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Egyptians are called Barbarians by the divine Scripture. And the Idumeans, who are also Edomites, fornicators, and profane, as from Esau; but the Moabites, and Ammonites are commanded not to enter into the Church of God on account of their manner of life. Therefore, he characterized the manner of the Jews through these nations, calling them by these names. 93.649 "And upon all that is shorn round about." Those who embellish their appearance. And it speaks of those who have a form of godliness, but have denied its power. CHAP. X. "And be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, because." Seeing, he says, the solar cycles, and the moon waning and waxing, and the position and distance of the stars, and their appearances and disappearances in their season, and their well-ordered motion, do not fear them as gods, but him who made them. "Who established the world by his wisdom." In the Son; for in him all things were created. "Every man is brutish in his knowledge, he is confounded ... for he has molten a falsehood." He who does not have the knowledge of this theology is a fool. "They are vanity, the works ... in the time of their visitation they shall perish." When God visits the earth, that is, in the presence of Christ. "He gathered from without his substance that dwells." O knowledge of God, which dwells in the elect, from his wonders and his works your substance is comprehended. And the Church was also gathered from without, that is, from the nations. "And they have made his place desolate." Not allowing them to be nourished by the faith and good teachings; either by utterly destroying them, or by forcing them to worship idols. CHAP. XI. "Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who will not hear the words." God curses, but those who transgress the divine laws bring terrible things upon themselves. "To give them a land flowing with milk and honey." In terms of history, Palestine; but in terms of meaning, the Church; giving milk to the newly planted, but honey to those able to taste the more perfect lessons. "As it is this day. And I answered, and said, So be it, O Lord." The prophet foresees the day of the Theophany of the Savior, on which these things are given to the faithful, and praying for it to come, he says, So be it, O Lord. "A conspiracy was found among the men of Judah." An agreement of all for the worse. "What of the beloved?" Instead of, How has the beloved? "A beautiful olive tree, fair in appearance." When he chose the patriarchs and planted them. "At the voice of its pruning, fire was kindled upon it, great is the affliction upon you." When, he says, the Synagogue should have been well-cultivated, then it made itself worthy of fire; and it should have been well-cultivated in the presence of Christ. "O Lord, make known to me, and I shall know." He asks to receive a divine 93.652 revelation concerning both his own affairs and those of the Lord Christ. "But I was like a gentle lamb." For as a sheep he was led to the slaughter, the Lord, according to Isaiah. He did not resist. "For he shall not strive, it says, nor cry, neither shall his voice be heard without." "Let us put wood." With regard to the prophet, some deadly herb, so that eating it he might suffer pain. But on the precious cross they fixed the bread of life. "And let us destroy him from the land of the living, and let his name be no more remembered." See how they wish to make him even nameless, not wanting there to be any memory of him. For indeed, sinners are burdened by the just, not only when they are alive, but also when they are dead. Do you see Herod, how after killing John, he had fear in himself as if he were alive? so great is virtue, so great is vice, so cowardly and unmanly is the latter, [alt. a cowardly and unmanly thing,] so brave and bold is the former. "To you I have revealed my cause." For being reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he committed himself to him who judges righteously, according to the holy apostle. "Upon the inhabitants of Anathoth." The fellow citizens of the prophet, who also plotted against him. CHAP. XII. "You are righteous, O Lord, that I should plead my case with you. Yet." I know, he says, that you are righteous; but a word
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Αἰγύπτιοι οἱ Βάρβαροι καλοῦνται παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. Ἰδουμαῖοί τε, οἱ καὶ Ἐδωμῖται, πόρνοι, καὶ βέβηλοι, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαῦ· οἱ δὲ Μωαβῖται, καὶ Ἀμμανῖται διὰ τὸν τρόπον κελεύονται μὴ εἰσιέναι εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν Θεοῦ. Τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὖν τὸν τρόπον, διὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων ἐχαρακτήρισε, τούτοις αὐτοὺς καλέσας τοῖς ὀνόμασι. 93.649 "Καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα περικειρόμενον." Τοὺς τὸ φαινόμενον καλλωπίζοντας. Λέγει δὲ τοὺς μόρφωσιν ἔχοντας εὐσεβείας, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένους. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ιʹ. "Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθε, ὅτι." Τὰς ἡλιακὰς, φησὶν, ἀνακυκλώσεις ὁρῶντες, καὶ σελήνην φθίνουσαν καὶ αὐξανομένην, καὶ ἀστέρων σχέσιν καὶ ἀπόστασιν, καὶ τὰς κατὰ καιρὸν αὐτῶν ἐκφάνσεις καὶ ἀποκρύψεις, καὶ τὴν εὐάρμοστον αὐτῶν κίνησιν, μὴ φοβηθῆτε αὐτὰ ὡς θεοὺς, ἀλλὰ τὸν ταῦτα ποιήσαντα. "Ὁ ἀνορθώσας τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ." Ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ· ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα. "Ἐμωράνθη πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ γνώσεως, κατησχύνθη ... ὅτι ψευδῆ ἐχώνευσεν." Ὁ μὴ τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχων ταύτης τῆς θεολογίας, μωρός ἐστιν. "Μάταιά ἐστιν ἔργα ... ἐν καιρῷ ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτῶν ἀπολοῦνται." Ὅταν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπισκέψηται τὴν γῆν, ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ δηλονότι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. "Συνήγαγεν ἔξωθεν τὴν ὑπόστασιν αὐτοῦ κατοικοῦσαν." Ὦ γνῶσις Θεοῦ, ἡ ἐν τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς κατοικοῦσα, ἀπὸ τῶν θαυμάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν ποιημάτων καταλαμβάνεταί σου ἡ ὑπόστασις. Καὶ ἡ Ἐκκλησία δὲ ἔξωθεν, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν συνήχθη. "Καὶ τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ ἠρήμωσαν." Οὐκ ἐῶντες ἐντρέφεσθαι τῇ πίστει καὶ ταῖς καλαῖς διδασκαλίαις· ἢ ἄρδην ἀνελόντες, ἢ εἰδωλολατρεῖν ἀναγκάσαντες. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΑʹ. "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὂς οὐκ ἀκούσεται τῶν λόγων." Ὁ Θεὸς καταρᾶται, ἀλλ' οἱ τοὺς θείους παραβαίνοντες νόμους ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπῶνται τὰ δεινά. "Τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα, καὶ μέλι." Πρὸς μὲν ἱστορίαν, τὴν Παλαιστίνην· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· γάλα μὲν ποτίζουσαν τοὺς ἀρτιφύτους, μέλι δὲ τοὺς δυναμένους ἀπογεύσασθαι τῶν τελειοτέρων μαθημάτων. "Καθὼς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη. Καὶ ἀπεκρίθην, καὶ εἶπα, Γένοιτο, Κύριε." Τὴν θεοφάνιον ἡμέραν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὁ προφήτης προβλέπει, καθ' ἣν ταῦτα τοῖς πιστοῖς δέδοται, ἣν καὶ εὐχόμενος παραγενέσθαι, φησὶ, Γένοιτο, Κύριε. "Εὑρέθη σύνδεσμος ἐν ἀνδράσιν Ἰούδα." Συμφωνία πάντων ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον. "Τί ἡ ἠγαπημένη;" Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Πῶς ἡ ἠγαπημένη; "Ἐλαίαν ὡραίαν, εὔσκιον τῷ εἴδει." Ὅτε τοὺς πατριάρχας ἐκλεξάμενος ἐφύτευσεν. "Εἰς φωνὴν περιτομῆς αὐτῆς, ἀνήφθη πῦρ ἐπ' αὐτὴν, μεγάλη ἡ θλίψις ἐπὶ σέ." Ὅτε, φησὶν, ἔδει καλλιεργηθῆναι τὴν Συναγωγὴν, τότε πυρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἀξίαν κατέστησεν· ἔδει δὲ αὐτὴν καλλιεργηθῆναι ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. "Κύριε, γνώρισόν μοι, καὶ γνώσομαι." Θείαν 93.652 ἀποκάλυψιν αἰτεῖ λαβεῖν περί τε τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ. "Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς ἀρνίον ἄκακον." Ὡς γὰρ πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη ὁ Κύριος, κατὰ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν. Οὐκ ἀντέστη. "Οὐ γὰρ ἐρίσει, φησὶν, οὐδὲ κραυγάσει, οὐδὲ ἀκουσθήσεται ἔξω ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ." "Ἐμβάλωμεν ξύλον." Πρὸς μὲν τὸν προφήτην, βοτάνην τινὰ θανάσιμον, ἵνα ἐσθίων ὀδυνᾶται. Τῷ δὲ τιμίῳ σταυρῷ τὸν ἄρτον τῆς ζωῆς ἐνέπηξαν. "Καὶ ἐκτρίψωμεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ γῆς ζώντων, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ μνησθῇ οὐκέτι." Ὅρα πῶς καὶ ἀνώνυμον αὐτὸν ποιῆσαι θέλουσιν, οὐδὲ μνήμην τινὰ αὐτοῦ εἶναι βουλόμενοι. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον ζῶντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τελευτήσαντας βαρύνονται τοὺς δικαίους οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί. Ὁρᾷς Ἡρώδην, πῶς τὸν Ἰωάννην ἀνελὼν, ὡς ζῶντος εἶχεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ φόβον; τοσοῦτόν ἐστιν ἀρετὴ, τοσοῦτον κακία, οὕτως ἐκείνη δειλὴ καὶ ἄνανδρος, [ἄλ. δειλὸν καὶ ἄνανδρον,] οὕτως αὕτη ἀνδρεία καὶ πεπαῤῥησιασμένη. "Πρὸς σὲ ἀπεκάλυψα τὸ δικαίωμά μου." Λοιδορούμενος γὰρ οὐκ ἀντελοιδόρει, πάσχων οὐκ ἠπείλει· παρεδίδου δὲ τῷ κρίνοντι δικαίως, κατὰ τὸν ἱερὸν ἀπόστολον. "Ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν Ἀναθώθ." Τοὺς πολίτας τοῦ προφήτου, οἳ καὶ ἐπεβούλευον αὐτῷ. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΒʹ. "∆ίκαιος εἶ, Κύριε, ὅτι ἀπολογήσομαι πρὸς σέ. Πλήν." Οἶδα, φησὶν, ὅτι δίκαιος εἶ· λόγον δὲ