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those who have believed, not only the twelve apostles, but also the seventy disciples, and the one hundred and twenty, among whom being gathered the blessed Peter addressed the assembly, and the five hundred, to whom he appeared at the same time after the resurrection according to 80.881 the saying of the divine Paul, and the three thousand, and the five thousand whom the chief of the apostles, addressing the assembly, caught in his net, and the many myriads, about whom the great James said, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are of Jews who have believed;" these indeed, and in addition to these, those from the Jews throughout the whole world who have believed, having declared a holy people, and through these having caught all the nations alive, he fulfills the prophecy that says; "Rejoice, O nations, with his people." And in addition to this he also fulfills his own prediction, which he made to the Jews, saying, "And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd." This he also says in the present psalm, "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession." But indeed it occurs to me to lament the unbelief of the Jews, who, hearing the prophecy which plainly mentions the ends of the earth, and knowing that none of their kings acquired such a dominion, but only the Lord Christ who sprang from David according to the flesh, they blind the eyes of their mind, and the prophecy which says, "They grope for the wall like the blind, and they will grope as if they had no eyes." For this very reason the prophetic word also threatens them. 9. "You will shepherd them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel." That is, by the Roman empire, which the prophecy of Daniel calls iron figuratively, on account of its strength and invincibility; and it will shatter them like vessels of clay. For since they refused to have him alone as king, but using a loud cry they said, "We have no king but Caesar," he set over them the Caesar they had asked for, and through their army he exacted punishment for their impiety. But if anyone thinks these things were said not about the Jews, but about the nations, it is fitting to understand it thus: that he will shepherd the nations with a rod of iron, by his strong and invincible kingdom; and he will shatter them, as a potter's vessel, breaking them down and reshaping them through the regeneration of the font, and by the fire of the Spirit making them solid. Having thus foretold these things, the blessed David then exhorts both kings and subjects to run to the Savior, and to embrace the saving laws, and through their instruction and teaching to reap the benefit; For he says: 80.884 10. "And now, O kings, understand; be instructed, all you who judge the earth." For he is king of us all, who was once thought to rule over the Jews alone. 11. "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in him with trembling." For one must not be confident in his love for mankind alone, but also the justice connected with it, while exulting and rejoicing in salvation, to fear and tremble. "For he who thinks he stands," he says, "let him take heed lest he fall." [For when, fearing the Lord, we shall have accomplished what is fitting, we have the greatest joy arising in us from what has been done, since our conscience is good, and provides us the greatest joy through this.] "With trembling," that is, with compunction; lest the joy of God turn into the joy of the world. 12. "Lay hold of instruction, lest the Lord be angry, and you perish from the righteous way." For the possession of the knowledge of God alone is not sufficient for perfection; but it is necessary also to pursue practical virtue; by laying hold of which you will travel the unerring path. 13. "When his wrath is kindled quickly; blessed are all who trust in him." For in the time of judgment, as your wickedness, like some flammable material, kindles the divine wrath like a fire, you will be far somewhere from the way of the righteous, punishments

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πεπιστευκότας, οὐ τοὺς δώδεκα μόνον ἀποστόλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητὰς, καὶ τοὺς ἑκατὸν εἴκοσιν, ὧν συνηγμένων ὁ μακά ριος ἐδημηγόρησε Πέτρος, καὶ τοὺς πεντακοσίους, οἷς μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὤφθη κατὰ ταὐτὸν κατὰ 80.881 τὴν τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου φωνὴν, καὶ τοὺς τρισχι λίους, καὶ τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους οὓς ὁ τῶν ἀποστό λων κορυφαῖος δημηγορῶν ἐσαγήνευσε, καὶ τὰς πολλὰς μυριάδας, περὶ ὧν ὁ μέγας Ἰάκωβος ἔφη, "Θεωρεῖς, ἀδελφὲ, πόσαι μυριάδες εἰσὶ τῶν πεπι στευκότων Ἰουδαίων·" τούτους δὴ, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τοὺς κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πε πιστευκότας λαὸν ἅγιον ἀποφήνας, καὶ διὰ τούτων τὰ ἔθνη πάντα ζωγρήσας, πληροῖ τὴν προφητείαν τὴν λέγουσαν· "Εὐφράνθητε, ἔθνη, μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ." Πληροῖ δὲ πρὸς ταύτῃ καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν πρόῤῥησιν, ἣν πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἐποιήσατο λέγων, "Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πρόβατα ἔχω, ἃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς ταύτης. κἀκεῖνά με δεῖ ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούσουσι, καὶ γενήσεται μία ποίμνη, εἷς ποιμήν." Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ λέγει ψαλμῷ, "Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς." Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔπεισί μοι τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπιστίαν ὀδύρεσθαι, οἳ τῆς προφητείας ἀκούοντες τῶν τῆς γῆς περάτων ἀντικρὺς μεμνημέ νης, καὶ εἰδότες ὡς οὐδεὶς τῶν παρ' αὐτῶν βασι λέων τοσαύτην ἡγεμονίαν ἐκτήσατο, ἀλλὰ μόνος ὁ ἐκ ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσας ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς, τυφλώττουσι τῆς διανοίας τὰ ὄμματα, καὶ τὴν προφητείαν τὴν λαλοῦσαν, "Ψηλαφοῦσιν, ὡς τυ φλοὶ τοῖχον, καὶ οὐχ ὡς ὑπαρχόντων ὀφθαλμῶν ψηλαφήσουσι." Τούτου δὴ χάριν καὶ ἀπειλεῖ αὐτοῖς ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος. θʹ. "Ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ· ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως συντρίψεις αὐτούς." Τῇ Ῥωμαϊκῇ δηλονότι βασιλείᾳ, ἣν σίδηρον τροπικῶς, διὰ τὸ ἰσχυρόν τε καὶ ἀῤῥαγὲς, ἡ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ προφητεία καλεῖ· καὶ συντρίψει αὐτοὺς πηλίνων δίκην σκευῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτὸν μόνον ἔχειν ἠρνήθησαν βασι λέα, μεγάλῃ δὲ κεχρημένοι βοῇ ἔλεγον, "Ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα," ἐπέστησεν αὐτοῖς ὃν ᾔτησαν Καίσαρα, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐκείνων στρατιᾶς τῆς ἀσεβείας ποινὴν εἰσεπράξατο. Εἰ δέ τις μὴ περὶ Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἐθνῶν, ταῦτα νομίζει εἰρῆσθαι, οὕτω νοῆσαι προσήκει· ὅτι ποι μανεῖ τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, τῇ ἰσχυρᾷ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀῤῥαγεῖ βασιλείᾳ· καὶ συντρίψει αὐτοὺς, ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως, ἀναλύων καὶ ἀναπλάττων διὰ τῆς τοῦ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας, καὶ τῷ πυρὶ τοῦ Πνεύ ματος στερεμνίους ἀπεργαζόμενος. Οὕτω ταῦτα προαγορεύσας ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ, παραινεῖ λοιπὸν καὶ βασιλεῦσι καὶ ὑπηκόοις προσδραμεῖν τῷ Σωτῆρι. καὶ τοὺς σωτηρίους ἀσπάσασθαι νόμους, καὶ τῇ δι' ἐκείνων παιδείᾳ καὶ διδασκαλίᾳ τὴν ὠφέλειαν καρπώσασθαι· Φησὶ γάρ· 80.884 ιʹ. "Καὶ νῦν, βασιλεῖς, σύνετε· παιδεύθητε πάντες οἱ κρίνοντες τὴν γῆν." Πάντων γὰρ ἡμῶν βασι λεὺς, ὁ πάλαι δόξας μόνων Ἰουδαίων κρατεῖν. ιαʹ. "∆ουλεύσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν φόβῳ, καὶ ἀγαλ λιᾶσθε αὐτῷ ἐν τρόμῳ." Οὐ γὰρ δεῖ μόνῃ τῇ φιλ ανθρωπίᾳ θαῤῥῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ταύτῃ συνημ μένην δικαιοσύνην, ἀγαλλομένους ἐπὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ καὶ χαίροντας, δεδιέναι καὶ τρέμειν. "Ὁ γὰρ δο κῶν, φησὶν, ἑστάναι, βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ." [Ἐπειδ' ἂν γὰρ φοβηθέντες τὸν ∆εσπότην τὰ προσήκοντα διαπραξώμεθα, πλείστην ἐκ τῶν πραχθέντων ἡμῖν ἔχομεν τὴν εὐφροσύνην ἐγγινομένην, τοῦ συνειδότος ἀγαθοῦ μὲν τυγχάνοντος, μεγίστην δὲ ἡμῖν διὰ τού του τὴν χαρὰν παρεχομένου.] "Ἐν τρόμῳ" δὲ, τουτέστιν, ἐν κατανύξει· μήποτε ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρὰ εἰς τὴν τοῦ κόσμου μεταπέσῃ χαράν. ιβʹ. "∆ράξασθε παιδείας, μήποτε ὀργισθῇ Κύ ριος, καὶ ἀπόλησθε ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαίας." Οὐκ ἀρ κεῖ γὰρ μόνη τῆς θεογνωσίας ἡ κτῆσις εἰς τε λειότητα· ἀλλὰ χρὴ καὶ τὴν πρακτικὴν μετελθεῖν ἀρετήν· ἧς ἐπιλαμβανόμενοι τὴν ἀπλανῆ πορείαν ὁδεύσετε. ιγʹ. "Ὅταν ἐκκαυθῇ ἐν τάχει ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ· μακάριοι πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' αὐτῷ." Ἐν γὰρ τῷ τῆς κρίσεως καιρῷ, τῆς ὑμετέρας κακίας, οἷόν τινος ὕλης εὐπρήστου, καθάπερ πῦρ τὴν θείαν ἐκκαιούσης ὀργὴν, πόῤῥω που γενήσεσθε τῆς τῶν δικαίων ὁδοῦ, δίκας