Christ shines forth again from the heavens at that time, even he who was considered to be least and few will become a great nation. For he will lead peoples, and will rule over many, since indeed he has completed the approved course in this life: and this it is possible to see from what Christ said: for speaking to the apostles: "When the Son of man shall sit," He says, "on the throne of His glory, then you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." But indeed also in the distribution of the talents He is found saying, "You shall be over ten tribes:" but to others He gives the lesser portion: "For you shall be," He says, "over five cities." Of equal weight as though in every way extending to them a reward for their fairness, and weighing out the honor fitting for each. Therefore, rejoicing in this very thing, the saints say: "He has subjected peoples to us, and nations under our feet." Those indeed who were considered to be the least in life, then became thousands, and a great nation. "I, he says, the Lord of all, will gather them at the proper time," namely, those of the visitation from heaven. For then the saints will have the enjoyment of every good thing: who also will be caught up, as the all-wise Paul says, in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord, delighting in unending honors. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to call the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of recompense, to comfort all who mourn, that to those who mourn in Zion should be given glory instead of ashes, the oil of gladness to those who mourn, and a garment of glory instead of a spirit of dejection. He who said in the preceding words concerning those who would be called in faith: "I the Lord will gather them at the proper times," as the time was already present, in which he promised to gather them, and as one who had already become man, and had undergone the likeness to us, and had lowered himself to emptiness, "The Spirit of the Lord," he says, "is upon me," although being by nature God the Only-begotten is the Holy of holies, and he himself sanctifies all creation, since indeed he is begotten of a holy Father, and pours forth the Spirit from himself, and sends it into the powers above as his own, and moreover to those who have recognized his epiphany. How then was he sanctified? For being at once God and the same one man, he gives the Spirit divinely to creation, but he receives it from God the Father according to his humanity. This we say is the use [or, anointing]. And he makes clear the cause of the incarnation. For having said that it was from the Father, he necessarily added, "Because of which he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to those in captivity, and to grant recovery of sight to the blind, and in addition to these to call also a day of recompense:" many at the same time are the manifest achievements of the incarnation of the Only-begotten. For in order that he might win the world under heaven, and bring those throughout the whole inhabited world to God the Father, having transformed all things to a better state, and as it were renewed the face of the earth, he took the form of a servant, although being Lord of all. He therefore preached good news to the poor; he says he was sent for this reason. And the poor would be, or rather, be understood as, those who had once suffered the lack of every good thing, having no hope, and without God in the world, according to what is written. written. These would be those from the nations, who being rich in faith toward him, have gained the divine and heavenly treasure, that is, the evangelic and saving proclamation, through which they have become partakers of the kingdom of the heavens, and co-sharers with the saints, heirs of things beyond mind and reason. "For eye has not seen," he says, "and ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him." Or perhaps the saying also means that to the poor in spirit has been granted in these things the abundant supply of the gifts through Christ. And he says "brokenhearted" for those who have a weak and easily corrupted mind, and are not able to stand against the assaults of the passions, but are so overcome by them as to seem to be captives. To these he promises both healing and release, and to them, being blind, he gives recovery of sight. For those who worship creation, and say to the wood: "You are my father," and to the stone, "You begot me," and then did not know the God who is by nature and truly is, how would they not be blind, having their heart bare of the divine and intelligible light? to these the Father sends forth the light of the true knowledge of God. For they have been called through faith, and they have known him, or rather have been known by him, and being sons of night and of darkness, they have become children of light: for the day dawned upon them, and the Sun of righteousness arose, and the bright Morning Star shone forth. But it is no harm to apply all that has been said also to those of the blood of Israel. For they were poor, and brokenhearted, and as captives, and in darkness. "For there was none on earth doing good, there was not even one, but all turned aside, together they became worthless." And Christ has been sent, before others, preaching the good news to those from Israel of the achievements of his coming. And in addition to these things, so that he might also call a year of the Lord acceptable, and a day of recompense. And an acceptable year, indeed, is that in which Christ was crucified for us. For then we became acceptable to God the Father, and made fruitful through him, and he himself taught us this, saying, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone: but if it dies, it bears more fruit." And again, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself." And so, on the third day he came back to life, having trampled the power of death. Then he addressed the holy disciples, saying: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me: go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit." That year, therefore, is surely acceptable, in which we were received, having obtained intimacy with him, washing away sin through holy baptism, and becoming partakers of his divine nature through of his tyranny, "And having cast him down to hell with chains of darkness," according to what is written, "delivered them to be reserved for judgment to be punished on the great day" both him and the others, who became his fellow-apostates. For indeed the divine David also sings as from the person of the redeemed, and says: " I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in You. I will sing to Your name, O Most High, for you have maintained my judgment and my cause. You have sat on the throne, judging righteousness: You have rebuked nations, and the wicked one has perished: You have blotted out his name for ever and for ever and ever: "Yes, and elsewhere again he says about him thus. "His sin shall be sought, and shall not be found." And the Savior Himself also said: "Now is the judgment of this world, now will the ruler of this world be cast out." It is a time therefore of recompense, and in this manner, in which Christ shone upon the world: and He says that He has come to comfort all who mourn in Zion, to give them glory instead of ashes, and the oil of gladness, and a garment of glory instead of a spirit of faintheartedness. For there have been at times among the Jews holy men, and learned in the law, and searchers of the prophetic proclamations, and men of knowledge. These, seeing those of the blood of Israel caring little for the commandment through Moses, but turning rather to what seemed good to them, and teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, and living a most lawless and sin-loving life, felt over them a grief befitting the saints. And they were looking for the redemption through Christ. For being Spirit-bearers they were not ignorant of Him who justifies the ungodly by faith, and with a grace that forgets evils cleanses those who are defiled. And so, the righteous Simeon, taking the infant Christ in his arms, prayed, saying: "Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." And we shall find also the divine Zacharias, the father of John, saying: "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and has made redemption for his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us." And Philip also evangelized Nathanael, saying thus: "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth." And somewhere the all-wise Paul also writes that "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."-"Therefore, comfort has been given to those who mourn in Zion," that which is through Christ, "and glory instead of ashes." For they ceased to mourn and weep for it, and they received the grace through Christ, evang- both hoping and proclaiming. " And an ointment of gladness was given to them instead of mourning, and a garment of glory, instead of a spirit of faint-heartedness." But by ointment in these things he means cheerfulness, that is, hilarity, and gladness, instead of mourning and weeping, and a garment of glory, that is, a covering, or a robe, and a mantle instead of a spirit of faint-heartedness, that is, instead of their former smallness of soul. For those who formerly mourned her and were faint-hearted for her have been glorified. But how were they glorified? For they have been set up as her guides and teachers, and this was indeed what was said to her through the lyre of the Psalmist: " Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you." For being children of the Jewish Synagogue, the all-wise disciples have become fathers. Indeed the all-wise Paul writes to some, " For in Christ Jesus through the Gospel I have begotten you." Therefore, those who had become her sons were placed in the rank of fathers: But that the divine disciples have received the garment of glory from God would be clear from Christ saying to them, at one time, that " Heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead:" and at another time again: " You are the light of the world." And they shall be called generations of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for glory. And they will build up the eternal desolate cities, they will raise up those formerly desolated, and they will renew the desolate cities that were desolated for generations. For those in Christ are called "A chosen generation, a holy nation, a people for possession," on account of the beauty of the righteousness within them, and I do not mean that according to the law, but rather that which they have received through the ordinances of the Savior: for the one through Christ is incomparably better than the one in the law: and indeed He said to the holy apostles: " Amen I say to you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven."-"Therefore, he says, they will be called generations of righteousness, and moreover a planting of the Lord." For we are truly God's tillage, and concerning us the divine David says: "Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God." And indeed the all-wise Paul calls those called through faith in Christ God's tillage. But he said again, that " I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. " For the Savior cultivates us through the holy mystagogues: for this reason they also very rightly say that they have become co-workers with God. And the all-wise David also sings in the Psalms: "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, he will be multiplied like the cedar in Lebanon." We are therefore indeed a planting of the Lord, and for His glory. "But they will build, he says, eternal desolate cities, and they will renew desolate cities." He seems to wish to make clear through this, either the multitude of those who will be called, that it will be so great, as to seek out other cities besides the existing ones, and to renew them those once desolate: that is to say, perhaps this: For, being straitened, he says, by the multitude in the churches, although they were once bare and desolate, they will do something of the sort that those who wish to build up desolate cities are accustomed to do, and as those who are zealous to raise what is lying on the ground. It was said, then, to the Church: "Enlarge the place of your tent, and of your courts: fix them, do not spare: spread out still to the right and to the left." And the outcome of events itself would show, and very easily, that the prophecy concerning this is true. And foreigners shall come shepherding your sheep, and aliens as plowmen, and vinedressers: but you shall be called priests of the Lord, ministers of God. You shall consume the strength of nations, and in their wealth you shall be admired. [Instead of your double shame, and instead of dishonor their portion shall rejoice, and so] they shall inherit the land a second time. And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. Here he says clearly that there will be a change of the law and of the priesthood according to it. For it is no longer fitting for those of the blood of Levi + to perform sacred rites, nor the name and reality of ministry, but they have been pushed out, and the glory in this has been given to those from the nations who have been called through faith. For they are crowned by the decree of God, and they themselves are appointed as ministers and priests: "For foreigners shall come," he says, "shepherding your sheep." But the saying is directed to the Church, whose sheep the holy multitude of those saved through faith would be understood to be: she is shepherded by foreigners. For the scribes and Pharisees of old, who obtained the lot of leading those of the blood of Israel, became indolent and supine, and most unskilled shepherds. Therefore the multitude placed under them was perishing, since their silver was counterfeit. And they taught as doctrines the commandments of men, and they carried away those subject to them from knowing Christ, at one time saying: "We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he is from:" and at another time: "He has a demon and is mad; why do you listen to him?" Therefore, the God of all things testified through the voice of prophets, saying thus, that "The shepherds have become foolish, and have not sought the Lord. Therefore the whole pasture did not understand, and they were scattered:" and indeed through the voice of Ezekiel: "O shepherds of Israel, do the shepherds feed themselves? do not the shepherds feed the sheep? Behold, you consume the milk, and you do not feed my sheep:" and in addition to these things: "You fed on the good pasture, and trampled the rest with your feet, and you drank the settled water, and disturbed the rest with your feet, and my sheep fed on the treadings of your feet, and drank the water disturbed by your feet." For settled water is the [teaching] through the law he calls it my teaching, and the best pasture: but those who were confusing all things, and muddying it by not teaching the people under their hand correctly, prepared, as it were, water to drink that was not pure, nor pasture to graze on that was not fresh. Therefore, and quite rightly, they were thrust out from still shepherding the people of the Lord. For gentiles have been called to this. For wise teachers of the Churches are ordained by Christ, and sagacious, and having a mind filled with doctrinal skill, men from the Greek flock, and not being of the blood of Israel, these have become both plowmen and vinedressers. For since those who have believed are called in many places of the divinely-inspired Scripture chosen earth, and a vineyard, and a garden: for this reason, the word says, that those who from time to time should become priests of the Lord and ministers of God will be plowmen and vinedressers, rightly dividing the word of truth, and ministering the Gospel of Christ, as it is written: therefore they do not seize the honor for themselves, but rather are called by God, just as the all-wise Paul also says. And yet, though he was of the tribe of Benjamin, he calls himself everywhere a minister, and a called apostle of Jesus Christ. "You therefore, all who have received the dignity of the sacred ministry, shall eat the strength of the nations, and in their wealth you shall be admired." He says the strength of the nations, either the honors from the most powerful, who would be those called from the nations, or you will understand it in another way. "For none of you," he says, "will escape the mouth," that is, the word, for the sacred Scripture everywhere puts "mouth" for "word," as in, "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." -"Therefore you shall possess," he says, "the strength of the nations." And by the power of the nations, the word seems in these things to mean either those who are brilliant among them, that is, the most renowned, and those who have worldly wisdom. And we shall find that the word of the holy mystagogues prevailed, and being enriched by their calling, they were glorified. For the boast of teachers, and crown and glory, are those saved through their enlightenment. For this reason he says, "In their wealth you shall be admired." That the divine proclamation will take hold of the regions, and of every nation, and that in due time the leaders of the holy Churches will be, so to speak, heirs of the world under heaven, ascribing glory to Christ, he implies, saying: "Thus they shall inherit the land a second time." For long ago Joshua the son of Nun allotted to those of Israel the lands of the nations: for they took the land of the Amorites, and the Idumaeans, and the Hivites, and those of the others. But Christ, shining upon the world, of whom the Joshua of old was a type, allotted to his own ministers, not just Judea, but indeed the whole earth. And a second allotment came after the first. For they divided the countries and cities by his decree, mystagogues and teachers, and they come hither rejoicing in Christ, and having an intelligible joy, as a certain crown upon their head. And the joy is eternal: for we do not expect the reward to be in temporary things, but in a long hope, and in a life without end, and in the good things that are beyond mind and reason. For I am the Lord who loves righteousness, and hates robberies from injustice: and I will give their labor to the just, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the nations. And their offspring in the midst of the peoples. Everyone that sees them shall know them, that these are a seed blessed by God, they shall rejoice with joy in the Lord. Having said, that "Strangers shall come feeding your sheep, and foreigners shall be plowmen and vinedressers," as the first were evidently cast out, and driven from leading the peoples, he shows the causes for which they have suffered this, by the holy decree of him who judges righteously. For since I love, he says, righteousness, but hate robberies from injustice, and the leaders of the synagogue of the Jews have become such, I have passed over, he says, and cast them out. For the labor of those who seize plunder from injustice I give to others. For those who become rich unjustly, and, as the prophet says, treasure up for themselves impiety and misery, pass these things on to others. For Solomon said, that "Wealth unjustly gathered shall be vomited up, an angel shall drag him out of his house." And again: "He that gathers his wealth with interest and increase, shall leave it to him that has mercy on the poor, and certainly not at all to good and compassionate men, but rather to the profligate." For he euphemistically said that such men have mercy on the poor. For to those who live in profligacy very many attach themselves, and spend with them the things unjustly accumulated by the sweat of many. And the divine David also sings about such men, and says: "Surely he is disquieted in vain: he treasures up, and knows not for whom he shall gather them:" And in another way the labor, that is the care, of the Scribes and Pharisees was given to others, it is clear that "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Therefore they were cast out, he says, but with us who are called from the nations to the priesthood I will make an everlasting covenant, which signifies the evangelical preaching, that is, the hope without end. "And among the nations shall be known," he says, "their seed, and their offspring, everyone that sees them shall know them, that these are a seed blessed by God." For the sons in discipleship of the holy mystagogues from much exceeding good work, and from the pious life, are most well-known to all, that they have also become the offspring of saints according to j, which we have done upon the earth.” Therefore, the saints must be compared to a bridegroom and a bride, on account of their strength, and in addition to this, their fruitfulness: but consider this, for everywhere in them is that which excels in beauty. This is preserved in them, both in bearing the exceptional fruits of mighty deeds, and in acting manfully against the passions. But that righteousness and exultation shone upon the nations when Christ appeared, like some flourishing grass crowning the earth under heaven, he has shown by saying: “ As the earth bringing forth her flower, and as a garden its seeds, so the Lord will cause righteousness and exultation to spring up before all the nations.” And through these things, it seems that what springs up, that is, what rises up, the seed and flower before the nations, he names our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. For He said in the Song of Songs: “ I am a flower of the plain, a lily of the valleys:” that is, the evangelical and saving proclamation, and His justification being superior to that according to the law, which is entirely and in every way followed by rejoicing, which is exultation. For to those who have completely achieved it, to be in long-lasting gladness will be allotted by God. For they will hear our Savior of all, Christ, saying: “Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord:” And exultation, the saving proclamation, might also be understood in another way. For the law was a chastiser, and had much that was dejecting: for anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses, but the evangelical oracle brings to us life and a promise of rewards, and a true hope of goods beyond understanding. For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until my righteousness goes forth as light, and my salvation as a burning torch, and the nations shall see your righteousness, and kings your glory, and he shall call you by your new name, which the Lord will name, and you shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. In these things he calls Zion the Church, of which the divine disciples became the first-born children from the beginning, and those called through them to the knowledge of Christ, and before all others, those of the blood of Israel. For the remnant has been saved, and very many of them have believed. Therefore, I will not rest, he says, that is, I would not cease from needing to carry out to the end what has been promised to Zion. And God the Father promised salvation through Christ to both Jews and Greeks, if indeed “God is one.” as the all-wise Paul says, “who will justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. For He is not the God of the Jews only, but of the nations also.” Therefore, I will not rest, he says, until my righteousness goes forth as light. And the salvation of me will be kindled as a lamp. Both righteousness and salvation Christ appeared and became to those upon the earth, for he justifies, and saves, being himself the true light, and as a lamp in darkness. For he himself said, that " When I am in the world, I am the light of the world." For all things had been seized by gloom and darkness, the devil blackening the hearts of all, and there was no one who did good, and knew righteousness, that is, the path that leads away [alt. leads to] to be saved. But neither was there one who had the divine light in his mind, and was able with the eyes of the intellect to perceive, who is God by nature and in truth, and the creator of all things, and Lord: but when he arose as a light, and the Savior shone as a lamp, then the world under heaven was enlightened, and we have seen the path of salvation through him. Then he says to the Church, from the flock of the Jews, and when the multitude of the Gentiles had not yet been gathered in the net, that " Nations will see your righteousness, and kings your glory." And again in these things, righteousness, and indeed also glory, he says is nothing other than our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have been justified in him, and we have been enriched with the glory from him. For we have become his, and we are called his inheritance. And we have been placed under yokes and scepters, having washed away the greed of the one who tyrannized over us: and that having departed from the worship according to the law, and having, as it were, changed towards the newness of evangelical life, it will also cast off its former calling, and will then be renamed with a new name, according to what seems good to the God over all, he shows by saying: "He will call your new name, which the Lord will name it:" for it is no longer called a synagogue, but the Church of the living God, and his city and house. For the divine David also remembers it, saying thus: "Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God." And that it will be exceedingly beautiful, and crowned with incomparable beauty, he teaches, saying: "You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God." For each holy soul, and the Church as a whole, that is, the communities of the saints, must be compared to a crown composed of many flowers, or to a royal diadem, shining with Indian stones, and having manifold excellence: for the heroic deeds of the saints are very many, and the manner of their boasts is not one, but many and various. And indeed the divine David introduces the Church of Christ clothed in gold-fringed garments, variegated, but the phrase " In the hand of the Lord," he says, that is, under the shadow of my hand I will cover you: and Christ himself somewhere concerning his own flock, that is, of the flock of those who have believed in him, says, that "No one will snatch them out of my Father's hand." And no longer c You will be called forsaken, and your land will not be called desolate: for you will be called my delight, and your land, inhabited. He teaches again, that He will at last cease from the former turning away, which He has often made towards the Synagogue of the Jews, and will have stopped from His anger, and will make her desirable, and in addition to this also fruitful, and will show her to be crowned with the multitude of those who have believed. For Zion, having rejected our Lord Jesus Christ, has been given over to desolation, and the multitude of those who disbelieved has perished. But since the remnant accepted the faith, then the multitude of the Gentiles has been called to it, and the two were founded into one people, and one Church has consequently been named from both, God grants to her that in no way is she to be caught in the former evils, nor indeed to be called [al. ai] forsaken, or desolate, but that rather she will become desirable to him, and no longer desolate, but rather will be called inhabited. And we see this having come to fulfillment through the things themselves. For in fair weather and calm we see the Churches situated everywhere, and the believers always extending into a multitude beyond measure, and God taking pleasure in them. For persecutions have been stirred up from time to time, but not for a long time, but constrained, and training the saints rather than harming them: for they have become approved through endurance and patience, having taken up the crown of genuineness toward Christ, and having become rich in the glory of martyrdom. And as a young man cohabits with a virgin, so will your sons dwell with you, and it will be that in the way a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so will the Lord rejoice over you. Then he makes his words to the Church as one constituted, at least, from the Jewish ranks in the beginning. Of this one the divine disciples were sons according to the flesh, but they were in her, pre-eminent over the others, and leading, as being in apostolic dignity, yet preserving for her the utmost love and affection, so that the tender love that came to be for her seemed to be such as would befit a young man living with a virgin, that is, to her who was joined to him from virginity: and they say that it drives to the limit of all tender love those who are all but bound tight in such a bond. And indeed the all-wise Paul says: "Sorrow I have," "and unceasing anguish in my heart for my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites." And he even prayed to be accursed for their sake, except that a great newness of things is signified through the prophecy set before us, and the change is worthy of admiration: for the old Synagogue, and in a way grown grey [al. grown old] because of time, is compared to a young woman: "For they will dwell as with a virgin," he says, "your sons:" And this, I think, is what is in the Psa hymned by us: "Your youth will be renewed like an eagle's," indeed they have dwelt in her, leading her by the hand as a nurse, exhorting her as a mother, carrying her away from the shadows and types, and wisely leading her up to the point of choosing the truth over the unprofitable shadow: the divine David also said something like this to her: "Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you." For those who were her sons according to the flesh have become her fathers, being the beginning of her new children, namely, those called through faith to the knowledge of Christ our Savior of all: and since this is so, he says: "So the Lord will rejoice over you, just as a bridegroom over a bride." For the only-begotten Word of God came down from heaven, that He might make the Church fruitful, whom He presented to Himself as a pure virgin, having no spot or wrinkle, but rather holy and blameless. Having therefore received from Him the seeds of the evangelical way of life, she has both conceived and given birth, no longer to the worship through blood and smoke, but rather to that in which the beauty of truth is most especially engraved. For this very reason He rejoices quite fittingly, seeing the types of the law transferred into evangelical truth, and with spiritual sacrifices, and with truly holy achievements the bride shining forth. And on your walls, Jerusalem, I have set watchmen all the day, and all the night, who shall never be silent, remembering the Lord. For there is none like you. He speaks as to a splendid and well-inhabited city: and always somehow the most prominent of the cities very many and sober watchmen surround, lest any of the enemies should invade unexpectedly: so also the Savior and Lord of all, having fortified the Church with ineffable power and with the help of angels, has appointed for her wise and watchful guardians, who have a sleepless care for her, namely, the holy mystagogues, who in no way cease from remembering His glory, and His wonders, as it is written. For we are accustomed in the churches to always proclaim to the people under our care the mighty works of the Savior, and the demonstration of His divinely-fitting excellence, so that from this they may have a sure and unshakable faith concerning Him. Or perhaps he says that the watchmen will remember the Lord by exclaiming and saying, that "there is none like you." For He is not like us, but by as much as He surpasses human things in the excellence of His renown and in the glory of His divinity, by so much does He excel also in being good and loving-kind. For as the Psalmist says: "He has not dealt with us according to our iniquities, nor rewarded us according to our sins." For He saved us while we were sinners, and lovingly brought to Himself those who were not worthy of being saved. He said something similar also through another prophet: "What shall I do to you, Ephraim? What shall I do to you, Judah? I will set you as Admah, and as Zeboim my heart is turned within me, I will not act according to the anger of my wrath: I will not abandon Ephraim to be blotted out, because I am God, and not man, the Holy One in you." For since I am not a man, he says, but rather God, the Holy One in you, for this reason I will not abandon Ephraim to be blotted out. If you are corrected, and I make you, Jerusalem, an exultation upon the earth, the Lord swore by his glory, and by the strength of his arm, If I will yet give your grain, and your food to your enemies, and if strangers will yet drink your wine, for which you have labored, but those who gather it will eat it, and they will praise the Lord, and those who gather it will drink it in my holy courts. As from a similarity of things, that is, of misfortunes very often inflicted upon those of Israel, he weaves a narration of most profitable contemplations for us. For they sinned in many ways, having abandoned the God who is by nature and in truth, and being devoted to the worship of idols: for they worshipped the works of their own hands, and having kicked away, as it were, even the life according to the law, they were carried off toward what seemed good to them. For this reason they were smitten by God, sometimes with barrenness, with bodily plagues, with incursions of wars, which, ravaging their whole country, plundered even the things in the fields. For it has been said to them: "You shall sow, and not reap; you shall press olives, and not anoint yourself with oil; and wine you shall not drink." " If therefore you are corrected, he says, O Jerusalem," that is, if you should change to spiritual worship, if you should flee from the types, and recognize that Moses wrote concerning me, if you should receive the grace through faith, "and you make for yourself an exultation upon the earth," that is, a glorious boast, namely that which is in Christ, "the Lord swore by his glory," for he has no one greater by whom to swear, "and by his arm," that of the things formerly inflicted on you because of great disobedience, nothing will happen any more. For you will not have the sweat of your husbandry unrewarded: but you will understand this spiritually: but as the divine David says: "You shall eat the fruits of your labors." And as Paul says, that " Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap, and he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life:" that therefore one will abundantly heap up for oneself the things from spiritual fruitfulness, he indicates through the preceding words: "But those who have obtained these things will give glory, he says, to the Lord, and those who gather them will drink them in the holy courts." For those who have gathered the boasts of the excellent life and who collect the fruits of right and blameless faith will delight in the mansions above. Go forth through my gates, and prepare a way for the people it must be, he said, that is, that the word of faith which we preach should be lifted up and become most known, or perhaps also the symbol of the saving passion. And this too is a confession of faith. For one must say that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God raised him from the dead. And this saves both from death and from sin. Therefore not only of the Jews, but also of the gentiles. For the sign is raised not only for those who have believed from the blood of Israel, but also for those everywhere on earth: for the whole world under heaven has been gathered in through the evangelical preachings. Say to the daughter of Zion: Behold, your Savior has come to you, having his own reward, and his work before his face: and he will call them a holy people, redeemed by the Lord: and you shall be called a city sought after, and not forsaken. And he foretells the arrival of the Savior, and what things we have gained through it, and the wealth that will be given to those who believe in him. Indeed, he names Zion a daughter. And if someone should wish, let him understand the ancient one as having now been shown mercy, and justified in faith. But if indeed the new one, that is the Church, she too might not unreasonably be said to be the daughter of Zion. For first those from the blood of Israel have believed, and as a kind of daughter of the Church constituted from them in the beginning, the one from the gentiles is named. And to whom does he command to preach the good news to Zion? Or surely to the holy mystagogues who have been appointed to lead the Churches, whom he also strongly exhorted to open the gates and to cast the stones out of the midst? And what then is being preached? " Behold, your Savior has come to you, having his own reward, and his work before his face." He puts two things together, both befitting God and excellent, through which the glory of the Savior might become manifest. For the divine prophets called it to a good life, and to a life lawful and decent. Then they made mention of the rewards, which they will receive from God in due season, for whom it should be to be well-pleasing in word, but they themselves were not givers of the spiritual gifts. But they proclaimed, as I said, the promises of God. But the Savior of all, since he is indeed God, has the power to give rewards, and in addition to this, to oversee the way of each one, that is, his work: for this too is befitting of God. For it is written, that " The ways of a man are before the eyes of God, and he looks upon all his paths." -" He will come therefore," he says, "having his own reward," that is, he himself giving the prizes to whom it may be fitting to receive them. And indeed, to the divine Peter who confessed the faith correctly, "I will give you," he says, "the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in the heavens." And he also bestowed upon all the holy apostles collectively over unclean spirits authority, and to be able to heal every disease, and every infirmity among the people. Indeed, he declared that the faith of the thief crucified with him was not without reward, saying: " Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." Having arrived, then, he says, those who believe in him "he will call a holy people, and redeemed by the Lord." For not an ambassador, not an angel, but the Lord himself saved us, as it is written: "But you, Zion," that is, the Church, "will be called a city sought after, and not forsaken:" And "sought after," he says, means "deemed worthy of remembrance." For what is sought is remembered: and not forsaken, as was the first, that is, the multitude of those who disbelieved. For it was said by Christ through the voice of Jeremiah, "I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance," and through [the voice] of our Savior of all, Christ himself: "Behold, your house is left to you." Who is this that comes from Edom? with the redness of his garments from Bosor? This one, beautiful in his robe, crying out with strength: I speak righteousness, and a judgment of salvation. Why are your garments red, and your clothing as from a full, trodden winepress? And of the nations there is no man with me. And I trod them down in my anger, and I crushed them as earth. And I brought down their blood to the earth, and I stained all my garments. For a day of retribution has come upon them, and a year of redemption is at hand. And I looked, and there was no helper. And I considered, and no one took hold, and my arm delivered them, and my anger was present. And I trod them down in my wrath, and I made them drunk with my anger, and I brought down their blood to the earth. Wisely and artfully the word of the prophecy all but paints the ascension into heaven of our Savior of all, Christ: for to bring to completion the power of the economy in the flesh, he ascended to the Father and God in the heavens. Moreover, he was seen by the powers above not only in our form, that is, as a man, but also showing the signs of the passion: and we are not saying that after the resurrection from the dead the piercings of the nails, and the other marks were still in the holy flesh, but rather this: for just as he showed the prints of the nails and his side to the disbelieving Thomas, when the holy apostles said that they had seen the Lord raised from the dead, so we understand that in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places through the Church, which he accomplished in Christ, ascending with the signs of the passion, he made a strange and completely unaccustomed spectacle for the powers above. At any rate, they were astonished seeing him ascending, and indeed they said: "Who is this that comes from Edom?" is interpreted In Greek, Edom means "fiery," or "earthly:" and Bosor, either "of flesh," or "fleshly." "Who then," he says, "is this from the earth," that is, earthly, "with redness of garments from Bosor," that is, with his clothing crimsoned as if from flesh, or rather, from blood? "This one is beautiful in his robe." For the mighty and wise powers, and those full of God-befitting glory, were contemplating Christ, even though He was in the flesh, yes, and indeed full of invincible strength, for this, I think, signified the divine. Therefore, when the angels asked, or perhaps when they were saying to one another, "Who is this?" he answers and says: "I speak righteousness, and a judgment of salvation:" and he says righteousness is either the evangelical and divine proclamation, or that every word of God is just: and perhaps he calls a judgment of salvation the judgment upon us, for He has vindicated the world under heaven and Satan who wronged it, and has saved those who were oppressed by unbearable greed: and He has cast out the apostate and alien from his rule over them: for he said just now that "Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out, and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." When Christ had said these things, they ask again, and say: "Why are your garments red, and your clothing like that from a trodden winepress, full and trampled?" Here, recall for me the patriarch Jacob saying: "He will wash his robe in wine, and his cloak in the blood of a grape." For his garments appeared reddened with blood, and as if stained from wine to a crimson color. Then immediately again the Savior: "And of the nations there is no man with me:" he holds to the statement, and connects these things after it: "For I," he said, "speak righteousness, and a judgment of salvation, and of the nations there is no man with me." "For no one stood by me when I was suffering," he says, "from any nation was there one who grieved with me," and as far as men were concerned, he was completely unaided, when both the cohort of soldiers and the ferocity of the officers attacked him, "who also led him away to Caiaphas, as the evangelist says, at that time all the disciples deserted him and fled," but Christ also foretold this: for He said: "Behold, the hour is coming, and has come, that you may be scattered, each to his own, and you may leave me alone, and I am not alone, because the Father is with me." And he said also through the lyre of the Psalmist: "My soul expected reproach and misery, and I waited for one to grieve with me, and there was none, and for one to comfort me and I found none, and they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Therefore, "There was no one with me," he says, "from all the nations." So then, since you were alone, and bereft of fellow-combatants, were you overcome by the hand of your enemies? Have they prevailed, and of your strength who, having grown great, then rejoice as if they have conquered? By no means, he says. And yet, though I had no one to stand by me, I trod them down in my fury, and I crushed them like earth, I brought down their blood to the earth: for after Christ's ascent into the heavens, every kind of unbearable calamity from divine wrath was brought upon the people of the Jews. " For a day of recompense," he says, "has come upon them." For those who had the opportunity to seize the faith, and through it to be enriched with grace, then having become indifferent, or rather arrogant, and insolent, and fighters against God to the very end, how have they not very reasonably come into every evil? However, the time of His recompense was one of redemption for those who had acknowledged His manifestation. For in this, the unruly was punished, but the obedient and submissive was redeemed by Christ. " For I looked," he says, "and there was no helper; I took thought, and there was no one to help:" and my arm rescued them, and my fury came upon them. "And I trod them down in my wrath." It seems in these things to make an outcry against the indifference of the Scribes and Pharisees, who were appointed to lead the people, and to guide them to righteousness, and to instruct them very well towards what is pleasing to God. But they were so indifferent and supine as to help none of those under their yoke, and to correct them with admonitions, but on the contrary to lead them away into unbelief. For they have dared to say concerning Christ the Savior of us all: " We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he is from." And again: "He has a demon and is mad; why do you listen to him?" Therefore, since there was no one, he says, helping or assisting, my arm, that is, my power, saved them, for very many, as I said, from among the Jews have believed. But upon those who were unwilling to help, my fury came; they became a thing to be trodden down by wrath. For the evil have perished evilly, and have paid penalties equal to their charges. I remembered the mercy of the Lord, the virtues of the Lord in all things, which the Lord repays to us. The Lord is a good judge to the house of Israel, he brings upon us both according to his mercy, and according to the multitude of his righteousness. God saying that fury came upon the disobedient, and wrath trod them down, and that their blood was brought down to the earth, the prophet has intervened, and does not permit despair for those against whom the words are, but he pursues the matter, and very skillfully. For I remembered, he says, to myself, that the judge of all is not harsh. For I know his mercy and his virtues, that is, his mighty acts in all things, with which he repays us. For even if He has turned away, he says, from an Israel that has acted insolently and has been chosen to disobey, and as he repays us with things from wrath, not unrestrained but rather held back by gentleness, nevertheless I know well his virtues, that is, the mighty works that happened at various times for the redemption of Israel. "Therefore," he says, "the Lord will be a good judge to the house of Israel," not rather strict, but kind, that is, good. For it would be the work of a strict judge to demand from those who have sinned penalties corresponding to their offenses; but of a good one, to have mercy as on those who have become weak. Therefore, since he is a good judge, he brings upon us according to his mercy, that is, he will measure what comes from wrath, and mixing it with mercy he will create the indignation. For a multitude of righteousness is in him, that is, he has passed through to the end of all righteousness. For this reason, and very reasonably, he will not let Israel go completely unpunished, but rather with gentleness, as I said, he will mix what comes from wrath. For the remnant has been saved. And the Lord said, Surely they are my people, children that will not deal falsely. And he became to them salvation out of all their affliction: not an ambassador, nor an angel, but the Lord himself saved them, because he loved them, and spared them: he himself redeemed them, and took them up, and exalted them all the days of eternity. But they disobeyed, and provoked his Holy Spirit: and he turned to be an enemy to them, the Lord himself warred against them. Consider now for me again the person of God introduced immediately, all but crying out against the disobedience of Israel. For the Lord said, he says, that is, the God of all himself: Did I not reckon the people in the rank of children? Since this is true (for he said that "Israel is my firstborn son"), one would not doubt that he would not be hard and disobedient. But he will rather receive the Son who was sent. But this did not come to pass, and the one who knows all things was not mistaken in his hope; for he knew what was to come. For nothing at all escapes him. But the form of the speech has been fashioned in a human way. The prophet, taking up these things that God says, indicts Israel for both insensibility and ingratitude, and shows that they have completely forgotten the good things that came to them. "For he became to them," he says, "salvation out of all their affliction:" and no one else besides him saved them, not an ambassador, not an angel, but the Lord himself through himself. For he worked wonders in Egypt, with Moses acting as mediator, yet he himself was performing the marvels. And so when Israel made the calf, then God was grieved at this, and promised to send an angel with them, Moses was displeased, saying: "If you yourself do not go with me, do not lead me up from here." He himself therefore through himself saved them, having received absolutely nothing from them, but only because he loved them and cared for them. And this is a clear demonstration of his incomparable love for mankind, and of his divine serenity: he therefore redeemed them from the house of is it? That is, they forgot, and they did not seek him, that is, by remembering and loving him. Where is he who brought up Moses with his right hand? Great was Moses, both renowned and exalted in glory: this is what "who brought up" hints at, as the right hand of God was working through him. " The arm of glory prevailed," or it struggled and conquered the nature of the waters, making them firm. For it brings up the waters as a wall, it says, that is, it prevailed over the waters, so that they endured solidification, even though they have a liquid nature. And he fulfilled this also, it says, that he might make for himself an everlasting name: for if anything happened, that is, was also worked through the all-wise Moses, this was done for the glory of God. Having solidified the waters, it says, as a horse, or as a beast, he led them through the sea, as through a plain. This the Psalmist also teaches, saying: "And he brought up his people as sheep, and he led them as a flock in the desert." And he led them, as I said, by the Spirit of the Lord. Thus you led your people, to make for yourself a name of glory. For two things were done at the same time. For not only was Israel saved and delivered from the hand of the oppressors, but also the conclusion of the wondrously accomplished things procured for the God who rules over all the glory fitting for him. Look from heaven, and see from your holy house, and your glory. Where is your zeal, and your strength? Where is the multitude of your mercy, and of your compassions, that you have restrained from us? For you are our Father, because Abraham did not know us, and Israel did not acknowledge us. From the beginning your name is upon us. Why have you caused us to wander, O Lord, from your way, have you hardened our hearts from fearing you? Here, then, the prophet makes prayers on behalf of the whole nation, and from the person of those of Israel he raises up the supplication: for he calls on him to cease from his anger against them, and to end his turning away, and as it were to return to them, he who had departed from them, since he is not some one [among those] on earth, but rather the true God, and has heaven as a house of glory. But if it should be said somewhere that God dwells in heaven, let nothing bodily be thought of him. For we do not say that the Divine is in a place and circumscribed, because it is also simple and incorporeal, and fills all things. But since he rests upon the spirits above, as upon holy ones, for this reason we say that heaven is his throne and his house. Return then, they say: "For where is your zeal, and your strength?" And surely no one would say, I think, that the God of all was in lack of such things, but they say such things as no longer partaking of them. For by always using zeal and strength befitting God, he saved Israel. What I mean is, they had been enslaved to the Egyptians who were also distressing their life [alt. distressed their life] with clay, and brick-making, and with the of the people of your inheritance, that we might inherit some small part of your holy mountain. We have become as from the beginning, when you did not rule us, nor was your name called upon us. They ask again for his return to them, I mean through gentleness and loving-kindness. They say they are slaves and an inheritance: not as having done anything befitting a slave, that is, having submitted their neck to his yokes, nor as being counted in the inheritance allotted to him, having practiced obedience. But since they were once called his, and were rich in their intimacy with him in the beginning, for this reason alone they ask to be saved: " For 'Return," it says, "that we might inherit some small part of the holy mountain." The holy Scripture, therefore, very often calls the Church a holy mountain, of which those from Israel have become a small part: for if they had accepted the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the system of the Church would have been gathered from them into a very large part, with the multitude of the Gentiles also being brought to them. But since through much disobedience they have fallen behind the Gentiles, and the multitude of the latter is greater in number, while they themselves are indeed very few: for the remnant has been saved: for this reason they have inherited a small part in the holy mountain, that is, in the Church. But if anyone should say that the city above, the Church in the heavens, the mother and nurse of the saints, is called by them a holy mountain, and that in it they wish to receive a share of the inheritance, you will understand correctly, also in this way: and it says to become as from the beginning, when he did not rule them, nor was his name called upon them: and the saying is very plausible: for having once fallen from his mercy and protection, they returned to their state in the beginning. And what is this? They were enslaved to the Egyptians with clay and brickmaking, and they were continually abused by the labors for this purpose: and now they have fallen under diabolical feet, and are defiled by the passions of the flesh and worldly desires: for this might reasonably be understood as the hidden brickmaking. In Egypt they served wicked spirits, and now the unclean spirit is in them. And the Savior himself taught us this, saying concerning them, " But when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finds none. Then it says: I will return to my house from which I came out. And when it comes, it finds it empty, and swept: then it takes, it says, seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be," he says, "to this wicked generation." If you open the heaven, trembling will seize the mountains from you, and they will melt, as wax melts from the face of fire: and fire will burn up the adversaries, and it will be manifest t the name of the Lord among the adversaries. From your face the nations will be troubled, when you do glorious things. Trembling from you will seize the mountains. It is a custom for the holy prophets to make supplications on behalf of Israel, when at times it was sinning, and about to pay the penalties for its accusations, and as if putting aside the effects of wrath, they would beseech that it be sent upon others, and be turned upon the heads of foreigners. And so the divine Psalmist, in the seventy-eighth psalm, was lamenting the ravaged Jerusalem, and indeed he was saying: "O God, nations have entered into your inheritance, they have defiled your holy temple." And bringing in other things in addition to these, in the middle he says: "Pour out your wrath upon the nations that do not know you, and upon kingdoms, that have not called upon your name." Something like this the prophet now also says: "For if you open the heaven," that is, by the descent of wrath, just as indeed also at the time of the flood: for the floodgates of heaven were opened: then trembling from you will seize the mountains, and they will melt, "as wax melts from the face of fire." And by mountains in these words he means, not at all, of course, the perceptible ones, but rather the evil powers, which on account of their very great arrogance, are very well compared to the highest mountains. Trembling therefore will seize these powers that are companions of arrogance. "For they will be melted down as by fire." Being adversaries to your ordinances, obviously, wrath falling upon them like fire would burn them up. "And the name of the Lord will be manifest among the adversaries." And what is this? For the God of all often works wonders, making manifest the greatness of His inherent power and excellence. Through this He punished sinners at times, and through the wrath upon them He made Himself manifest: something like what happened when He sent fire upon the Sodomites, or when He subjected the stupefied Pharaoh to many and unbearable plagues. Therefore, O Master, they say, do not make manifest your glory or name, through wrath against us: but rather bring it upon the evil powers, that is, upon those who openly fight against your glory, and have been carried to this point out of very great arrogance. For you will be manifest even in this way. For when you do glorious things, trembling from you will seize the mountains: and again he means those mountains, which we just now mentioned. From of old we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen a God besides you, and your works, which you will do for those who wait for mercy: for he will meet those who do righteousness, and they will remember your ways. The Divine is indeed invisible by nature: "For no one has ever seen God," according to what is written: yet it is seen with the eyes of the mind, from what He may work wondrously, and beyond reason. "For the invisible things of him," he says, "from the creation of the world being understood by the things that are made are clearly seen men, and we have all become as unclean ones, and all our righteousness as the rag of a menstruating woman: and we have fallen away like leaves because of our iniquities: so the wind will carry us away as dust, and there is no one who calls upon your name, and one who remembers to take hold of you, because you have turned your face away from us, and you have delivered us over because of our sins. It seemed to some of the commentators, according to another meaning to the preceding Therefore, be not exceedingly angry with us." They are not ignorant that they have stumbled, but rather they confess that they have shown themselves worthy of punishment, having savagely denied the Son: for this reason they, as it were, check their prayer, and do not make their approach completely free: having somewhat restrained their boldness, they do not pitifully ask God not to be angry with them at all, but rather that his wrath be mingled with calmness. For "we are confessedly worthy of wrath," he says, "we who are held fast in such terrible evils, but it would be worthy of your gentleness to shorten for us the things that come from just wrath." " In the time," therefore, "of affliction," he says, "remember not our sins, considering that we are all your people, and the city of your Holy One," that is, in which is your sanctuary. And by these things they mean the temple. Zion has become a desert, Jerusalem has become as a desert, our holy house has become a curse, the glory which our fathers blessed, has been burned with fire, and all our glorious things have fallen. And at all these things you held back, Lord, and you were silent, and you humbled us exceedingly. Having announced beforehand the losses in the soul, and having foretold that they have become easily captured by sins, and carried astray, and like leaves tossed hither and thither by every wind, they finally also call to mind the external calamities brought upon them: and they seem to be lamenting the sack of Jerusalem, and the burning of the temple: for after the cross of the Savior, all these things were indeed accomplished: "Therefore Zion has become a desert," he says, she who was so distinguished, and renowned, and once populous. "And our holy thing has become a curse:" and "a curse," they say, instead of, for denunciation and reproach to those who do not know God: for the worshipers of demons, when holy things suffer—that is, things in any way dedicated to God—laugh loudly and exult, and they mock the glory of the one who saves them. For perhaps they think his hand has suffered from not being able to save them, and they do not understand that they have fallen under judgment, having done some of the things that displease him. "Therefore our holy house is a curse." For the temple was holy among them, and it has also been burned with fire, he says, the one proclaimed beforehand by the voice of the holy fathers, so as to be famous and renowned: and they say that all the glorious things have fallen together: for there was no reverence at all for the holy vessels lying in the divine temple from those who were plundering and burning them: "But you held back," he says, "at all these things, and you fell silent, and you brought us down to the ground." For since, though he was able to ward off the attack of the enemies, he permitted them to prevail, and to overrun even the temple itself, they thence infer that they have been neglected on account of wrath, and as the wages of sins, they have had silence over these very things. For though it was possible to easily put a stop to the insolence, then letting this go, and allowing the terrible things to proceed to their end, he would surely be manifest as having brought a harsh wrath upon them, so as to disregard even his own glory, and to endure the laughter of enemies, when it turns out well that punishment is exacted from those who ought to be chastised for their great sin. I was made manifest to those who did not seek me; I was found by those who did not ask for me. I said: Behold, I am, to a nation that did not call upon my name. I stretched out my hands all the day to a disobedient and contradicting people, who did not walk in a true way, but after their own sins. These things are necessarily added to what has already been said. For since they were saying: "Why have you made us wander, Lord, from your way? You have hardened our hearts so as not to fear you:" and they added that "Zion has become a desert, Jerusalem has become a desert, our holy house a curse." therefore, the person of Christ himself necessarily enters, as if announcing the reasons for which they have justly suffered these things; instead of attributing the reasons to themselves, they complain, as it were, against the one bringing just punishment upon them. "For I was made manifest," he says, "even to those who did not seek me; I was found by those who did not ask for me:" for the Savior of his own accord, running into the synagogues, taught them, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people, as it is written. For what was not done by him that is beyond both word and wonder? Lepers were cleansed, both by the touch of his hand and by his divine command; the dead were raised from tombs, the blind received the much-desired light, the lame leaped like a deer. And indeed, to those who had seen these things, Christ said: "If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me; but if I do, even if you do not believe me, believe my works."-"I said" therefore, he says, "I am to the nation that did not call my name:" for he is found at one time saying, "I am the light of the world," and at another time again, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water':" but they were not willing to call upon his name, although he said "I am" explicitly on many occasions. And that they have become unadmonished and perhaps on a par with those who have no ears, hard and disobedient, he shows by saying that "I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contradicting people:" for we are always somehow accustomed when conversing with the disobedient to spread our hands with a shout, and to make the strongest possible rebuke against them: "but they did not walk," he says, "in a true way." For they in no way accepted the saving proclamation, "but rather followed their own sins," that is, they were swept away with an irresistible impulse toward a careless and a most lawless life, a cause of both judgment and destruction for them. This again the Savior is found saying to them: " Truly I say to you, if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins." For they acted contrary when admonished, and they ordered those under their authority saying: "He has a demon, and is mad, why do you listen to him?" Yes, and in addition to this they shouted that: "For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God." This is the people that provokes me, they are before me continually. They sacrifice in the gardens, and burn incense on the bricks to the demons, which do not exist. And in the tombs, and in the caves they sleep for the sake of dreams, who eat swine's flesh, and the broth of sacrifices, all their vessels are defiled: who say, Keep away from me, for I am pure, do not come near me. This is the smoke of my wrath, a fire burns in it all the days. He convicts those of Israel of being unholy, and not only at the time of His advent, but from the beginning, and as it were from the root, and from their fathers who rejected His divine law, and all but bade farewell to the commandments through Moses, have worshipped idols, and have sacrificed to falsely-named gods, and have become servants of unclean spirits. "This people has always been," he says, "provoking me. For they have sacrificed unceasingly," that is, for long periods of time, "before me." Then how was it possible for them to escape notice, when God oversees all things? For He said somewhere, also through one of the holy prophets: "I am a God who draws near, says the Lord, and not a God afar off, shall anything be hidden from me?" Therefore if nothing is hidden from him, how could some who were burning incense in gardens, that is, in thickets, and mountains and glens, have escaped notice? What then does "before me" mean, instead of, even in the very temple dedicated to me. For He said something like this also through the voice of Jeremiah concerning Jerusalem: "What has the beloved done in my house, an abomination?" And it is the custom in the Holy Scriptures to call the idol an abomination. Therefore, before my eyes "they burn incense," he says, "both in the gardens," that is, in the mountains, as I said, "underneath an oak, and a poplar, and a shadowing tree," according to what is written. And they sacrificed, as is likely, having followed the passions of the Greeks, to certain demons, which they call nymphs, hamadryads and oreads: but they are not, he says, not because the wicked demons do not exist, but because they are rather not gods, according to the suppositions of those who sacrifice to them. And they sacrificed both in tombs, and in caves, practicing what are called necromancies, as is likely. And they slept in tombs, being deceived by certain dream-sendings and phantoms, and meddling with the knowledge of future events. For such are somehow the inventions of the unholiness of the Greeks. That also the p of the law a blessing is in it: thus will I do for the sake of him who serves me. For this reason I will not destroy them all. And I will bring forth the seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah, and it shall inherit my holy mountain, and my elect and my servants shall inherit it, and they shall dwell there. Indeed, the things from divine wrath were brought upon the Jews, and they have paid penalties equal to their own transgressions, yet not all have been utterly and indiscriminately destroyed. For the judge is just, and would not destroy the good with the wicked: but he makes as it were a bright image, and receives as an example a cluster of grapes in which one berry is saved, although the others have been spoiled: then he brings in the husbandman, that is, the master of the field, saying to someone: "Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it: thus will I do," he says, "for the sake of him who serves me," that is, I will use such precision, that even if in one city all the others have turned to destruction, and one and only one is found faithful and obedient, this one will receive mercy, and would not share the danger with the others against whom the judgment justly goes. "For I will not destroy all," he says. For the Lord's wrath leaped down, as it were, upon the arrogance of the Jews, all but consuming the disobedient and intractable: but by the providence of God was saved whoever among them was worthy of salvation through Christ: and indeed the divine Paul says that a remnant chosen by grace has come into being, and as it were, a selection from the whole land of the Jews, the remnant of Israel, was caught by the net for the faith. "Therefore I will not destroy them all," he says, "but I will bring forth the seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah." But as for "I will bring forth," you will understand here, not so much "I will destroy," but "I will show to be high and conspicuous:" for sometimes "to bring forth" is "to exalt." And such, I say in my opinion, have the divine disciples become, high and conspicuous to all everywhere, and like a city set on a hill, and a lamp set on a lampstand, and shining to all who are in the house, according to the voice of the Savior himself. This, then, is the seed from Jacob and from Judah: "It shall inherit," he says, "my holy mountain:" and it is clear that this means the Church. For thus also somewhere else the all-wise Isaiah signifies it, speaking about those who through faith in Christ have been called to participation, that is, and communion of his divine nature: "For they shall drink gladness, and they shall drink wine, they shall anoint themselves with myrrh on this mountain." Deliver all these things to the nations. For this is the counsel upon all the nations. On this mountain, therefore," he says, "there will be an inheritance for my elect, and on it all shall dwell, as many as run under the yoke of my kingdom: and it is not at all unlikely to say that the city above, the heavenly Jerusalem, is called a mountain, in which is the inheritance of the saints, as God distributes to them goods beyond mind and reas aqa/. "For eye," he says, "has not seen, and ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love him." And there will be in the forest folds for flocks, and the valley of Achor for a resting place for herds for my people, who have sought me. It is the custom for the divinely-inspired Scripture to compare with very leafy forests, and with thick flowers the populous cities, or countries at times, and so indeed one of the holy prophets said, as to the mother of the Jews, I mean, Jerusalem: "Open, O Lebanon, your doors, and let fire devour your cedars: howl, oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down." And surely one would not say that he commands pines and indeed oaks to howl: for the thing is utterly simple-minded: but with trees, as I said, he sees fit to compare the multitude beyond number of those in the cities and countries. But the Jews howled, falling under the swords of the enemies on account of their impiety toward Christ. And somewhere the divine David also sings in a psalm, since Christ was about to appear to the world: "Then all the trees of the forest will rejoice before the face of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth." Therefore, " In the forest," he says, that is, in the multitude of the nations, or in their cities and countries, "there will be folds for flocks," that is, the Churches of Christ. "and the valley of Achor for a resting place for herds for my people, who have sought me." This Achor was one of the blood of Israel: and when Jericho had been sacked, then God having commanded to put under a ban all things in it, he stole from the accursed thing. And when he was exposed by God, a bitter penalty was exacted: for he perished with his whole household, Joshua the son of Nun having determined the penalty for him. Therefore, then, the valley of Achor was for a curse. And such in a way were also the lands of the nations: for they were accursed, and hated by God, as there was no one in them who knew the God by nature: but the accursed land, he says, according to the ancients will be for a resting place for herds, that is, folds of spiritual sheep, under the hand of Christ the chief shepherd of all, who has spoken to the people of the Jews, saying concerning the nations, "And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will become one flock, one shepherd." For those who were once wandering sought him through faith, and indeed having found him, they have become his own, and fellow citizens of the saints, and fellow heirs of the good things promised to them. But you, who have forsaken me, and have forgotten my holy mountain, and who prepare a table for the demon, and who fill a drink offering for Fortune: I will deliver you to the sword, and you will all fall in slaughter, because I called you, and you did not listen; I spoke, and you did not hear, and you did evil before me, and you chose the things I did not want. Just as g it has not been without penalty for those of the blood of Israel to disobey Christ, for they are given over to slaughter, the remnant having been saved by the mercy and loving-kindness of God, so also you will understand regarding the calling of the nations. For those who have seized the salvation through Christ, have been outside of both fire, and judgment, and the things from divine wrath: but those who have remained in their own ignorance, and have kept the stain of their old accusations unwashed, through wishing to be attached to the worship of idols, will be given over to slaughter. For they will dwell in Hades, and they will have unending punishment through sleepless fire. You therefore, he says, who have forsaken me, that is, the apostates to the end, and those who have been brought down, as it were, into complete forgetfulness of my holy mountain. For some of the deceived do not endure, and of those who have worshiped creation, to know, so to speak, the name of the Church: "those who prepare tables for the demons, and fill mixed drinks for Fortune." And those who have their heart filled with diabolical darkness did something like this. You will be handed over to slaughter, and if anyone dares to say for what reason, I will say to him: I called and you did not listen, but you have a persistent and unremovable wickedness, doing only those things that are discordant with my laws, and debasing every way of doing good, but being eager to do rejected things, through which one might become full of every filth. Therefore, thus says the Lord: Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame. Behold, my servants shall exult in gladness, but you shall cry out for the pain of your heart, and you shall howl from a broken spirit. For you left your name for a reproach to my chosen ones: but the Lord shall slay you. He always necessarily sets alongside the crowns the evil things, by both leading to the necessity of choosing the things that please him, both to think and to do: for just as rewards entice towards the pursuit of virtue, so the bitterness of judgment sometimes removes one from the ways of wickedness, and drives one towards better things. Most skillfully, therefore, he runs under the minds of those who are called, both promising them rewards, and threatening punishments. "For my servants shall eat," he says, "but you shall be hungry, and they shall drink, but you shall be thirsty." And while they are rejoicing, you will be put to shame: for those who have known God who is by nature and in truth, and have leaped away from those falsely named, and have marveled at the beauty of true worship, will truly luxuriate in the blessings from above, being fattened in their hearts, and approaching the life-giving table of our Savior of all, Christ, and eating the bread of life, and the divine drink, through which they might be of the gladness from above partakers: for He cleanses from sins, and puts away what causes grief, and does not allow the fear of punishment to prevail over our thoughts. For we rejoice rather in the hope of good things, which the holy Scripture says have been prepared for those who love God, " But you," it says, who have remained in error, "will cry out because of the pain of your heart, and from a broken spirit you will wail." For when our Savior of all, Christ, has descended from heaven, and then gives to each according to his works, all will mourn, and those who have not known God will lament. the true one, but rather having died in their own sins. For you have left, it says, your name for a surfeit to my elect, the Lord will destroy you. Observe for me again the depth of the thought. It is a custom of the divinely inspired Scripture to sometimes say "for a surfeit," instead of "for satiety," and "hatred." For God said somewhere to those of the blood of Israel: "I will no longer bear your sins: you have become a surfeit to me." You, therefore, it says, who have neither departed from the falsely named gods, but are dead in your own sins, have left your name for a surfeit, that is for hatred, to my elect: for to those once chosen, no one considers the name of the superstitious acceptable. And everyone flees from being called God-hated, and an unholy and profane idolater: but rather desires to be called a holy people, a chosen nation, a royal priesthood, according to the voice of the divine Peter. But if someone should wish to apply what was said to those of the blood of Israel, so that to them would be said, "You have left your name for a surfeit to my elect:" we say that Israel was indeed called children of God, and His people, and His inheritance: but since they slid uncontrollably into willfulness, they have fallen from such glory, while those called from the nations have inherited it, as it were: and this, I think, is what God said through the voice of Hosea: "I will call what was not my people, my people, and I will say to what was not my people: You are my people." But to those who serve him, a new name will be called, which will be blessed upon the earth: for they will bless the true God. And those who swear upon the earth, will swear by the true God: for they will forget their first affliction, and it will not come upon their heart. For the heaven will be new, and the earth new, and they shall not remember the former things, nor shall it come upon their heart, but they will find gladness and rejoicing in it. All things have become new in Christ, both worship, and life, and legislation: for we are no longer attached to shadows and useless types: but we rather perform for the God over all the worship and service in spirit and in truth. But we are not named according to those of the blood of Israel, as from the patriarchs, or fathers, Ephraim, or Manasseh, or as from they struck the heads of the poor with their fists, and they turned aside the way of the humble." I will rejoice, therefore, he says, over my people, seeing them to be workers of true righteousness. For no one among them will weep, clearly because he is being defrauded; and again, no one will cry out as one who has been wronged. "And there shall not be there, he says, an untimely-born or an old man who shall not fulfill his time. For the youth shall be one hundred years old, and the sinner who dies at one hundred years old shall also be accursed." But I think the mind of the prophecy wishes to signify something like this. For it seems to consider as untimely-born the people from the gentiles, who are still young, concerning whom David says: "The people that shall be created will praise the Lord:" and to these also the disciple of Christ writes, saying: "Like newborn babes, long for the spiritual and pure milk." Therefore, the young one is untimely-born, but the old man is he of the circumcision, that is, Israel by blood, since he was called beforehand and, in the spiritual Church, had precedence: But in the calling, he says, that is through Christ, and in the times of his coming, neither the untimely-born nor the old man will have a distinction between them in this very respect: for all will be perfect, and all will fulfill their time, that is, they will ascend to a perfect man, and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. For the young one, that is, the people from the gentiles, will be one hundred years old, meaning, perfect, and mature in mind, and having reached the end of spiritual age: for the number one hundred years is a sign, or a symbol, of perfection. Then he says, that "the sinner who dies at one hundred years old shall also be accursed." In these words he shows that even the perfection according to the law is useless to those who have it, if they have not accepted the faith that is through Christ, and the redemption through holy baptism, through which alone we cast off the thoughts that come from sin. Therefore, even if someone is one hundred years old, he says, that is, he should have the perfection according to the law; then he should die a sinner, that is, not having received the righteousness that is in faith, he will also be accursed, meaning, he will also be found guilty of transgressions of the law. For no one among the Jews has become so great as to fall away in no way: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace. And that this zeal is useless even to those perfected according to the law, if the grace through Christ has not been received, the all-wise Paul shows very well by having written to some, that he considered all things in the law to be rubbish, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him not having my own righteousness, that is, that which is in the law, but that which is through faith in Jesus Christ. And he writes as if to the Jews for their foolishness, saying thus: "For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." And he said again: "We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from the Gentiles: but knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we also have believed in Christ." For this reason Christ was called a curse, so that he might redeem from the curse of the law those who had come to be under it: for it is written, that "Cursed is everyone who does not abide in all the things that are written in the book of this law, to do them." And they will build houses, and they themselves will inhabit them: and they will plant vineyards, and they themselves will eat their fruit. And they shall not build, and others inhabit: and they shall not plant, and others eat. For as the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people: the works of their labors will grow old. But my chosen ones shall not labor in vain, nor will they beget children for a curse: because they are a seed blessed by God. And it will be before they cry out, I will hear them. While they are still speaking, I will say: What is it? He promises to them unshakable peace, forbearance and goodwill, kindness and philanthropy. For of old those of the blood of Israel, through too much folly, and manifold wickedness, and of not enduring to live rightly, they continually provoked God who rules over all: for this reason they were tormented in many ways: for sometimes the things in the fields were destroyed, and enduring the sweats of agriculture in vain, they were worn out by famine: for it is written, that "And he gave their fruits to the blight, and their labors to the locust." And it has been said somewhere to them also through one of the holy prophets: "You shall sow, and you shall not reap: you shall press the olive, and you shall not anoint yourself with oil, and you shall not drink wine." And again: "You shall build polished houses, and you shall not dwell in them: you shall plant desirable vineyards, and you shall not drink their wine." For at times attacks of wars were also brought upon them, so that some were consumed by their own swords, and others, fearing to suffer this, fled from their own homes and from the land that bore them, and migrated to other regions: but the ancients suffered these things, and not once, on account of great sin: but those who in Christ have seized the grace that is through faith, and have washed away the defilements of sin through holy baptism, will not fall into their evils, nor will they suffer an unapproved loss of the things they have spiritually labored for: but rather they will delight in their own right actions, according to that which is sung in the Psalms: "You shall eat the fruit of your labors:" the wrists being called the flesh beneath the palm. For no one casts them out: nor will anyone ever drive them away from the dwelling that will be given to them by God. For there are many dwellings with the Father: but not even if they they shall be of the lot to be given and fitting for their spiritual fruitfulness: for, he says, their life will be according to the days of the tree of life, that is, holy. For such it was before the transgression in the first-formed humans, when it was also possible for them to partake of the tree of life, when the most abominable and God-hated sin had not yet found a place in them. The word of the prophecy adds something else of this sort: "For the works, he says, of their hands will grow old," that is, they will have an unchangeable way of things to be done. What do I mean? For the law was given to those of Israel through Moses: but in it was shadow and type, having the form of the truth, but not yet the truth itself. But when Christ shone forth, the types changed to truth, and as it were the shadows have passed away and grown old, that is, the power of the way of life in the law has not prevailed forever. Therefore, those of the blood of Israel did not make their works old—for the legal worship was unprofitable, at least as far as types are concerned—but those in Christ will make them old. For another law will not be given to them, so as to transfer the power of the evangelical ordinances to something better. For it has been said somewhere to the Savior of all, Christ, through the voice of the Psalmist: "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth. -But my elect, he says, will not labor in vain, nor will they beget children for a curse." He teaches again as if by comparison, that is, by contrast with what formerly happened to the Jewish teachers: and these are Scribes and Pharisees, who, having abandoned the law and teaching as doctrines the commandments of men, became fathers of children, that is, in respect to learning, but in vain and for a curse: the Savior taught us this also, rebuking the Scribes and Pharisees: for he said that "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves." Therefore they begot children for a curse and in vain; but my elect, he says, that is, the divine disciples, or in short, the ministers of my ordinances, will not beget children for a curse, nor indeed in vain, like them: for their seed will be a blessed seed, and blessed by God. And that he will be very attentive to them, giving gifts out of gentleness and love for mankind, and holding his ear most ready for their supplications, he shows by saying that "Before they call, I will hear them. While they are still speaking, I will say: What is it?" Then wolves and lambs will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like an ox, and the serpent, earth like bread. They will not do wrong, nor will they do any harm on my holy mountain, says the Lord.It was understood in two ways of life: that therefore He rather lays claim to worship in spirit, and He deems that which is in shadows and types as completely worthy of no account, He teaches clearly: but besides this He also wants them to know something else, how they raise their eyebrow, and have grown proud over none of the necessary things, having raised the temple in Jerusalem: For they thought that the Divine is also contained by a place, and dwells in handmade temples comprehensively, just as the falsely named gods of the nations, being nothing at all, except that they are wood and stones: and for this reason He says: "O you who do not know the excellence of the divine glory, O you who do not understand the greatness of the dignities that belong to me," "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? Or what is the place of my rest?" For the Divine fills all things: and with it, earth and heaven? Let it be said then in a human way, that having heaven as a throne, He makes the earth as a footstool. What space then will receive Him? Or what house will suffice to contain Him? "For all these things, He says, my hand has made: and all these things are mine." But what are these things? It is clear that it is both the things seen, and what is beyond the things seen: for all creation is His, and by His nods things that once were not were brought into being. What then shall we offer to Him as if it were not His? He says something like this also through the voice of the Psalmist: "If I were hungry, I would not tell you: for all the beasts of the field are mine, cattle on the mountains and oxen. I have known all the beasts of the field, and all the birds of the sky, and the beauty of the field is with me." "On whom then shall I look," He says? "Or in any case upon the humble and the quiet, that is, the yielding and meek, and the genuine minister of my will, so as even to tremble at the words that might come from me?" And through these things He signifies the evangelic and saving proclamation: He deems these worthy to watch over, and to visit as humble. For he is bold and boastful who rises up against His divine laws, and through much disobedience, he stretches out to Him, as it were, a proud and hard neck of his own mind: that He makes the worship through the law unacceptable, and holds it in hatred, He will make clear by saying: "He who sacrifices a calf to me is as one who kills a dog: and he who offers fine flour, is as one who offers swine's blood: and he who gives frankincense for a memorial, as one who is blasphemous." See then how the things that are as in shadows and types, He not only makes rejected, but has indeed also hated, as I said: for He considers the slaughter of a calf as the death of a dog, and the fine flour mixed with oil as unclean. For He means, I think, this by comparing it to swine's blood: and the swine is unclean according to the law: and the smoke from frankincense He puts on a par with a blasphemous voice. He therefore through these things moves them toward the will to live evangelically, and thus [these] somewhere rather according to the existing of the Songs, that "Your breasts are better than wine." But first of all to those accepting the faith in our God Jesus Christ food suitable for infants is offered, that is, the tender and simple word of catechesis: for thus Paul also somewhere addressed some, saying: "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it, nor are you able now." But that it is not fitting to always be and be seen as infants, those who drink up the word of catechesis, but that they should rather advance, both to a perfect man, and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that they might then be able to understand the precise and examined word about him, he taught by adding: "That having been weaned you may delight yourselves, from the entrance of her glory." And when he says, "having been weaned," it is instead of, "having gone beyond breasts and the nipple," that is, having been weaned from milk, that is, no longer remaining infants, but being, as it were, already among youths and men, and desiring solid food, you shall delight from the entrance of her glory: and he calls Christ "glory" for thus somewhere the Psalmist also says concerning him, "That glory may dwell in our land": and "entrance," the mystery of the economy with the flesh: being God by nature, he became man, and, as it were, entered into this world through the incarnation. Therefore they delight who know [or, give] the precise account of the faith concerning him, and who learn in what manner glory, that is, Christ, has entered into the inhabited world: for this reason the divine prophet immediately, and in connection, makes his appearance with the flesh clear: for he presents his person speaking, that "Behold, I am turning upon them, like a river of peace, and like a torrent flooding the glory of the nations." Christ, then, is a river of peace, and a torrent of delight for thus the divine David also names him, saying: "How you have multiplied your mercy, O God; and the sons of men will hope in the shelter of your wings: they will be drunk from the fatness of your house, and you will give them to drink of the torrent of your delight." And again: "The rushings of the river make glad the city of God.": And he has turned, and as it were with most abundant streams has flooded the glory of the nations, that is, the honored part of the nations, or, all that has been glorified. For not all have believed, nor indeed have been glorified, but as Paul says concerning God the Father, "Those whom he foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, these he also called; and those whom he called, these he also glorified." Indeed, in saying, "turning," he gives such a thing to be understood: For his way and his course, according to the purpose and good pleasure of the Father, was toward those of the blood of Israel: for he said that "I was not sent, except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But since they rejected the faith, he turned away from them as it is written, and to those of the nations n flocks he bestowed the comfort from the sacred streams, that is, the evangelical and saving proclamation, through which they have gained peace with him, and through him have been joined in spiritual kinship to God the Father. Their children will be carried on their shoulders, and they will be comforted on their knees. As a mother might comfort someone, so I will comfort you. And in Jerusalem you will be comforted, and you will see, and your heart will rejoice, and your bones will flourish like grass. And the land of the Lord will be known to those who revere him. He promises to us the most abundant comfort, and a giving of all gentleness, so as to be able to accomplish what is pleasing to him even without any labor. For those among them who are still infants, he says, and not yet perfected in their minds, will be carried on their shoulders like small infants, and will be comforted on their knees: for it is the custom of mothers to care for infants in this way. Therefore, I will concede little to a mother, he says, but I will so comfort those who for now have a weak mind, that they will lack nothing of those things that contribute to their rest: and being so nursed, he says, and going through all gentleness and love, in due time you will see both the city above, the heavenly Jerusalem: you will be filled with gladness, and all your bones will flourish like grass. For the dead will be raised, and those in the tombs will rise up, having become rich with the dew from Christ, that is, the life-giving spirit: for so says the Psalmist somewhere to God concerning those who lie in the earth: "You will send forth your spirit, and they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth." As, therefore, the things that have flowered in the fields after a short while fall and wither, but when the spring season has arrived, they rise up again and appear: so the remains of the dead in the earth, at the time of regeneration, by the ineffable power of God will rise again. For they will be raised, as I said. "Then indeed, then the hand of the Lord will be known to those who revere him." By hand, in these things, he means either his power, or our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and in whom are all things. For through him again is also the revival of the dead. For it would be a result of his power, both to have the strength to bring into existence things that never were, and having suffered corruption, to renew them again to their original state. And he will threaten the disobedient: For behold, the Lord will come as fire, and his chariots as a tempest, to render vengeance in wrath, and rebuke in a flame of fire. For in the fire of the Lord all the earth will be judged, and by his sword all flesh: many will be the wounded of the Lord, those who sanctify and purify themselves for the gardens, and in the porches eat swine's flesh and the abominations and the mouse, they will be consumed together, said the Lord. And I their works and their reasoning I know their. Having sufficiently exhorted those in the new Zion, that is, in the Church, and having promised them the most lasting consolation, and a supply of spiritual goods, and in addition to these the revival from the dead, and the mansions above, and the glory there, he says that the attempt in these matters will not be without penalty for those who choose to disobey him. For he shall come as a fire, he says: for he shall descend from heaven, in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. For this is his chariot, according to what is sung in the Psalms, "The chariot of God is ten thousandfold, thousands of the prosperous." And he will come to render vengeance in wrath, and a casting away in a flame of fire. The casting away signifies the rejection: for he will say to those who have died in sins: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" for thus, he says, the whole earth will be judged, and as if struck by the sword of divine wrath many will be wounded. These would be those who receive the inescapable penalty, and run into the unquenchable flame, and are bound by the chains of their own transgressions: but especially of all, he says, will be subjected to the penalty those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves for the gardens, that is, those who have rejected the redemption through Christ, and have dishonored the grace through holy baptism, which justifies the ungodly, and frees from every charge those who have been defiled by sins: but rather loved to walk in error and ignorance, and to worship gods that are not, who also use unclean and filthy instruments of sprinkling. For they purify themselves, as indeed they suppose, deceiving themselves and being deceived. For either they were sprinkled with waters, or, carrying firebrands around in a circle, they thought to cleanse their own souls from evil thoughts [or defilements]. And that there is absolutely no account of decency and fairness among such people, nor even a mind befitting a human, but they were rather compared to senseless beasts, he shows by saying, that they sanctify themselves in gardens, that is, in the groves, or thickets, under the oak and the poplar, and the shading tree. For there by them are built altars and precincts to the demons, and in the entrances of the precincts they ate swine's flesh. And this too is proof of luxury. And they worshipped the abominations and the mouse. For perhaps some of the superstitious descended to such a madness as to even have establishments and images of mice in shrines. But all these, he says, will be consumed together, that is, along with those who were disobedient from Israel: " For I knew their works and their thought." And by thought he means their reasonings, by following which they became inventors of shameful enterprises, on account of which to them also the of the abom of things has been made, although it is necessary to worship the one God by nature and in truth. I am coming to gather all the nations, and the tongues. And they shall come, and shall see my glory, and I will leave signs upon them, and I will send forth from them those who have been saved to the nations, and to Tarshish, and Phud, and Lud, and Mosoch, and Thobel, and to Greece, and to the islands far away, who have not heard my name, nor have seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the nations. Christ makes, as it were, a certain recapitulation of the whole discourse, and of all prophecy through these things, and as in brief and concise terms he announces the things from the beginning to the end, and the power of the economy in the flesh. For he also remembers the calling of the nations, and the appointment of the holy apostles, and that he will be worshipped by all under heaven. For the old law gathered one and only one nation, that is, clearly, the one from Israel, and it called one tongue. But our Lord Jesus Christ did not bestow the power of the economy in the flesh on those of the blood of Israel alone, but indeed on every nation and all tongues. For He said through the lyre of the Psalmist: " Hear these things, all nations: give ear, all you who inhabit the world:" therefore I will gather all, he says: " They shall come, and shall see my glory." For they have been called through faith, and those who were once far off have become near, and they have seen his glory: how, or in what way? For they have heard through the evangelical proclamations that he is both equal in work and equal in strength to God the Father, and he has become the accomplisher of things beyond reason, so as to raise the dead from their tombs, and to give light to the blind, and in addition to these things to have done other things worthy of all account and wonder. Or in another way: they have seen his glory, having been initiated that the Word was God, and became man: for the Gentiles have not said, as the Jews did: "Why do you, being a man, make yourself God?" But rather, having recognized the mystery concerning him, they cry out those sacred words: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," and indeed also that which was said by the holy apostles, "Truly you are the Son of God." And a sign has also been set upon them: for as Paul says, " We were sealed with the Spirit of redemption, and Christ was formed in all our hearts through participation in the Holy Spirit." And from those who have been saved, he says, I will send them to the nations, to these and those. And these nations are some towards the west, some towards the east, and some in the more northerly regions, that is, according to the land of the Greeks, and to the islands beyond. " There, he says, they will declare my glory." For the disciples have not been silent, but have proclaimed everywhere the Gospel of the kingdom, and of the sacred proclamations