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guiding and directing the entire world through a certain cycle, and our affairs, both shaken and unshaken together, moved and turned about by changes, and being different at different times; but by the order of providence fixed and unmovable, even if it proceeds through opposites, clear indeed to the Word, but unknown to us; He who puts down rulers from their thrones, and adorns the unthought-of with a 35.544 diadem; for I take this also from the divine Scripture; He who gives courage to failing knees, and breaks the arms of the sinner and the wicked, and these things from another song, so that each thing may come to memory, with many completing for me the song, and contributing to the thanksgiving; He who allows to be seen both the arrogance of the impious above the cedars, and his destruction into nothingness; when we are able to pass by his impiety with speed and sureness of foot.

13. Who will sing these things worthily, and who of those who recount divine things will narrate them? Who will declare the mighty acts of the Lord, will make all His praises heard? what voice, or what power of speech will he make equal to the wonder? Who has broken the weapon, and the sword, and the war? Who crushed the heads of the dragons on the water? Who gave him as food to the peoples, to whom He also delivered him? Who made the storm a breeze? Who said to the sea, Peace, be still? and, Within you your waves will be broken; and indeed having broken them, which had been raised high and seething for no long time? Who granted the power to tread on snakes and scorpions, no longer secretly watching the heel, as the condemnation decreed, but openly rising up and cleaving the head which they were condemned to have trodden upon? Who is He that has wrought unexpected judgment and justice? Who is He that has not completely let loose the rod of the sinners, must one dare to say, upon the lot of the righteous? or, what is more moderate than this, upon the lot of those who know Him?

14. For we were not handed over as righteous men, for this happens to few, and seldom; so that, as noble athletes, they might shame the tempter; but we were condemned as sinners, then we were shown mercy, both with solicitude and paternally, being struck, just enough to be chastened, and being admonished, just enough to turn back to Him. For He rebuked, but not in His anger; and He disciplined, but not in His wrath; showing through both His love for mankind, both in the reminder and in the relief. Who is He that has wrought vengeance among the nations, rebukes among the peoples, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 35.545

15. I find one voice, one song, somehow worthy of the present circumstances, which Isaiah uttered before us, greatly befitting the present time, and rivalling the greatness of the good deed; Let the heaven rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the mountains break forth with gladness, and the hills with exultation; since all creation, and the heavenly powers, and such things, as my argument holds, perceive this together; for it does not only groan together and travail together in bondage to decay, I mean with the things below that come to be and pass away, eagerly awaiting the end of these things and the revelation, so that it too might then obtain the hoped-for freedom, as it is now unwillingly bound to these things through the power of the Creator, but it also rejoices and exults with the rejoicing children of God.

16. Therefore, for I will not refrain from divine words when explaining divine power, let the desert rejoice, and blossom as a lily, the Church, a widow yesterday and the day before, as it seemed, and husbandless, and everyone who was for a time constricted by the murderous and joyless winter of impiety; because the Lord has had mercy on His people, and has not forsaken His inheritance; because He has done wonderful things, an ancient, true counsel; and this was, to be well-pleased with those who fear Him, and those who hope in His mercy; because He has broken gates of bronze, and shattered bars of iron; because

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διὰ κύκλου τινὸς εὐ θύνων καὶ διεξάγων τὸν ἅπαντα κόσμον, καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα, σαλευόμενά τε ὁμοῦ καὶ μὴ σαλευόμενα, ταῖς μεταβολαῖς κινούμενα καὶ περιτρεπόμενα, καὶ ἄλλοτε ἄλλως ἔχοντα· τῇ τάξει δὲ τῆς προνοίας πά για καὶ ἀκίνητα, κἂν διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ὁδεύῃ, τῷ Λόγῳ μὲν δήλων, ἡμῖν δὲ ἀγνοουμένων· ὁ καθαίρων δυνάστας ἀπὸ θρόνων, καὶ ἀνυπονόητον κοσμῶν δια 35.544 δήματι· παρὰ γὰρ τῆς θείας καὶ τοῦτο λαμβάνω Γραφῆς· ὁ γόνασιν ἀδυνατοῦσι θάρσος περιτιθεὶς, καὶ συντρίβων ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ βραχίονας καὶ ταῦτα παρ' ἄλλης ᾠδῆς, ὅπως ἂν ἕκαστον ἐπίῃ τῇ μνήμῃ, πολλῶν συμπληρούντων μοι τὴν ᾠδὴν, καὶ συνερανιζόντων τὸν χαριστήριον· ὁ διδοὺς ὁρᾶσθαι τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τὰς κέ δρους ἔπαρσιν, καὶ τὴν εἰς τὸ μηκέτι εἶναι καθαίρε σιν· ὅταν αὐτοῦ παρελθεῖν δυνηθῶμεν τάχει καὶ ἀσ φαλείᾳ ποδὸς τὴν ἀσέβειαν.

ΙΓʹ. Τίς ταῦτα πρὸς ἀξίαν ἄσεται, καὶ διηγήσεται τῶν τὰ θεῖα διηγουμένων; Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυ ναστείας τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀκουστὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ; τίνα φωνὴν, ἢ τίνα λόγου δύ ναμιν ἐξισώσει τῷ θαύματι; Τίς συνέτριψεν ὅπλον, καὶ ῥομφαίαν, καὶ πόλεμον; Τίς συνέθλασε τὰς κε φαλὰς τῶν δρακόντων ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕδατος; Τίς ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν βρῶμα λαοῖς, οἷς καὶ παρέδωκε; Τίς ἔστησεν εἰς αὔραν καταιγίδα; Τίς εἶπε τῇ θαλάσσῃ, Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο; καὶ, Ἐν σοὶ συντριβήσεταί σου τὰ κύ ματα· καὶ μέντοι καὶ συντρίψας, οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ με τεωρισθέντα καὶ ἀναζέσαντα; Τίς ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων πατεῖν ἐδωρήσατο, οὐκ ἔτι λάθρα τὴν πτέρ ναν τηρούντων, ὡς ἡ κατάκρισις, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς ἐπανισταμένων καὶ διαιρόντων τὴν κεφαλὴν, ἣν πα τεῖσθαι κατεδικάσθησαν; Τίς ὁ ποιήσας κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀδόκητον; Τίς ὁ μὴ παντελῶς ἐπαφεὶς τὴν ῥάβδον τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἆρα θαῤῥῆσαι χρὴ τῷ κλήρῳ τῶν δικαίων εἰπεῖν; ἢ, ὃ τούτου μετριώτε ρον, τῷ κλήρῳ αὐτὸν γινωσκόντων;

Ι∆ʹ. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς δίκαιοι παρεδόθημεν, τοῦτο γὰρ, ὀλίγοι καὶ ὀλιγάκις· ἵν', ὡς ἀθληταὶ γενναῖοι, τὸν πειραστὴν καταισχύνωσιν· ἀλλ' ὡς ἁμαρ τάνοντες κατεκρίθημεν, εἶτα ἠλεήθημεν κηδεμονι κῶς τε καὶ πατρικῶς, ὅσον σωφρονισθῆναι, πληγέντες, καὶ ὅσον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιστρέψαι νουθετη θέντες. Ἤλεγξε μὲν γὰρ, οὐ τῷ θυμῷ δέ· καὶ πε παίδευκε μὲν, οὐ τῇ ὀργῇ δέ· δι' ἀμφοτέρων δεικνὺς τὸ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ τῆς ὑπομνήσεως, καὶ τῆς ἀν έσεως. Τίς ὁ ποιήσας ἐκδίκησιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἐλε γμοὺς ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς, Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατὸς, Κύριος δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ. 35.545

ΙΕʹ. Μίαν εὑρίσκω φωνὴν, ἓν μέλος, τῶν παρόν των πως ἄξιον, ἣν Ἡσαΐας πρὸ ἡμῶν ἀνεφθέγξατο, σφόδρα τῷ νῦν καιρῷ πρέπουσαν, καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἁμιλλωμένην· Εὐφραινέσθω ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄνωθεν, καὶ αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσαν δικαιο σύνην· ῥηξάτω τὰ ὄρη εὐφροσύνην, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ἀγαλλίασιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ κτίσις πᾶσα, καὶ δυνάμεις οὐ ράνιοι, καὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ὥς γε δὴ ὁ ἐμὸς λόγος, συνεπαισθάνονται· οὐ γὰρ συστενάζει μόνον καὶ συν ωδίνει δουλεύουσα τῇ φθορᾷ, τοῖς κάτω λέγω γινο μένοις τε καὶ ἀπογινομένοις, ἀποκαραδοκοῦσα τὸ τέλος τούτων καὶ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὴ τότε τύχῃ τῆς ἐλπιζομένης ἐλευθερίας, ὡς νῦν ἄκουσα τούτοις προσδεδεμένη διὰ τὴν τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνδοξάζει καὶ συναγάλλεται τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ τέκνοις εὐφραινομένοις.

Ιςʹ. Τοιγαροῦν, οὐ γὰρ ἀφέξομαι θείων φωνῶν θείαν ἐξηγούμενος δύναμιν, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος, καὶ ἀν θείτω ὡς κρίνον, ἡ χήρα χθὲς καὶ πρώην, ὥς γε ἐδόκει, καὶ ἄνανδρος Ἐκκλησία, καὶ πᾶς ὁ τῷ φθο νερῷ καὶ ἀτερπεῖ χειμῶνι τῆς ἀσεβείας τέως συν εσταλμένος· ὅτι ἠλέησε Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐγκαταλέλοιπεν· ὅτι ἐποίησε θαυμαστὰ πράγματα, βουλὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀλη θινήν· ἡ δὲ ἦν, εὐδοκεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐ τὸν, καὶ τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ· ὅτι συν έτριψε πύλας χαλκᾶς, καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συν έθλασεν· ὅτι