the calling from every kind of nation. And those who served the net cast into the sea are the Lord of the net, Jesus Christ, and the angels who came and will serve him, who do not draw up the net from the sea nor bring it to the shore outside it, the things outside of life, unless the net is filled, that is, until “the fullness of the nations” “comes into” it. But when it does come in, then they draw it up from the things here and below, and bring it to what is figuratively called the shore; where it will be the work of those who drew it up both to sit by the shore and to establish themselves there, in order that they might place each of the good things under the net into its own order according to what are here called their vessels, but throw out those things that are the opposite and are called rotten. And the “outside” is the furnace of fire, as the Savior interpreted it, saying: So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will go out and separate the wicked from the midst of the righteous and will cast them into the furnace of fire. Moreover, it must be observed that we are already taught through the parable of the tares and the present likeness that angels are to be entrusted with distinguishing and separating the worthless from the righteous; for above it is said that “the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all causes of sin and all who do iniquity and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And here, that the angels will go out and separate the wicked from the midst of the righteous and will cast them into the furnace of fire. 10.13 But it does not follow from this, as some think, that the men who are being saved in Christ are also greater than the holy angels; for how can those who are cast into vessels by the holy angels be compared to those who cast them into the vessels, being placed under their authority? And we say these things not being ignorant that the men who will be saved in Christ are superior to certain angels who have not been entrusted with such a dispensation—but not to all of them— for we have read also “into which things angels desire to look,” where it is not said: “all angels.” We know also “we shall judge angels,” where it is not said: “all angels.” But since these things have been written about the net and what is under the net, anyone who wishes, before the end of the age and before the angels go out to separate the wicked from the midst of the righteous, that there should not also be wicked people from every kind under the net, seems to have neither understood the scripture nor to desire impossible things. Therefore let us not be surprised if, before the wicked are separated from the midst of the righteous by the angels sent for this purpose, we see our gatherings filled with wicked people as well. But may it be that these who are to be cast into the furnace of fire do not happen to be more numerous than the righteous; But since we said at the beginning that parables and likenesses are not applied in every respect to the things with which they are compared or to which they are likened, but in some respect, this must be further established also from what will be said, that in the case of fish, with respect to their life, something bad happens to them to be found under the net—for they are deprived of their natural life, and whether they are cast into vessels or thrown out, they suffer nothing more than to lose their life as fish—. But in the case of those for whose sake the parable is taken, it is a bad thing to be in the sea and not to come under the net for the purpose of being cast into vessels with the good. Thus, while bad fish are cast out and thrown away, the bad according to the present likeness are cast into the furnace of fire, so that what was said in Ezekiel about the furnace might also apply to these: “and the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, behold, the house of Israel has become to me all mixed with bronze and iron” and what follows until “and
τὴν ἀπὸ παντὸς γένους ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν. Οἱ δὲ διακονησάμενοι τῇ βληθείσῃ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν σαγήνῃ ὁ κύριός ἐστι τῆς σαγήνης Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς καὶ οἱ προσελθόντες ἄγγελοι καὶ διακονησόμενοι αὐτῷ, οἵτινες οὐκ ἀναβιβάζουσιν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης τὴν σαγήνην οὐδὲ φέρουσιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἔξω αὐτῆς αἰγιαλόν, τὰ ἔξω τοῦ βίου πράγματα, ἐὰν μὴ πληρωθῇ ἡ σαγήνη, τουτέστι «τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν» εἰς αὐτὴν «εἰσέλθῃ». Ὅταν δὲ εἰσέλθῃ, τότε αὐτὴν ἀναβιβάζουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν τῇδε καὶ κάτω πραγμάτων, καὶ φέρουσιν ἐπὶ τὸν τροπικῶς καλούμενον αἰγιαλόν· ἔνθα ἔργον ἔσται τῶν ἀναβιβασάντων αὐτὴν καὶ καθίσαι παρὰ τῷ αἰγιαλῷ καὶ ἱδρύσαι ἑαυτοὺς ἐκεῖ, ἵνα ἕκαστον μὲν τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν σαγήνην καλῶν εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον τάγμα καταστήσωσι κατὰ τὰ ὀνομαζόμενα ἐνταῦθα αὐτῶν ἀγγεῖα, τὰ δὲ ἐναντίως ἔχοντα καὶ σαπρὰ καλούμενα ἔξω βάλωσι. Τὸ δὲ ἔξω ἡ κάμινός ἐστι τοῦ πυρός, ὡς ὁ σωτὴρ ἡρμήνευσεν εἰπών· Οὕτως ἔσται ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἐξελεύσονται οἱ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀφοριοῦσιν αὐτοὺς τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικαίων καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός. Πλὴν τηρητέον ὅτι ἤδη διὰ τῆς τῶν ζιζανίων παραβολῆς καὶ τῆς προκειμένης ὁμοιώσεως διδασκόμεθα ὅτι ἄγγελοι μέλλουσι πιστεύεσθαι τὸ διακρῖναι καὶ διαχωρίσαι τοὺς φαύλους ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων· ἀνωτέρω μὲν γὰρ λέγεται ὅτι «ἀποστελεῖ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ καὶ συλλέξουσιν ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ σκάνδαλα καὶ τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὴν ἀνομίαν καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων». Ἐνταῦθα δέ, ὅτι ἐξελεύσονται οἱ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀφοριοῦσι τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικαίων καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός. 10.13 Τούτοις δὲ οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖ ὅπερ οἴονταί τινες ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων εἰσὶ κρείττους οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ σῳζόμενοι· πῶς γὰρ δύνανται οἱ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων εἰς ἄγγη βαλλόμενοι τοῖς βάλλουσιν εἰς τὰ ἄγγη παρα βάλλεσθαι, ὑπὸ τὴν ἐκείνων τεταγμένοι ἐξουσίαν; Ταῦτα δέ φαμεν οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντες τινῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν μὴ τοιαύτην οἰκονομίαν ἐγκεχειρισμένων-ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τούτων πάντων- διαφέρειν τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ σωθησομένους ἀνθρώπους· ἀνέγνωμεν γὰρ καὶ τὸ «εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρα κύψαι», ἔνθα οὐκ εἴρηται· «πάντες ἄγγελοι». Οἴδαμεν καὶ τὸ «ἀγγέλους κρινοῦμεν», ὅπου μὴ λέλεκται· «πάντας ἀγγέλους». Τούτων δὲ ἀναγεγραμμένων περὶ τῆς σαγήνης καὶ τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν σαγήνην, ὁ βουλόμενος, πρὸ τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἐξελθόντας τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἀφορίσαι τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικαίων, μὴ εἶναι καὶ πονηροὺς ὑπὸ τὴν σαγήνην ἐκ παντὸς γένους ἔοικε μήτε τὴν γραφὴν νενοηκέναι καὶ ἀδυνάτων ἐπιθυμεῖν. ∆ιὸ μὴ ξενιζώμεθα, ἐάν, πρὸ τοῦ ἀφορισθῆναι τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικαίων ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐξαποσταλησομένων ἀγγέλων, ὁρῶμεν ἡμῶν τὰ ἀθροίσματα πεπληρωμένα καὶ πονηρῶν. Ἀλλ' εἴθε μὴ πλείους οὗτοι τυγχάνοιεν ὄντες τῶν δικαίων οἱ βληθησόμενοι εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός· Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐλέγομεν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὅτι αἱ παραβολαὶ καὶ αἱ ὁμοιώσεις οὐκ εἰς πάντα οἷς παραβάλλονται ἢ ὁμοιοῦνται παραλαμβάνονται, ἀλλ' εἴς τινα, ἔτι τοῦτο κατασκευαστέον καὶ ἐκ τῶν λεχθησομένων, ὅτι ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἰχθύων, ὡς πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν αὐτῶν, φαῦλόν τι αὐτοῖς συμβαίνει τὸ ὑπὸ τὴν σαγήνην εὑρεθῆναι-τῆς γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῖς ζωῆς στερίσκονται καὶ οὔτε εἰς ἄγγη βαλλόμενοι οὔτε ἔξω ῥιπτόμενοι πλεῖόν τι πάσχουσι τοῦ ἀπολέσαι τὴν ὡς ἐν ἰχθύσι ζωήν-. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν δι' ἃ λαμβάνεται ἡ παραβολή, φαῦλον μέν ἐστι τὸ εἶναι ἐν θαλάσσῃ καὶ μὴ ὑπὸ τὴν σαγήνην ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ εἰς ἄγγη μετὰ τῶν καλῶν βληθῆναι. Οὕτω δὲ ἰχθῦς μὲν φαῦλοι ἔξω βάλλονται καὶ ῥιπτοῦνται, οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν προκειμένην ὁμοίωσιν φαῦλοι βάλλονται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός, ἵνα τὰ ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ περὶ τῆς καμίνου εἰρημένα καὶ ἐπὶ τούτους φθάσῃ· «καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων· υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἰδοὺ γεγόνασί μοι ὁ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ἀναμεμιγμένοι πάντες χαλκῷ καὶ σιδήρῳ» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἕως τοῦ «καὶ