The destruction of idolatry after the coming of Christ is especially a visitation. And the instruments of war, which the Babylonian scattered, are the men of Israel and Judah experienced in wars, for whom he threatens to show no mercy. 40 Horse riders are the demons who sit upon carnal pleasures; for long ago in Egypt "horse and rider he threw into the sea," and these, yoking in us various passions, opposed to the four virtues, construct chariots. And the irascible one, strong in vice, is a man; but the one given over to pleasures, a woman; and an old man is he who is "grown old in evil days"; but young men, about whom Isaiah says: "The young shall hunger, and the youths shall be weary, and the chosen shall be without strength"; and the opposite: "but they that wait upon God shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary." But now he speaks of the chosen in evil, as in "and his choice meats"; and those who are chosen according to virtue are devoured by Nebuchadnezzar. He also had virgins, some Vestals, some Pythian priestesses, and others. And a soul that has not received the divine seed is a virgin to him. He also has shepherds teaching their followers with evil doctrine; and also farmers sowing "the tares," and cultivating "thorns and thistles," the cares of this life among men. He has also leaders in evil and rulers, and especially "those against whom we wrestle, against the principalities, against the powers." To all these, therefore, God renders in the presence of those who just said: "Come and let us declare in Sion the great works of God." 41 He calls Babylon a mountain because of the height of its kingdom; which was corrupted by idolatry and unjust works, through which it corrupted others. And the city was on a height because of the adjacent river, from which some steps led up to the city, being in two parts and situated on each bank of the river, in addition to the city walls being very high. But hand, the punitive power which casts it down from its own security and guard as from some rocks. And rendering its stones useless through fire, so that a stone is not set up for a stronger building. And in an allegorical sense the devil is also called a mountain, as in Zechariah: "Who are you, O great mountain before Zerubbabel?" And concerning the one who had a "deaf and dumb" demon, the savior said: "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain: Move, and it will move." The devil, therefore, is a mountain corrupted by its own wickedness and corrupting all those who mind earthly things. 42 Sanctify the nations instead of set apart; for sanctification is the service of God, even if the one set apart for it is punitive and profane; such as was Cyrus, to whom he says through Isaiah: "but you have not known me." But some of those who marched <κατὰ> Babylon he called nations, among which he calls Ararat the Armenians. 43 And the earth was shaken, with the men upon it in former times being firmly established and having stability in the dominions and kingdoms in which they were? but now receiving a wicked and painful change, the desolation. And every mind that has possessed the Babylonian land, being shaken from its affection for such impiety and confusion, casts off such a disposition in order to take on a spiritual and heavenly state. 44 For it was God who did this, who also said to Cyrus through Isaiah: "I will go before you and level mountains, I will break in pieces brazen gates and shatter iron bars." For it is related also by outsiders that Babylon had such gates, and was captured from the descents into the river that was in the middle, with each part being joined by bridges beside the ascents leading up to the city, the city being divided into two parts. And history says that, as the remotest parts of the city were being captured, the others were holding a festival because

ἐπισκέψεως μάλιστα ἡ τῆς εἰδωλο λατρείας ἀπὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας καθαίρεσις. σκεύη δὲ πολέ μου, ἅπερ ὁ Βαβυλώνιος διεσκόρπισεν, οἱ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα πολέμων ἔμπειροι ἄνδρες, ἀνθ' ὧν ἀπειλεῖ μηδενὸς ποιεῖσθαι φειδώ. 40 Ἀναβάται ἵππων οἱ δαίμονες οἱ ταῖς σαρκικαῖς ἡδοναῖς ἐπικαθήμενοι· καὶ πάλαι γὰρ τῆς Αἰγύπτου «ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην ἔρριψεν εἰς θάλασσαν», οὗτοι δὲ ζευγνύντες ἐν ἡμῖν διάφορα πάθη, ταῖς τέτρασιν ἀρεταῖς ἀντικείμενα, κατασκευάζουσιν ἅρματα. καὶ ὁ μὲν θυμώδης καὶ πρὸς κακίαν ἐρρωμένος, ἀνήρ· ὁ δὲ πρὸς ἡδονὰς λελυμένος, γυνή· καὶ πρεσβύτης μὲν ὁ «πεπαλαιωμένος κακῶν ἡμερῶν»· νεανίσκοι δέ, περὶ ὧν Ἡσαΐας φησί· «πεινάσουσι νεώτεροι, καὶ κοπιάσουσι νεανίσκοι, καὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ ἀνίσχυες ἔσονται»· καὶ τοὐ ναντίον· «οἱ δὲ ὑπομένοντες τὸν θεὸν ἀλλάξουσιν ἰσχύν, πτερο φυήσουσιν ὡς ἀετοί, δραμοῦνται καὶ οὐ κοπιάσουσιν». τοὺς ἐκλεκ τοὺς δὲ νῦν ἐν κακίᾳ φησίν, ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ «καὶ τὰ βρώματα αὐ τοῦ ἐκλεκτά»· κατ' ἀρετήν τε ὄντες ἐκλεκτοὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ναβουχο δονόσορ καταπίνονται. ἔσχε δὲ καὶ παρθένους, τὰς μὲν Ἑστιακάς, τὰς δὲ Πυθίας, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας. καὶ ψυχὴ δὲ μὴ δεξαμένη τὸν θεῖον σπόρον, παρθένος ἐστὶν αὐτῷ. ἔχει δὲ καὶ ποιμένας κακῇ δι δασκαλίᾳ τοὺς ἑπομένους παιδεύοντας· ἀλλὰ καὶ γεωργοὺς τοὺς «τὰ ζιζάνια» σπείροντας, καὶ γεωργοῦντας «ἀκάνθας τε καὶ τριβόλους», τὰς βιωτικὰς ἐν ἀνθρώποις μερίμνας. ἔχει καὶ ἡγεμόνας ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ ἄρχοντας, καὶ μάλιστα «πρὸς οὓς ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἡ πάλη, πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας». τούτοις οὖν πᾶσιν ὁ θεὸς ἀποδίδωσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ἔναγχος εἰρηκότων· «δεῦτε καὶ ἀναγγείλωμεν ἐν Σιὼν τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ». 41 Ὄρος τὴν Βαβυλῶνα διὰ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ὕψος καλεῖ· ὅπερ ἦν ἐξ εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ τῶν ἀδίκων ἔργων, δι' ὧν διέ φθειρε τοὺς ἄλλους, διεφθαρμένον. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἐφ' ὕψους ἡ πόλις διὰ τὸν παρακείμενον ποταμόν, ἐξ οὗ τινες ἀναβαθμοὶ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἀνέφερον, διμερῆ τε οὖσαν καὶ ἐξ ἑκατέρας ὄχθης παρακει μένην τῷ ποταμῷ, πρὸς τῷ καὶ εἶναι τὰ τείχη τῆς πόλεως ὑψηλό τατα. χεῖρα δέ, τὴν τιμωρητικὴν δύναμιν τὴν τῆς ἰδίας αὐτὴν ὡς ἐκ πετρῶν τινῶν καθαιροῦσαν ἀσφαλείας τε καὶ φρουρᾶς. εἰς ἄχρηστον δὲ καὶ τοὺς λίθους αὐτῆς διὰ τὸ πῦρ ἀφανίζουσαν, ὡς μὴ συνί στασθαι λίθον πρὸς στερροτέραν οἰκοδομίαν. ἀναγωγῆς δὲ λόγῳ καὶ ὁ διάβολος ὄρος ὠνόμασται, ὡς ἐν τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ· «τίς εἶ σύ, τὸ ὄρος τὸ μέγα τὸ πρὸ προσώπου Ζοροβάβελ;» καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἔχοντος «κωφὸν καὶ ἄλαλον» δαιμόνιον ἔλεγεν ὁ σωτήρ· «ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως, ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ· μετάβηθι, καὶ μεταβήσεται». ὄρος οὖν ὁ διάβολος ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας διεφθαρμένον κακίας καὶ δια φθεῖρον τοὺς ὅσοι φρονοῦσι τὰ γήϊνα. 42 Τὸ ἁγιάσατε ἔθνη ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀφορίσατε· ἁγιασμὸς γὰρ ἡ θεοῦ ὑπηρεσία, κἂν ᾖ τιμωρητικὴ καὶ βέβηλος ὁ πρὸς ταύτην ἀφωρισμένος· ὁποῖος ἦν ὁ Κῦρος, πρὸς ὅν φησι διὰ Ἡσαΐου· «σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνως με». τινὰ δὲ τῶν <κατὰ> Βαβυλῶνος στρατευσάντων ἐκάλεσεν ἔθνη, ἐν οἷς Ἀραρὰτ τοὺς Ἀρμενίους καλεῖ. 43 Ἐσείσθη δὲ ἡ γῆ, τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἀνθρώπων ἐν τοῖς προάγουσι χρόνοις παγίως ἱδρυμένων καὶ βεβαιότητα ἐχόντων ἐν αἷς ἦσαν δυναστείαις τε καὶ βασιλείαις; τὰ δὲ νῦν μεταβολὴν πονηρὰν καὶ ἐπώδυνον δεχομένων τὴν ἐρημίαν. καὶ πᾶσα δὲ διάνοια Βαβυ λωνίαν γῆν ἐσχηκυῖα ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ἀσέβειαν καὶ Σύγ χυσιν προσπαθείας σειομένη ἀποβάλλει τὴν τοιαύτην διάθεσιν ἐπὶ τῷ πνευματικὴν καὶ ἐπουράνιον ἕξιν ἀναλαβεῖν. 44 Θεὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ τοῦτο ποιῶν, ὁ καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου πρὸς Κῦρον εἰπών· «ἐγὼ δὲ ἔμπροσθέν σου πορεύσομαι καὶ ὄρη ὁμαλιῶ, θύρας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συνθλάσω». καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω γὰρ τοιαύτας ἔχειν ἱστόρηται πύλας ἡ Βαβυλών, καὶ ἐκ τῶν εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν μέσον ὄντα καταβάσεων ἑαλωκέναι, μέρους ἑκατέρου συναπτομένου γεφύραις παρὰ τὰς ἀναγούσας ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀνόδους, πρὸς ἑκάτερον μέρος διῃρημένης τῆς πόλεως. καί φησιν ἡ ἱστορία, ὡς τῶν παρ' ἔσχατα τῆς πόλεως ἁλισκομένων οἱ ἄλλοι πανήγυριν ἄγοντες διὰ τὸ