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saying: All the beasts of the field will bless me, sirens and daughters of sparrows. But some will certainly say that here the Lord Christ was speaking about beasts of the field and sirens and sparrows, and not about men and women and children. Listen with understanding; for nothing will be said by us without proof. For in many places the divine scripture is accustomed to call men who turn from wickedness beasts, deriving the name not from their nature, but from their actions. [And to these things the Lord himself is a witness, saying concerning Herod: Go, tell that fox, not because Herod was a fox—for he happened to be a king—but he received the name from his cunning and disposition. Just as the fox goes up one path and wanders about another, making its ways crooked, in the same manner Herod also spoke one thing with his lips, but spoke other diabolical things in his heart, accomplishing nothing. And let the blessed Paul also persuade you, triumphing over the Cretans and saying the same thing: Cretans are always liars, untamed beasts, lazy gluttons. Why? A mindless snake, having once fastened itself to the hand of the blessed Paul, did not even harm him, but the Cretans, those beasts in human form, rushing upon the blessed Paul, strove to put him to death, and this though they were often healed by him. Thus also the prophet Daniel, not being harmed by the lions, but honored as a friend, made them fast; and while they honored him, wicked men did not have their fill of slandering him. Thus also John the Baptist, served by wild beasts in the desert, but in the city beheaded by wicked men, again triumphing over the beast-souled, said: Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? If you have turned at all and have vomited out the venom of prophet-killing, produce fruits worthy of repentance. For this the Lord said on our behalf: The beasts of the field will bless me. He calls beasts the men who turn from wickedness, and the field this present world. And of this the Lord himself is a witness, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who sowed good seed in his field. And interpreting the parable the Lord said: The field is the world. He calls beasts the men who turn from wickedness, who happened to be the saints blessing Christ. And sirens are the souls of the saints, who, having passed through the surge of life, cry out the song of thanksgiving daily and say: We went through fire and water, and you brought us out to a place of refreshment. And he calls daughters of sparrows the holy women who have been instructed by the prophets, whom the hawk of destruction, the devil, is not even able to snatch away, who are Martha and Mary the sisters of Lazarus, who just now sang out to us with their mouths as if with the Spirit and like some nightingales proclaimed the good news of the savior's resurrection. And the word alludes to the prophets as sparrows; and to these things David is a witness, crying out: I have become like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. Why? So that Saul, the vulture of envy, might not harm me. And again the same prophet, answering the diabolical ravens who were advising him in vain things, said: How will you say to my soul: Flee to the mountains like a sparrow? For behold the eagle, the great God the Word, covers with the wings of the incarnation.] But lest we waste the discourse in digressions, come, let us also in harmony, having gathered the palm branches—that is, the victory against the devil, for palm branches are significant of victory—let us acclaim greatly with mouth and heart Christ the Judge of the contest, who for the sake of the divine plan sat upon the colt of a donkey, but upon the cherubim and the

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λέγων· Εὐλογήσει με πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ, σειρῆνες καὶ θυγατέρες στρουθίων. Ἐροῦσι δὲ πάντως τινὲς ὅτι ἐνταῦθα ὁ δεσπότης Χριστὸς περὶ θηρίων ἀγροῦ καὶ σειρήνων καὶ στρουθίων διελέγετο, οὐχὶ δὲ περὶ ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων. Ἄκουε συνετῶς· οὐδὲν γὰρ παρ' ἡμῶν λεχθήσεται ἀναπόδεικτον. Πολλαχοῦ γὰρ ἡ θεία γραφὴ τοὺς ἀπὸ πονηρίας ἀνθρώπους ἐπιστρέφοντας θηρία οἶδε καλεῖν, οὐκ ἐκ τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς πράξεως τὴν προσηγορίαν ποιουμένη. [Καὶ τούτοις μάρτυς αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος λέγων περὶ τοῦ Ἡρῴδου· Πορευθέντες εἴπατε τῇ ἀλώπεκι ταύτῃ, οὐχ ὅτι ἀλώπηξ ἦν ὁ Ἡρῴδης βασιλεὺς γὰρ ἐτύγχανεν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς γνώσεως καὶ γνώμης τὴν ὀνομασίαν ἐλάμβανεν. Ὥσπερ ἡ ἀλώπηξ ἄλλην ὁδὸν ἀνῄει καὶ ἄλλην περινοστεῖ διάστροφον πορείας ποιουμένη, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἄλλα μὲν τοῖς χείλεσιν ἐλάλει , ἄλλα δὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ κατελάλει διαβολικά, μηδὲν ἐξανύων. Πειθέτω δὲ σὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος θριαμβεύων Κρῆτας καὶ λέγων ὁ αὐτός· Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται, θηρία ἀνήμερα, γαστέρες ἀργαί. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὄφις μὲν ἄλογος ἅπαξ καθήψας τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου μηδὲ αὐτὸν βλάψας, Κρῆτες δὲ οἱ ἀνθρωπόμορφοι θῆρες ἐπιδραμόντες τῷ μακαρίῳ Παύλῳ θανάτῳ περιβαλλεῖν ἠγωνίσαντο, καὶ ταῦτα συχνῶς παρ' αὐτοῦ θεραπευόμενοι. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ προφήτης ∆ανιὴλ ὑπὸ τῶν λεόντων μὴ βλαπτόμενος, ἀλλ' ὡς φίλος τιμώμενος, νηστεύτας αὐτοὺς ἔδειξεν· καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἐτίμων, ἄνθρωποι δὲ πονηροὶ τοῦ διαβάλλειν αὐτὸν κόρον οὐκ ἐλάμβανον. Οὕτω καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς ὑπὸ θηρίων ἀγρίων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ δουλευθείς, ἐν δὲ τῇ πόλει ὑπὸ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀποκεφαλισθείς, θριαμβεύων δὲ πάλιν τοὺς θηριοψύχους ἔλεγεν· Γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς; Εἰ ὅλως ἐπιστρέψατε καὶ τὸν τῆς προφητοκτονίας ἰὸν ἐξεμέσατε , καρποὺς ἀξίους ποιήσατε τῆς μετανοίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὁ κύριος εἶπεν· Εὐλογήσουσί με τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ. Θηρία τοὺς ἀπὸ πονηρίας ἐπιστρέφοντας ἀνθρώπους λέγει, ἀγρὸν δὲ τὸν παρόντα κόσμον. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυς αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος λέγων· Ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ σπείροντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἑρμηνεύων τὴν παραβολὴν ὁ κύριος ἔλεγεν· Ἀγρός ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος. Θηρία τοὺς ἀπὸ πονηρίας ἐπιστρέφοντας ἀνθρώπους λέγει, οἵτινες ἐτύγχανον οἱ ἅγιοι ὡς τὸν Χριστὸν εὐλογοῦντες. Σειρῆνες δὲ αἱ τῶν ἁγίων ψυχαί, αἵτινες τὸν κλύδωνα τοῦ βίου διαπεράσασαι τὸ τῆς εὐχαριστίας μέλος καθ' ἑκάστην βοῶσι καὶ λέγουσιν· ∆ιήλθομεν διὰ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀναψυχήν. Θυγατέρας δὲ στρουθῶν τὰς ἁγίας γυναῖκας καλεῖ τὰς ἐκ τῶν προφητῶν κατηχημένας, ἃς ὁ ἱέραξ τῆς ἀπωλείας διάβολος ἁρπάσαι οὐδὲ δύναται, αἵτινες τυγχάνουσι Μάρθα καὶ Μαρία ἀδελφαὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου, αἵτινες ἡμῖν ἀρτίως ἐκελάδησαν τῷ στόματι καθάπερ πνεύματι καὶ ὥσπερ ἀηδόνες τινὲς τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ σωτῆρος εὐηγγελίσα<ν>το. Στρουθοὺς δὲ ὁ λόγος τοὺς προφῆτας αἰνίττεται· καὶ τούτοις μάρτυς ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐκβοῶν· Ἐγενήθην ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον ἐπὶ δώματος. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἵνα μὴ ὁ Σαοὺλ ὁ τοῦ φθόνου γὺψ ἀδικήσῃ με. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης πρὸς τοὺς διαβόλους κόρακας τοὺς συμβουλεύοντας αὐτῷ τὰ μάταια ἀποκριθεὶς ἔφη· Πῶς ἐρεῖτε τῇ ψυχῇ μου· Μεταναστεύου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη ὡς στρουθίον; Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ ἀετὸς ὁ μέγας θεὸς λόγος τοῖς πτέρυξι τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως σκέπει.] Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ τὸν λόγον ἐν παρεκβάσεσιν ἀναλώσωμεν, φέρε καὶ ἡμεῖς συμφώνως τὰ βαΐα τῶν φοινίκων ἀναλεξάμενοι, τουτέστι τὰ κατὰ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου νίκης πέπλαβαΐα γὰρ νίκης σημαντικά, εὐφημήσωμεν μεγάλως τῷ στόματι καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ τὸν ἀγωνοθέτην Χριστόν, τὸν ἐπὶ πῶλον μὲν ὄνου καθεζόμενον οἰκονομικῶς, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν χερουβὶμ καὶ τῶν