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have become full of their blood, has been added: I will no longer forgive your sins, and: if you multiply your supplication, I will not hear you. 1.17 Very consistently, the Lord who spoke the first things also sets forth these things "to the" indicated "rulers of Sodom and the people of Gomorrah," summoning them to good hopes, if, having changed from their wickedness and having departed from the self-willed religion of the carnal law, they might become obedient to His new covenant and new law and word. Therefore, after setting aside the things in the old covenant, He introduces the mysteries of the new covenant and the new law. Which He Himself also delivered in the Gospels, saying: "unless one is born again of water and spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Therefore the philanthropic Lord summons those entangled in so many evils and defiled with the aforementioned blood to hasten to the reception of the new covenant, holding out a promise to them, the remission of sins procured through it for those who have committed great impieties. Therefore He says to them: Wash yourselves, become clean. And the saving Word, being the cleanser of souls, does not send them back to the Mosaic customs, but urges them to hasten to the things of the Gospel, adding to: Wash yourselves, become clean, this: take away the evils from your souls. and do this before my eyes. For do not, He says, according to what is customary for men, make the turning away from your sins to the point of showing off, but from the soul itself, which is seen by me, take away your evils. Therefore He adds: before my eyes cease from your evils. Then, having turned from wickedness, do not stop at this point, but take up a life according to virtue, using the new teaching according to the Gospel; for the good can be taught. Therefore He says: learn to do good and seek judgment, then, having accomplished these things, rescue the wronged, judge for the orphan and justify the widow. And when you have accomplished all these things, having received confidence, come. then, as in a court, let us reason together, both I and you; I, on the one hand, recounting all that I have suffered from you, and all the ways in which I happened to have benefited you, and how after so many transgressions I grant amnesty for all evils, I have cleansed your hands, crimsoned with the aforementioned blood, making them brighter than snow "through the regeneration of the washing." and you, on the other hand, if you have any argument against such grace, bring it to light. 1.18 To these things is added: and if you are willing and hear me in washing yourselves and accomplishing the rest according to the manner described, you shall eat the good things of the land. Here the Word, as if speaking to Jews, urges them, as they are infants, to the things that have been said through the carnal promise; but according to the true word, the land being understood as the soul according to the saving parable which is said to receive the heavenly seed. And at one time "to choke" and destroy in various ways the word sown in it, and at another time "to yield" flourishing "fruits in thirtyfold or sixtyfold or a hundredfold fruitfulness," it is consistent to understand the good things of the soul as either the advancements and perfections according to virtue, or the things promised to them in the kingdom of heaven and in the heavenly land, concerning which the Savior Himself taught in the Gospels, saying: "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Indeed, in this heavenly land are the truly good things: "what eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man." where also the "heavenly Jerusalem" is understood. Therefore, to those who are persuaded, the Word promises these things, but to those who are disobedient He threatens, saying: if you are not willing nor hear me, a sword shall devour you; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. Therefore, with respect to the letter, the outcome through deeds immediately followed the words; those who

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αὐτῶν πλήρεις γεγόνασιν αἵματος, ἐπενήνεκται τό· οὐκέτι ἀνήσω τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν, καὶ τό· ἐὰν πληθύνητε τὴν δέησιν, οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι ὑμῶν. 1.17 Σφόδρα ἀκολούθως ὁ τὰ πρῶτα εἰρηκὼς κύριος ἔτι καὶ ταῦτα «πρὸς τοὺς» δηλωθέντας «ἄρχοντας Σοδόμων καὶ τὸν λαὸν Γομόρρας» διεξέρχεται ἐπὶ ἀγαθὰς ἐλπίδας αὐτοὺς προσκαλούμενος, εἰ μεταθέμενοι τῆς κακίας καὶ τῆς ἐθελοθρησκίας τῆς κατὰ τὸν σωματικὸν νόμον ἀναχωρήσαντες, ὑπήκοοι γένοιντο τῆς καινῆς αὐτοῦ διαθήκης καὶ τοῦ καινοῦ νόμου καὶ λόγου. διὸ μετὰ τὴν παρόρασιν τῶν ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ διαθήκῃ τὰ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης καὶ τὰ τοῦ καινοῦ νόμου εἰσάγει μυστήρια. ἃ δὴ καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις αὐτὸς παρεδίδου λέγων· «ἐὰν μή τις ἀναγεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν». προκαλεῖται τοίνυν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος κύριος τοὺς τοσούτοις κακοῖς ἐνισχημένους τῷ τε προλεχθέντι αἵματι πεφυρμένους ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνάληψιν τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης σπεύδειν ἐπαγγελίαν αὐτοῖς προϊσχόμενος, τὴν διὰ αὐτῆς προξενουμένην ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν τοῖς τὰ μεγάλα ἠσεβηκόσιν. διό φησιν πρὸς αὐτούς· λούσασθε, καθαροὶ γένεσθε. καθαρτικὸς δὲ ψυχῶν ὁ σωτήριος τυγχάνων λόγος, οὐκ ἀναπέμπει μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ μωσαϊκὰ νόμιμα, προτρέπει δὲ σπεύδειν ἐπὶ τὰ εὐαγγελικὰ προστιθεὶς τῷ· λούσασθε, καθαροὶ γένεσθε τό· ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν. καὶ τοῦτο πράξατε ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου. μὴ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ νομιζόμενον ἀνθρώποις μέχρι τοῦ φανητιᾶν τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιστροφὴν ποιεῖσθέ φησιν, ἐξ αὐτῆς δὲ ψυχῆς τῆς ἐμοὶ θεωρουμένης ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ὑμῶν. διὸ ἐπάγει· ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν. Εἶτα μεταβαλόντες τῆς κακίας μὴ μέχρι τούτου στῆτε, τὸν δὲ κατὰ ἀρετὴν ἀναλάβετε βίον, διδασκαλίᾳ καινῇ τῇ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον χρησάμενοι· διδακτὸν γὰρ τὸ ἀγαθόν. διό φησι· μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν καὶ ἐκζητήσατε κρίσιν, ἔπειτα ταῦτα κατορθώσαντες ῥύσασθε ἀδικούμενον, κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν. Ἐπειδὰν δὲ ταῦτα πάντα διαπράξησθε παρρησίαν λαβόντες, ἥκετε. εἶθ' ὡς ἐν δικαστηρίῳ διελεγχθῶμεν ἐγώ τε καὶ ὑμεῖς· ἐγὼ μὲν ὅσα πέπονθα ὑφ' ὑμῶν, ὅσα τε ὑμᾶς ἔτυχον εὐεργετήσας καταριθμούμενος καὶ ὡς μετὰ τοσαῦτα πλημμελήματα πάντων κακῶν ἀμνηστίαν ποιούμενος πεφοινιγμένας ὑμῶν τὰς χεῖρας ἐκ τοῦ προλεχθέντος αἵματος ἐκάθηρα λαμπροτέρας χιόνος αὐτὰς «διὰ τῆς τοῦ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας» καταστήσας. ὑμεῖς δὲ εἴ τις ὑμῖν πρὸς τὴν τοσαύτην χάριν ἔνεστιν λόγος, εἰς φανερὸν τοῦτον ἄγετε. 1.18 Τούτοις ἐπιλέγεται τό· καὶ ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου ἐν τῷ λούσασθαι καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ διαπράξασθαι κατὰ τὸν ἀποδοθέντα τρόπον, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε. ἔνθ' ὁ λόγος ὡς μὲν πρὸς Ἰουδαίους διαλεγόμενος, οἷα νηπίους αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς σωματικῆς ἐπαγγελίας τοῖς εἰρημένοις προτρέπει· πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον, γῆς τῆς ψυχῆς νοουμένης κατὰ τὴν σωτήριον παραβολὴν ἢ τὸν ἐπουράνιον σπόρον λέγεται παραδέχεσθαι. καὶ τότε μὲν «ἀποπνίγειν» καὶ ἀπολλύειν διαφόρως τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ καταβαλλόμενον λόγον, τότε δὲ «καρποὺς» εὐθαλεῖς «ἀποδιδόναι ἐν τριάκοντα ἢ ἑξήκοντα ἢ ἑκατὸν καρποφορίαις», ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν ἀγαθὰ ψυχῆς νοεῖν ἤτοι τὰς κατὰ ἀρετὴν προκοπὰς καὶ τελειώσεις, ἢ τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα αὐτοῖς ἐν οὐρανῷ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ἐν ἐπουρανίῳ γῇ, περὶ ἧς ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ διδάσκων ἔλεγεν· «μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσιν τὴν γῆν». ἐπὶ ταύτης γοῦν τῆς οὐρανίου γῆς τὰ ὄντως ἀγαθὰ τυγχάνει· «ἃ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη». ἔνθα καὶ ἡ «ἐπουράνιος» νοεῖται «Ἰερουσαλήμ». Πεισθεῖσιν μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ὁ λόγος ἐπαγγέλλεται, ἀπειθοῦσι δὲ ἀπειλεῖ λέγων· ἐὰν μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ταῦτα. πρὸς μὲν οὖν τὴν λέξιν αὐτίκα τοῖς λόγοις ἐπηκολούθει ἡ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἔκβασις· οἱ