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Again it is written in the second book of Ezra, "And when the enemies of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin heard, they came to find out what the sound of the trumpets was, and they learned that those from the captivity were building the temple for the Lord God of Israel. And approaching Zerubbabel and Joshua and the leaders of the clans, they say to them, 'Let us build with you; for like you we listen to your Lord, and to him we sacrifice, from the days of Asbacaphath king of the Assyrians, who brought us here.' (577) And Zerubbabel and Joshua and the leaders of the clans of Israel said to them, 'It is not for us and for you to build the house for the Lord our God; for we alone will build for the Lord God of Israel.' " What then do these things mean, and especially the envy, on account of which they were unwilling to build together with those who worship the same God? .................................................................. 192

QUESTION 57. ......................................................................................................... 197 The active prayer of a righteous person is very powerful; what is the 'active'. ............................ 197

QUESTION 58. ........................................................................................................ 198 " In which you rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved [Fr.we] in

various trials." How can one who is grieved in trials, rejoice in that in which he is grieved. ...................................................................................................................... 198

QUESTION 59.......................................................................................................... 202 Concerning which salvation the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours

[Fr.ours] inquired and searched carefully, searching for what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating; testifying [Fr. was testified] beforehand to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow; if these blessed prophets, what they were taught by the Holy Spirit, left for us in writing to seek out and to search; how they themselves, being taught by the Holy Spirit and writing down what was revealed to them, sought or searched out with what kind of seeking and searching.......... 202

QUESTION 60 . ........................................................................................................... 208 " like that of a lamb without blemish or spot, Christ, who was foreknown indeed before

the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for our [your] sake." By whom was he foreknown?.......................................................................................... 208

QUESTION 61. ......................................................................................................... 210 " For the time has come for judgment to begin at the (628) house of God; and if

it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? " What is, "The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; " And, "If the righteous is scarcely saved?"............................................................................................................... 210

QUESTION 62. ......................................................................................................... 218 What is it that Zechariah the holy Prophet says, "And I lifted my eyes,

and saw, and behold a flying sickle, twenty cubits in length, and ten cubits in width. And he said to me, 'This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth.'" And after a little, "And I will bring it out, says the Lord Almighty, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name; and it will destroy it, both its timbers and its stones.'" What is the sickle, and the measure of this length and width; and why is it flying? and who is the thief and the perjurer, and what is his house; what are the timbers, and what are the stones? ........................................................................................................... 218

SCHOLIA ..................................................................................................................... 223

QUESTION 63........................................................................................................... 224 In the same prophet it is written again; "And he said to me, 'What do you see?' And

I said, 'I have seen, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, and its bowl on top of it; and

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Πάλιν γέγραπται ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ Ἔσδρα, "Καί ἀκούσαντες οἱ ἐχθροί τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα καί Βενιαμίν, ἐληλύθασιν ἐπιγνῶναι τίς ἡ φωνή τῶν σαλπίγγων, καί ἐπέγνωσαν, ὅτι οἱ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας οἰκοδομοῦσι τόν ναόν τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ Ἰσραήλ. Καί προσελθόντες τῷ Ζοροβάβελ καί τῶ Ἰησοῦ καί τοῖς ἡγουμένοις τῶν πατριῶν, λέγουσιν αὐτοῖς, Συνοικοδομήσωμεν ὑμῖν· ὁμοίως γάρ ὑμῖν ἀκούομεν Κυρίου ὑμῶν, καί αὐτῷ ἐπιθύομεν, ἀφ᾿ ἡμερῶν Ἀσβακαφάθ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων, ὅς μετήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐνταῦθα. (577) Καί εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ζαροβάβελ καί Ἰησοῦς καί οἱ ἡγούμενοι τῶν πατριῶν Ἰσραήλ· Οὐχ ἡμῖν καί ὑμῖν τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τόν οἶκον Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ἡμεῖς γάρ μόνοι οἰκοδομήσομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. " Τί ἄρα σημαίνει ταῦτα, καί μάλιστα ὁ φθόνος, δι᾿ ὅν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν συνοικοδομῆσαι αὐτοῖς τούς τῷ αὐτῶ θρησκεύοντας Θεῷ; .................................................................. 192

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΝΖ΄. ......................................................................................................... 197 Πολύ ἰσχύει δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη· τί ἐστι τό ἐνεργουμένη. ............................ 197 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΝΗ΄. ........................................................................................................ 198 " Ἐν ᾧ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ὀλίγον ἄρτι, εἰ δέον ἐστί λυπηθέντας ὑμᾶς [Fr.ἡμᾶς] ἐν

ποικίλοις πειραμοῖς." Πῶς τις λυπούμενος ἐν πειρασμοῖς, δύναται ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι ἐν ᾧ λυπεῖται. ...................................................................................................................... 198

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΝΘ΄.......................................................................................................... 202 Περί ἧς σωτηρίας ἐξεζήτησαν καί ἐξηρεύνησαν προφῆται οἱ περί τῆς εἰς ὑμᾶς

[Fr.ἡμᾶς] χάριτος προφητεύσαντες, ἐρευνῶντες εἰς τίνα ἤ πόσον καιρόν ἀδήλου τό ἐν αὐτοῖς Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ· μαρτυρούμενον [Fr. μαρτυρόμενον] τά εἰς Χριστόν παθήματα, καί τάς μετά ταῦτα δόξας· ἐάν αὐτοί οἱ μακάριοι προφῆται ἅπερ ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐνηχήθησαν, ἡμῖν ἐγγράφως κατέλιπον ἐκζητεῖν καί ἐρευνῆσαι· πῶς αὐτοί ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐνηχούμενοι, καί τά ἀποκαλυπτόμενα αὐτοῖς συγγράφοντες, ποίαν ἐκζήτησιν καί ἐξερεύνησιν ἐξεζήτουν ἤ ἐξηρεύνων.......... 202

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ξ΄ . ........................................................................................................... 208 " Ὡς ἀμνοῦ ἀμώμου καί ἀσπίλου Χριστοῦ, προεγνωσμένου μέν πρό

καταβολῆς κόσμου· φανερωθέντος δέ ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτων τῶν χρόνων δι᾿ ἡμᾶς" [ὑμᾶς]. Ὑπό τίνος προεγνωσμένον;.......................................................................................... 208

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΞΑ΄. ......................................................................................................... 210 " Ὅτι καιρός τοῦ ἄρξασθαι τό κρίμα ἀπό τοῦ (628) οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ· εἰ δέ

πρῶτον ἀφ᾿ ἡμῶν, τί τέλος τῶν ἀπειθούντων τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Εὐαγγελίῳ; καί εἰ ὁ μέν δίκαιος μόλις σώζεται, ὁ ἀσεβής καί ἁμαρτωλός ποῦ φανεῖται; " Τί ἐστι τό, "Καιρός τοῦ ἄρξασθαι τό κρίμα ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ· " Καί τό, "Εἰ ὁ δίκαιος μόλις σώζεται;"............................................................................................................... 210

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΞΒ΄. ......................................................................................................... 218 Τί ἐστιν ὅ λέγει Ζαχαρίας ὁ ἅγιος Προφήτης, "Καί ἦρα τούς ὀφθαλμούς μου,

καί ἴδον· καί ἰδού δρέπανον πετόμενον, μῆκος πήχεων εἴκοσι, καί πλάτος πήχεων δέκα· καί εἶπε πρός με, Αὕτη ἐστίν ἡ ἀρά ἡ ἐκπορευομένη ἐπί πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς." Καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα, "Καί ἐξοίσω αὐτό, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καί εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τόν οἶκον τοῦ κλέπτου, καί εἰς τόν οἶκον τοῦ ὀμνύοντος ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου ψευδῶς· καί καταλύσει αὐτόν, καί τά ξύλα αὐτοῦ, καί τούς λίθους αὐτοῦ." Τί τό δρέπανόν ἐστι, καί τό μέτρον τοῦτε μήκους καί τοῦ πλάτους· καί διά τί πετόμενον; καί τίς ὁ κλέπτης καί ἐπίορκος, καί τίς ὁ τούτου οἶκος· τίνα τά ξύλα, καί τίνες οἱ λίθοι; ........................................................................................................... 218

ΣΧΟΛΙΑ ..................................................................................................................... 223 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΞΓ΄........................................................................................................... 224 Ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ προφήτη γέγραπται πάλιν· "Καί εἶπε πρός με· Τί σύ βλέπεις; Καί

εἶπα· Ἐώρακα , καί ἰδού λυχνία χρυσῆ ὅλη, καί τό λαμπάδιον ἐπάνω αὐτῆς· καί