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being bodily under the law, which He teaches to despise, as containing ordinances that are not good, and commandments that are not good, being brought through Christ to the spiritual law which has good ordinances and good commandments, they lay aside the heavy yoke of the letter that kills, as the Savior says to the aforementioned fellow workers, "Let us cast off their yoke from us." And the phrase, "from us," can be of this sort: Let us do it of our own accord, not waiting for the supplication of those who are burdened. But "from us" can also be understood thus: I too, having been born among the peoples who meditate on vain things and having been brought up under their yoke, having been circumcised, "And let us cast off their yoke," that is, from myself and from those who agree with me who practice the law that does not save as if it saves. Or: Thinking that their yoke is a burden placed also on us, let us cast it off. For one must dare to say that these things are in Christ on account of His love for those burdened by the yoke, just as is the case with all the compassionate, who judge the sins of others as their own. These things, then, are about men, both from the Gentiles and from the people. But the phrase, "He who dwells in the heavens will laugh," must be applied to, "The kings of the earth stood by," whom God, dwelling in the heavens, will laugh at, as they have an earthly mindset. For they have not understood the economy and the wisdom of God concerning the incarnation of Christ. And the phrase, "And the Lord will hold them in derision," is applied to, "The rulers were gathered together;" so that the rulers who were gathered against the Lord and against His Christ may be held in derision by Christ. And the words are fitting for the Son of the good God: that, "though the nations raged and the peoples meditated on vain things, let us break apart the bonds of those raging nations, and let us cast off the yoke of the peoples who meditated on vain things." But since such aforementioned kings of the earth and the rulers no longer readily accept healing, of the nations and peoples, kings and rulers, both seen and unseen, who were gathered against the Lord and His Christ, 23.85 the Holy Spirit commands to break the bonds of idolatry, and to cast off the heavy yoke of sin from their own soul; by which, having been previously enslaved, we were subject to other rulers; so that, being freed from them, we might take up the light yoke of the Savior, to which He calls, saying: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." "Take my yoke, and see that it is good." And these things have been said to the nations that were given to Christ by the Father, the word anticipating those who are about to approach the teaching of Christ, and exhorting them no longer to bear the old yoke upon their shoulders, nor to remain in the chains of their former sins; but if some were formerly their lords and bitter rulers, the evil demons who of old tyrannized the nations, whom indeed they called gods, raising a heavy yoke over them and making the soul stoop downwards, and binding them with bonds of impiety; it exhorts them to flee the dominion of all these; and to flee to the Redeemer and Savior, who indeed has received them as an inheritance from His own Father. And these things, he says, let us do, we who have become worthy of the inheritance of Christ, knowing that "He who dwells in the heavens will laugh at them," that is, the nations and the peoples who have risen up against His Christ, "and the Lord will hold them in derision." These things were of old proclaimed prophetically; but the nation of the Jews suffered them, being besieged immediately after the plot against the Savior; and in due course also the enemies of the Church of Christ, always being fought against by a hidden hand, by the

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σωματικῶς τοῦ νόμου τυγχάνοντες, οὗ διδάσκει καταφρονεῖν, ὡς περιέχοντος δικαιώματα οὐ καλὰ, καὶ προστάγματα οὐ καλὰ, προσαγόμενοι διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ πνευματικῷ νόμῳ ἔχοντι τὰ καλὰ δικαιώματα καὶ προστάγματα καλὰ, ἀποτίθενται τὸν βαρὺν τοῦ ἀποκτείνοντος γράμματος ζυγὸν, τοῦ Σωτῆρος φάσκοντος πρὸς τοὺς προειρημένους συνεργοὺς τὸ, Ἀποῤῥίψωμεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν. Τὸ δὲ, ἀφ' ἡμῶν, δύναται τοιοῦτον εἶναι· Ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ποιήσωμεν μὴ περιμείναντες τὴν δέησιν τῶν βαρουμένων. ∆ύναται δὲ τὸ, ἀφ' ἡμῶν, καὶ οὕτω νοεῖσθαι· Κἀγὼ παρὰ τοῖς λαοῖς τοῖς μελετῶσι τὰ κενὰ γεγενημένος καὶ ἀνατρεφόμενος ὑπὸ τὸν ζυγόν εἰμι αὐτῶν περιτμηθεὶς, Καὶ ἀποῤῥίψωμεν αὐτῶν τὸν ζυγὸν, τουτέστιν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν συγκατατιθεμένων μοι τὸν μὴ σώζοντα νόμον ὡς σώζοντα ἀσκούντων. Ἤ· Νομίζοντες εἶναι βάρος ἐπικείμενον καὶ ἡμῖν, τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν ἀποῤῥίψωμεν. Τολμητέον γὰρ λέγειν ταῦτα εἶναι ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς βαρουμένους ὑπὸ τοῦ ζυγοῦ ἀγάπην, ἅπερ ἐστὶ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς εὐσπλάγχνοις, τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτήματα ἴδια κρίνουσιν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ ἀνθρώπων τῶν τε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ. Τὸ δὲ, Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσεται, προσαρμοστέον πρὸς τὸ, Παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, οὓς ἐκγελάσεται ὁ Θεὸς ἐν οὐρανοῖς κατοικῶν φρόνημα ἔχοντας γήϊνον. Οὐ γὰρ νενοήκασι τὴν οἰκονομίαν καὶ τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν περὶ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τὸ δὲ, Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκμυκτηριεῖ αὐτοὺς, πρὸς τὸ, Οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό· ἵνα μυκτηρίζωνται οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οἱ συναχθέντες κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. Πρέπουσαι δὲ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱῷ φωναί· ὅτι, εἰ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη ἐφρύαξαν, καὶ οἱ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενὰ, ἡμεῖς γε τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν τῶν φρυαξάντων ἐθνῶν διασπάσωμεν, καὶ τὸν ζυγὸν τῶν μελετησάντων κενὰ λαῶν ἀποῤῥίψωμεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκέτι εὐχερῶς δέχονται τὴν θεραπείαν οἵ τε τηλικοῦτοι προειρημένοι τῆς γῆς βασιλεῖς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες, τῶν κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ 23.85 αὐτοῦ συναχθέντων ἐθνῶν τε καὶ λαῶν, βασιλέων τε καὶ ἀρχόντων, ὁρωμένων τε καὶ ἀφανῶν, προστάττει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοὺς τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας δεσμοὺς διαῤῥηγνύναι, καὶ τὸν βαρὺν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ζυγὸν ἀποῤῥίπτειν τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς· οἷς καταδεδουλωμένοι πρότερον ἑτέροις ἄρχουσιν ὑπεκείμεθα· ἵνα ἐκείνων ἐλευθερωθέντες τὸν ἐλαφρὸν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ζυγὸν ἀναδεξώμεθα, ἐφ' ὃν προκαλεῖται λέγων· ∆εῦτε πρὸς μὲ πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς. Ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου, καὶ ἴδετε, ὅτι χρηστός ἐστι. Λέλεκται δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη τὰ τῷ Χριστῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς δεδομένα, προλαμβάνοντος τοῦ λόγου τοὺς μέλλοντας προσιέναι τῇ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίᾳ, καὶ παραινοῦντος μηκέτι τὸν παλαιὸν ζυγὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων φέρειν, μηδὲ ταῖς σειραῖς τῶν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων ἑαυτῶν παραμένειν· ἀλλ' εἰ καί τινες ἦσαν αὐτῶν πρότερον κύριοι ἄρχοντές τε πικροὶ, οἱ πάλαι τῶν ἐθνῶν κατατυραννοῦντες δαίμονες πονηροὶ, οὓς δὴ θεοὺς ὠνόμαζον, ζυγὸν αὐτοῖς ἐπαιωροῦντες βαρὺν καὶ συγκύπτειν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω ποιοῦντες, δεσμοῖς τε αὐτοὺς ἀσεβείας καταδεσμοῦντες· τούτων ἁπάντων τὴν δυναστείαν φεύγειν παρακελεύεται· προσφεύγειν δὲ τῷ Λυτρωτῇ καὶ Σωτῆρι, καὶ δὴ κλῆρον αὐτοὺς παρὰ τοῦ ἰδίου Πατρὸς εἰληφότι. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶ, πράξωμεν οἱ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ κληρονομίας ἄξιοι γενόμενοι, εἰδότες, ὅτι Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσεται αὐτοὺς, τὰ ἔθνη δηλαδὴ καὶ τοὺς λαοὺς τοὺς ἐπαναστάντας τῷ Χριστῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκμυκτηριεῖ αὐτούς. Ταῦτα πάλαι μὲν προφητικῶς ἀνεφωνεῖτο· πέπονθε δὲ αὐτὰ τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος πολιορκηθὲν παραχρῆμα μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιβουλήν· καὶ κατὰ χρόνους δὲ οἱ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολέμιοι, κρυφαίᾳ ἀεὶ χειρὶ πολεμούμενοι, ὑπὸ τοῦ