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of many; but to accomplish it, of few. "Who were nurtured in scarlet." Either on flourishing virtues, or on scarlet things, that is, on the ways of redemption through the blood of Christ. "They embraced." Having cast off the royal garment, which is signified by the scarlet, they were scorched by their own sins, having put on the stained tunic of the flesh. "And it was magnified." He compares Jerusalem to Sodom, and shows her to have sinned more greatly because of the slaying of the Lord. And he foretells her downfall [perhaps, destruction]. "As in haste." For indeed the land of Sodom had a sudden and swift destruction. "And they did not labor." That is, they did not weary of doing evil; and this while God was forbearing, [who the sim.] who punishes one who sins in like manner to them in like manner [reading perhaps, not in like manner]. "The Nazirites were purified." Nazirites according to the law are those set apart for God from the womb; he means, therefore, those who have no share in wickedness. "Than milk." That is, they were not poured out, but were made firm in virtue. 93.753 "Than stone." Precious, he says, and incorruptible is their election. "It grew dark." Of those who hold virtue in hypocrisy. "They were not recognized." They were abominated in their ways. "Skin cleaved." Because of not having the moisture of the spirit; and these things also happened to the captives from hardship. "They were withered." Having been cut off from the life of God, and having withered. "They were good." Better, he says, were those who had not known the way of truth at all, but were under death, than those who had known it, but were deprived of the true food, which is the word of orthodoxy. "They went, pierced through, from the fruits of the fields." From worldly deeds. For the world is often considered a field. "The hands of women." As to the history, one of these was a certain Mary, who, being pressed by the violence of the rebels, who were always seizing what she procured, and by famine, ate the flesh of her own child. As to the spiritual meaning, the hands that seem to be of the Churches, the false prophets and false teachers, whom they bore in faith, they constrained in temptations, and perhaps for the sake of silver or something else, they put their souls to death. "They became." The traffickers in divine things for their own profit are said to devour the souls of men according to that in the Psalms: Who devour my people as they eat bread. "In the destruction." Because of many sins, the people being allowed to be under such leaders. "And it devoured her foundations." The firm foundation, the state of the soul; but these things happened according to history. "They did not believe." Those pre-eminent in virtue, the royal priesthood. "All the inhabitants." The multitude always protected by God; for the other is desolate. "That he will enter." Because the Lord said: The gates of Hades will not prevail against it, just as they did not prevail, even if they were permitted to disturb it for a time. "From the sins." That is, not from a weakness of the mystery, but from the sins of those entrusted to administer it. "Of those who shed blood." These things happened to Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans because of the blood of Christ. And in general he speaks about those who crucify the Son of God again and make a public example of him by overthrowing the once-for-all redemption through empty talk. "They were shaken." In the time of Christ, because of the fear 93.756 of the Jews, even the pious among them were moved. But in the general sense, from their foundation, he says, her equals of angels were moved in their ways. "They were defiled." For one who is not able to resist sin is polluted by it. "They touched garments." As many of you, he says, as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ; he says, therefore, that they were in peril even concerning the faith itself. "Depart." Exhort one another to stand aloof from the unclean. For, Call them, means, let each admonish his neighbor. "Because they were kindled." Because they have become subject to wrath. "Say among the nations." Say to them, he says: Do not be added to sojourn among the nations, that is, Do not mingle with foreigners.

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πολλῶν· τὸ δὲ ἐπιτελέσαι, ὀλίγων. "Οἳ τιθηνούμενοι ἐπὶ κόκκων." Ἢ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθηρῶν ἀρετῶν, ἢ ἐπὶ κοκκίνων, τουτέστιν ἐπὶ τῶν τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τρόπων. "Περιεβάλλοντο." Ἀπωσάμενοι τὸ βασιλικὸν ἔνδυμα, ὃ σημαίνεται διὰ τοῦ κόκκου, ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίαις συνεφρύγησαν, τὸν ἐσπιλωμένον τῆς σαρκὸς χιτῶνα ἐνδυσάμενοι. "Καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθη." Συγκρίνει τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ τοῖς Σοδόμοις, καὶ δείκνυσιν αὐτὴν μείζονα ἡμαρτηκυῖαν διὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου σφαγήν. Καὶ προλέγει τὴν αὐτῆς κατάπτωσιν [ἴσ. καταστροφήν]. "Ὥσπερ σπουδῇ." Καὶ γὰρ ἡ Σοδόμων γῆ ἀπότομον καὶ ὀξεῖαν ἔσχε τὴν καταστροφήν. "Καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνεσαν." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ ἀπέκαμον κακοποιοῦντες· καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνεξικακοῦντος, [ὃς τὸν ὁμ.] τὸν ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις ἁμαρτάνοντα ὁμοίως [ῃιδετυρ λεγενδ., οὐχ ὁμοίως] τιμωρεῖται. "Ἐκαθαριώθησαν Ναζηραῖοι." Ναζηραῖοι παρὰ τῷ νόμῳ οἱ ἐκ μήτρας ἀφορισθέντες Θεῷ· φησὶν οὖν τοὺς ἀμετόχους κακίας. "Ὑπὲρ γάλα." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐ διεχύθησαν, ἀλλ' ἐπάγησαν ἐν τῇ ἀρετῇ. 93.753 "Ὑπὲρ λίθου." Τίμιος, φησὶν, καὶ ἄφθαρτος ἡ ἐκλογὴ αὐτῶν. "Ἐσκότασεν." Τῶν ἐν ὑποκρίσει τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐχόντων. "Οὐκ ἐπεγνώσθησαν." Ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ταῖς πορείαις αὐτῶν. "Ἐπάγη δέρμα." ∆ιὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν τὴν ἰκμάδα τοῦ πνεύματος· ταῦτα δὲ συνέβη καὶ τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις ἐκ τῆς κακοπαθείας. "Ἐξηράνθησαν." Ἐκκοπέντες ἐκ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μαρανθέντες. "Καλοὶ ἦσαν." Καλλίονες, φησὶν, ἦσαν οἱ μηδ' ὅλως ἐπεγνωκότες τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ θάνατον ὄντες, ἢ οἱ ἐπεγνωκότες μὲν, στερηθέντες δὲ τῆς ἀληθοῦς τροφῆς. ἥ ἐστιν ὁ λόγος τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας. "Ἐπορεύθησαν ἐκκεκεντημένοι ἀπὸ γεννημάτων ἀγρῶν." Ἀπὸ πράξεων κοσμικῶν. Ἀγρὸς γὰρ πολλαχοῦ ὁ κόσμος θεωρεῖται. "Χεῖρες γυναικῶν." Πρὸς μὲν ἱστορίαν, μία τούτων ἦν Μαρία τις, ἥτις ὑπὸ τῆς βίας τῶν στασιαστῶν πιεζομένη, ἀεὶ τὸ ποριζόμενον ἁρπαζόντων, καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ τοῦ ἰδίου τέκνου τὰς σάρκας ἔφαγεν. Πρὸς δὲ θεωρίαν, αἱ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν δοκοῦσαι εἶναι χεῖρες, οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται, καὶ ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι, οὓς τῇ πίστει ἐγέννησαν, συνέσχον ἐν πειρασμοῖς, καὶ ἴσως ἀργυρίου χάριν, ἤ τινος ἑτέρου τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ἐθανάτωσαν. "Ἐγενήθησαν." Οἱ θεοκάπηλοι δι' οἰκεῖον κέρδος κατεσθίειν λέγονται τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· Οἱ κατεσθίοντες, τὸν λαόν μου ἐν βρώσει ἀρτοῦ. "Ἐν τῷ συντρίμματι." ∆ιὰ τὰς πολλὰς ἀμαρτίας ὑπὸ τοιούτοις ἡγουμένοις συγχωρουμένου γενέσθαι τοῦ λαοῦ. "Καὶ κατέφαγε τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς." Τὸ ἑδραῖον, τὴν στάσιν τῆς ψυχῆς· ταῦτα δὲ καθ' ἱστορίας συνέβη. "Οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν." Οἱ κατ' ἐξοχὴν ἐν ἀρετῇ, τὸ βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα. "Πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες." Ἡ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ παντὸς σκεπομένη πληθύς· ἡ γὰρ ἑτέρα ἔρημος. "Ὅτι εἰσελεύσεται." ∆ιὰ τὸ τὸν Κύριον εἰπεῖν· Πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ κατίσχυσαν, εἰ καὶ πρὸς καιρὸν ταράξαι συνεχωρήθησαν. "Ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν." Τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐξ ἀσθενείας τοῦ μυστηρίου, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν τῶν αὐτὸ ἐγκεχειρισμένων οἰκονομεῖν. "Τῶν ἐκχεόντων αἷμα." Τῇ μὲν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ταῦτα συνέβη ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καθόλου δέ φησι περὶ τῶν ἀνασταυρούντων τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ παραδειγματιζόντων διὰ τοῦ τὴν ἅπαξ γενομένην λύτρωσιν ἀνατρέπειν διὰ κενοφωνῶν. "Ἐσαλεύθησαν." Ἐπὶ μὲν Χριστοῦ διὰ τὸν φόβον 93.756 τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς εὐσεβεῖς παρεκινήθησαν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ καθόλου, τοῦ στηριγμοῦ, φησὶ, παρεκινήθησαν οἱ ἰσάγγελοι αὐτῆς ἐν ταῖς πορείαις αὐτῶν. "Ἐμιάνθησαν." Ὁ γὰρ μὴ δυνάμενος τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀντιστῆναι, μολύνεται ἀπ' αὐτῆς. "Ἥψαντο ἐνδυμάτων." Ὅσοι, φησὶν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε· φησὶν οὖν, ὅτι καὶ περὶ αὐτὴν τὴν πίστιν ἐκινδύνευσαν. "Ἀπόστητε." Παραινέσατε ἀλλήλοις ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων. Τὸ γὰρ, Καλέσατε αὐτοὺς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον νουθετήσατε. "Ὅτι ἀνήφθησαν." Ὅτι ὑποχείριοι τῇ ὀργῇ γεγόνασιν. "Εἴπατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν." Εἴπατε, φησὶν, αὐτοῖς· Μὴ προστεθῆτε τοῦ παροικεῖν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μὴ συναναμίγνυσθε τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις.