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having described the consummation, he added this. "If you clothe yourself in scarlet." The slaughter of animals according to the law. By the ark, and the lampstand, and the other things, he signifies piety with hypocrisy. "They seek your soul." The invisible demons, unable to defend. And these themselves, pretending to love, plot against the very soul of their beloved. "Upon the slain." The perceptible, or even those who have lost their own soul through apostasy. 93.640 CHAPTER 5. "If there is one who does justice and seeks faith." He says to the abandoned saints that because those on earth did not keep the faith in Christ, the end will come; and it also signifies the rarity of the saints in the captivity. "The Lord lives, they say, for this reason they do not swear falsely." Against me, he says, and no longer swearing by the idols of the falsely named gods. But they denied the faith in Christ. For this reason the Jews were captured by the Romans, no longer idolaters, but having denied their own Savior. "Lord, your eyes look for faith." Either that God seeks faith, or that he judges faithfully and truly, or that what he says he brings to pass. "They are poor." Not having perfect knowledge. "Therefore a lion from the forest has struck them." The perceptible, or even the intelligible enemy, on account of its strength and cruelty. "And a wolf has destroyed them up to their houses." The perceptible ones; but with respect to the mind, the spiritual ones. For those who depart from the ways of piety are hunted by the aforementioned beasts. A wolf seizes those who have rejected the good shepherd, or a varied assault of enemies, or even multiform wickedness. "For which of these shall I be merciful to you?" Which sin shall I forgive, and which not? "I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery." For he was the one who fed them to the full in the desert before the flesh, before he became man, and with the flesh, through words, through wonders, and of the five, and of the seven loaves. "Leave her buttresses." Let go of the hope of repentance; let go of the prophets at the assault of the Babylonians; let go of the apostles at that of the Romans. "My words in your mouth as fire." Consuming those who disobey. A nation whose language you will not understand." Because of being of a different tongue. "And they will devour the harvest, and your sons." They will use slaughter [alt. plague] against them insatiably. "The one who gives us the early rain." The perceptible one for the fruits, and the intelligible one in the Old and New Testament. "Your sins have turned away the good things." The good things turned away, so that the evil things might be brought on. "Because wicked men were found among my people." The false prophets, the false apostles, the heresiarchs, the unclean demons ratified the things of the false prophets. CHAPTER 6. "Take courage, sons of Benjamin." The Benjamites are recorded as being ambidextrous. Therefore he calls to the spiritual war those able to fight through 93.641 the weapons of righteousness, of the right and of the left. Such was Paul from the tribe of Benjamin. "And in Tekoa." Do not be envious, he says, but correct your neighbors, you who are able to fight. "And your height will be taken away." The temple, the legal worship. Or also the spiritual adornment of the soul. "Shepherds will come to her." The enemies, perceptible rulers, or even intelligible ones. "And each will shepherd with his own hand." Not with the hand of God, but each according to his own activities. "Woe to us." Those left behind in captivity, and sinners at the consummation, will utter this voice. "Because the day has declined." He calls the present life "day," and the conduct in it "shadow." "Arise, and let us go up against her by night." Of Chrysostom. [alt. of Olympiodorus.] He says night and midday is the indifferent time of the enemy's attack. "As a cistern cools its water, so she cools her wickedness." For because of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. For they were not fervent in spirit, nor serving the Lord. "You will be disciplined with toil and scourge." Since you were not persuaded by word, be persuaded by the scourge, so that my soul may not turn away from you. "The

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συντελείας ὑπογράψας τοῦτο ἐπήγαγε. "Ἐὰν περιβάλῃ κόκκινον." Τὰς κατὰ νόμον ζωοσφαγείας. Τῇ κιβωτῷ, καὶ τῇ λυχνίᾳ, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τὴν μεθ' ὑποκρίσεως θεοσέβειαν σημαίνει. "Τὴν ψυχήν σου ζητοῦσι." Οἱ ἀόρατοι δαίμονες, οὐ δυνάμενοι ἐπαμύνειν. Οὗτοι δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐρᾷν προσποιούμενοι εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν τῶν ἐρωμένων ἐπιβουλεύουσιν. "Ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνῃρημένοις." Αἰσθητοῖς, ἢ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν διὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας ἀπολέσασιν. 93.640 ΚΕΦ. Εʹ. "Εἰ ἔστι ποιῶν κρῖμα, καὶ ζητῶν πίστιν." Πρὸς τοὺς ἐγκαταλειφθέντας φησὶν ἁγίους, ὅτι διὰ τὸ μὴ φυλάξαι τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν, ἐπιστήσεται τὸ τέλος· σημαίνει δὲ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων τὸ σπάνιον τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας. "Ζῇ Κύριος, λέγουσι, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν ψεύδεσιν ὀμνύουσι." Κατ' ἐμοῦ μὲν, φησὶν, καὶ οὐκέτι κατὰ τῶν εἰδώλων τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν ὀμνύειν. Ἀλλὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν ἠρνήσαντο πίστιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Ἰουδαῖοι ἑάλωσαν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, οὐκέτι μὲν εἰδωλολατροῦντες, τὸν δὲ αὐτῶν Σωτῆρα ἀρνησάμενοι. "Κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν." Ἢ ὅτι πίστιν ἐπιζητεῖ Θεὸς, ἢ ὅτι πιστῶς καὶ ἀληθῶς κρίνει, ἢ ὅτι ἂ λέγει εἰς ἔργον ἐκφέρει. "Πτωχοί εἰσι." Τελείαν γνῶσιν οὐκ ἔχοντες. "∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔπαισεν αὐτοὺς λέων ἐκ τοῦ δρυμοῦ." Ὁ αἰσθητὸς, ἢ καὶ ὁ νοητὸς πολέμιος διὰ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ ὠμόν. "Καὶ λύκος ἕως τῶν οἰκιῶν ὠλόθρευσεν αὐτούς." Τὰς αἰσθητάς· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τὰς ψυχικάς. Οἱ γὰρ τῶν ἠθῶν τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐκβαίνοντες ὑπ' τῶν εἰρημένων θηρίων ἀγρεύονται. Τοὺς τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἀπωσαμένους ποιμένα, λύκος ἁρπάζει, ἢ ποικίλη τῶν πολεμίων ἔφοδος, ἢ καὶ ἡ πολύτροπος κακία. "Ποίᾳ τούτων ἵλεως ἔσομαί σοι;" Ποίαν ἁμαρτίαν συγχωρήσω, ποίαν δὲ μή; "Ἐχόρτασα αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐμοιχῶντο." Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ χορτάσας αὐτοὺς πρὸ σαρκὸς, πρὶν ἐνανθρωπῆσαι, καὶ μετὰ σαρκὸς, διὰ λόγων, διὰ θαυμάτων, καὶ τῶν πέντε, καὶ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἄρτων. "Ὑπολίπεσθε τὰ ὑποστηρίγματα αὐτῆς." Ἄφετε μετανοίας ἐλπίδα· ἄφετε τοὺς προφήτας ἐπὶ τῆς ἐφόδου Βαβυλωνίων· ἄφετε τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐπὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων. "Τοὺς λόγους μου εἰς τὸ στόμα σου πῦρ." Ἀναλωτικὰς τῶν παρακουόντων. Ἔθνος οὗ οὐκ ἀκούσει τῆς φωνῆς τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ." ∆ιὰ τὸ ἑτερόγλωσσον εἶναι. "Καὶ κατέδονται τὸν θερισμὸν, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς ὑμῶν." Ἀπλήστως τῇ κατ' αὐτῶν χρήσονται σφαγῇ [ἄλλ. πληγῇ]. "Τὸν διδόντα ἡμῖν ὑετὸν πρώϊμον." Τὸν μὲν αἰσθητὸν διὰ τοὺς καρποὺς, τὸν δὲ νοητὸν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ καὶ Καινῇ ∆ιαθήκῃ. "Αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ἀπέστησαν τὰ ἀγαθά." Ἀπέστησαν τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἵνα ἐπενεχθῶσι τὰ φαῦλα. "Ὅτι εὑρέθησαν ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου ἀσεβεῖς." Οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται, οἱ ψευδοαπόστολοι, οἱ αἱρεσιάρχαι, οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι δαίμονες ἐπεκύρωσαν τὰ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν. ΚΕΦ. ʹ. "Ἐνισχύσατε, υἱοὶ Βενιαμείν." Οἱ Βενιαμεῖται ἀμφοτεροδέξιοι ἱστοροῦνται εἶναι. Προκαλεῖται τοίνυν εἰς τὸν πνευματικὸν πόλεμον τοὺς δυναμένους διὰ 93.641 τῶν ὅπλων τῆς δικαιοσύνης πολεμεῖν, τῶν δεξιῶν, καὶ ἀριστερῶν. Τοιοῦτος ἦν Παῦλος ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμείν. "Καὶ ἐν Θεκουέ." Μὴ φθονήσητε, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ διορθώσασθε τοὺς γείτονας ὑμῶν οἱ δυνάμενοι πολεμεῖν. "Καὶ ἀφαιρεθήσεται τὸ ὕψος σου." Ὁ ναὸς, ἡ νομικὴ λατρεία. Ἢ καὶ ὁ τῆς ψυχῆς πνευματικὸς κόσμος. "Εἰς αὐτὴν ἥξουσι ποιμένες." Οἱ πολέμιοι, ἄρχοντες αἰσθητοὶ, ἢ καὶ νοητοί. "Καὶ ποιμανοῦσιν ἕκαστος τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ." Οὐ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χειρὶ, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος κατὰ τὰς ἰδίας ἐνεργείας. "Οὐαὶ ἡμῖν." Οἱ ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ καταλειφθέντες, καὶ ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ταύτην ἀφήσουσι τὴν φωνήν. "Ὅτι κέκλικεν ἡ ἡμέρα." Ἡμέραν καλεῖ τὸν παρόντα βίον, σκιὰν δὲ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ πολιτείαν. "Ἀνάστητε, καὶ ἀναβῶμεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν νυκτί." Τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου. [ἄλλ. Ὀλυμπιοδώρου.] Νύκτα καὶ μεσημβρίαν φησὶ τὸν ἀδιάφορον τῆς ἐφόδου τῶν πολεμίων καιρόν. "Ὡς ψύχει λάκκος ὕδωρ αὐτοῦ, οὕτω ψύχει κακία αὐτῆς." ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀνομίαν ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν τῷ πνεύματι ζέοντες, οὐδὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ δουλεύοντες. "Πόνῳ καὶ μάστιγι παιδευθήσῃ." Ἐπειδὴ λόγῳ οὐκ ἐπείσθης, πείσθητι διὰ τῆς μάστιγος, ἵνα μὴ ἀποστῇ ἡ ψυχή μου ἀπὸ σοῦ. "Τὰ