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{1Concerning His resurrection.}1 David says, that You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption, that is, of the body. Then, You have made known to me the ways of life; and Hosea says more clearly: And He will heal us after two days, on the third day, and we shall rise up, and we shall live before Him, saying these things in the person of the saints who had fallen asleep, whose bodies were raised with Christ at His three-day resurrection, and appeared to many, as the Gospel teaches. And the Hebrew Josephus also says in the eighteenth book of his Archaeology: Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure and he drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. This man was the Christ, and the Jews nailed him to a cross at the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate having condemned him. And those who had loved him at the first did not cease to proclaim his deeds. For he appeared to them alive again on the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.

{1Concerning the church from the Gentiles, from Isaiah.}1 Be glad, thirsty desert.

Let the desert rejoice, and blossom as the lily, and the desert places of the Jordan will blossom and rejoice. And the glory of Lebanon was given to her, and the honor of Carmel. In a sensory way, therefore, these things have neither happened nor will they happen. For who would choose to inhabit the desert, unless you mean the Christian monks? But allegorically, 130.273 very much so. For a desert is the church from the Gentiles, previously fruitless, and being a dwelling place of spiritual beasts, which, being burned with the fire of passions, thirsted for the knowledge of God and for salvation. And having received the preaching, she is glad, and rejoices, and blossoms with the brightness and fragrance of virtues. And the glory of Lebanon was also given to her, that is, of the old people, whom he also named Carmel. And the glory and honor of this is piety, and intimacy with God, and the height of glory and of the law, and the abundance of divine perceptions, and the richness of graces. And again, Rejoice, you barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for the children of the desolate one are more than of her who has a husband. For the aforementioned church was barren and formerly fruitless in virtue, but later, having received the seeds of piety, became mother of many children, surpassing in multitude the Jewish synagogue, whose husband was God before, loving and providing for and protecting her, or also the law. Again, in the person of God the Father, Isaiah says to the Son and God: Behold, I have given you as a covenant to the nations, to establish the earth, and to inherit a desolate heritage, and so on. For through David He also promised the Son, saying, And I will give you the nations for your inheritance. And the same David besought the Father concerning these things, saying, Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them. And Isaiah also has spoken in the person of such a lawgiver: A law will go forth from me, and my judgment as a light to the nations, and in my arm the nations will hope. And what is this law other than the evangelical one, which enlightened the nations that were darkened by error? For the Mosaic law had gone forth many years before. {1Of the same.}1 Concerning the new covenant of the gospel, Isaiah again prophesied, saying, Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. For our Lord Jesus Christ, now sitting on Mount Zion and teaching, now staying in the city of Jerusalem, established the evangelical law and word. For the prophet is not now speaking of the Mosaic law. For how could he, since it was legislated on Sinai, but not in Zion, nor in Jerusalem, and long before Isaiah, whereas, the evangelical one long after him

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{1Περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ.}1 Φησὶν ὁ ∆αβὶδ, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδου, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν δια φθορὰν, τοῦ σώματος δηλονότι. Εἶτα, Ἐγνώρισάς με ὁδοὺς ζωῆς· καὶ Ὠσηὲ δὲ φανερώτερον φησί· Καὶ ὑγιάσει ἡμᾶς μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ, καὶ ἀναστησόμεθα, καὶ ζησόμεθα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, προσώπῳ ταῦτα λέγων τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων, ὧν τὰ σώματα συνηγέρθησαν τῷ Χριστῷ κατὰ τὴν τριήμερον ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνεφανί σθησαν πολλοῖς, ὡς διδάσκει τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Φησὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος Ἰώσηπος κατὰ τὸν ὀκτωκαιδέκατον τόμον τῆς Ἀρχαιολογίας αὐτοῦ· Γίνεται δὲ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον Ἰησοῦς σοφὸς ἄνθρωπος, εἴπερ ἄνδρα αὐτὸν λέγειν χρή. Ἦν γὰρ παραδόξων ἔργων ποιητὴς, διδάσκαλος ἀνθρώπων ἡδονῇ τἀληθῆ δεχο μένων καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑλληνικοῦ ἐπηγάγετο. Ὁ Χριστὸς οὗτος ἦν, καὶ αὐτὸν ἐνδείξει τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν πρώτων ἀν δρῶν καθήλωσαν Ἰουδαῖοι σταυρῷ, ἐπιτετιμηκότος Πιλάτου. Οὐκ ἐξεπαύσαντο δὲ οἱ τὸ πρῶτον ἀγαπή σαντες τὰ αὐτοῦ καταγγέλλειν. Ἐφάνη γὰρ αὐτοῖς τρίτην ἔχων ἡμέραν πάλιν ζῶν, τῶν θείων προφητῶν ταῦτά τε καὶ ἄλλα μυρία περὶ αὐτοῦ θαυμάσια εἰ ρηκότων.

{1Περὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίας ἐκ τῶν Ἡσαίου.}1 Εὐφράνθητι, ἔρημος

διψῶσα. Ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρη μος, καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον, καὶ ἐξανθήσει, καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ ἔρημα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου. Καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου ἐδόθη αὐτῇ, καὶ ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ Καρμή λου. Αἰσθητῶς μὲν οὖν οὔτε γέγονεν, οὔτε γενήσεται ταῦτα. Τίς γὰρ ἂν ἕλοιτο τὴν ἔρημον οἰκῆσαι, εἰ μὴ τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἐρεῖς μοναχούς; Ἀναγωγικὼς δὲ, 130.273 καὶ πάνυ. Ἔρημος μὲν γὰρ ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησία τῶν ἀκάρπων πρὶν, καὶ ὄντων οἰκητήριον τῶν νοη τῶν θηρίων, ἥτις φλεγομένη τῷ πυρὶ τῶν παθῶν ἐδίψε θεογνωσίας καὶ σωτηρίας. Καὶ τυχοῦσα τοῦ κηρύγματος εὐφραίνεται, καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶται, καὶ ἀνθεῖ τῇ φαιδρότητι, καὶ εὐωδίᾳ τῶν ἀρετῶν. Ἐδόθη δὲ αὐτῇ καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου, τουτέστι τοῦ παλαιοῦ λαοῦ, ὃν καὶ Κάρμηλον ὠνόμασε. ∆όξα δὲ τούτου καὶ τιμὴ ἡ εὐσέβεια, καὶ ἡ πρὸς Θεὸν οἰκείωσις, καὶ τὸ ὕψος τῆς δόξης καὶ τοῦ νόμου, καὶ τὸ τῶν θείων ἀντιλήψεων ἀμφιλαφὲς, καὶ τὸ τῶν χαρίτων κατάκομον. Καὶ πάλιν, Εὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα, ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον, ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα. Στεῖρα μὲν γὰρ ἡ δηλωθεῖσα ἐκκλησία, καὶ ἄγονος καρπῶν ἀρετῆς τὸ πρότερον, ὕστερον δὲ τὰ σπέρματα τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑποδεξαμένη πολύπαις ἐγένετο, νικήσασα τῇ πολυπληθείᾳ τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν συναγωγὴν, ἧς ἀνὴρ ὁ Θεὸς τὸ πρὶν, ἀγαπῶν καὶ προνοούμενος καὶ φυλάτ των αὐτὴν, ἢ καὶ ὁ νόμος. Πάλιν δὲ προσώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ὁ Ἡσαΐας πρὸς τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ Θεόν φησιν· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην ἐθνῶν τοῦ κα ταστῆσαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ κληρονομῆσαι κληρονο μίαν ἐρήμου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ διὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ γὰρ ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ Υἱῷ λέγων, Καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη, τὴν κληρονομίαν σου. Ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ ∆αβὶδ παρεκάλει τὸν Πατέρα περὶ τούτων λέγων, Κατάστησον, Κύριε, νο μοθέτην ἐπ' αὐτούς. Καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας δὲ εἴρηκε προσ ώπῳ τοῦ τοιούτου νομοθέτου· Νόμος παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐξε λεύσεται, καὶ ἡ κρίσις μου εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, καὶ εἰς τὸν βραχίονά μου ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσι. Τίς δὲ ὁ νόμος οὗτος παρὰ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν, ὃς ἐφώτισε τὰ ἐσκο τισμένα τῇ πλάνῃ ἔθνη; Ὁ γὰρ Μωσαϊκὸς πρὸ πολ λῶν ἐτῶν ἐξελήλυθεν. {1Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.}1 Περὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης τοῦ εὐαγγελίου πάλιν προεφήτευσεν Ἡσαΐας εἰπὼν, Ἐκ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς νῦν μὲν ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σιὼν καθήμενος, καὶ διδάσκων, νῦν δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ διατρίβων, ἐνομοθέτησε τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν νόμον τε καὶ λόγον. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ Μωσαϊκοῦ νῦν φησιν ὁ προφήτης. Πῶς γὰρ, ὃς ἐν τῷ Σινᾷ ἐνομοθε τήθη, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν Σιὼν, οὐδὲ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ πάλαι πολλῷ πρὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου, ὥσπερ, εὐαγγελικὸς πολλῷ μετὰ τὸν