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the lowest parts of the earth." And there are countless other words showing that the virtuous man ascends and is lifted up, but the pleasure-lover and one having a material disposition goes down, so as to become "fleshly, sold under sin." 1.95 I have read an exposition of someone who took the four craftsmen to be the four evangelists. Whether it is so, let those who have encountered the one who wrote this judge. It is possible to say the four craftsmen are "the angels sent to gather the elect of God from the four winds," that is, from the four regions of the inhabited world. 1.96 But however the four craftsmen might be understood, they are shown and led by the provident God of all against those lifted up in insolence and arrogance against those who have fallen subject to them by God's judgment, with neither the captor nor the captives lifting their head, as the sacred craftsmen are arrayed against them. It is also a common saying that those who fare badly do not lift their head. 1.97 If the mind is ever signified by the name of the head, neither is it lifted up when one is "handed over to a depraved mind, not having approved to have God in knowledge." For how could one who is held by a depraved mind still set his mind on things above or have his heart in heaven, not having stored up treasure in heaven? In accord with Israel being scattered, broken or brought down, is that which is reported with lamentation by those scattered by those who held them by force: "Our bones have been scattered by Hades." 1.98 Since the prophetic text seems to be confused from an unsuitable composition, it must be recast as follows: in the land of the Lord, Israel and Judah had their dwelling, faring well; but having abandoned attention to the law and meditating on it day and night, they inclined toward wickedness so as to fall under the decree of the one who provides for four nations, called horns on account of their tyranny. 1.99 These aforementioned horns, on account of cruelty and arrogance, were lifted up against the Israelites and Judah, so as to bring down and break the people of God, while God was a little angry, those who joined in the evil, as vessels of wrath, were sharpened by the good craftsmen who have already been explained, so that, having been shown to be weak and having been defeated after the very sharpening, they might no longer strongly hold those handed over to them. 1.100 The interpreted four horns, being of one mind against those who were captured, are said to be one horn lifted up against the land of the Lord. And there are many scriptures signifying kings and kingdoms by means of horns, and especially in the prophet Daniel, as will be clear to you upon reading. 1.101 Zach. II, 5-6: And I lifted up my eyes and saw; and behold, a man, and in his hand was a measuring line. And I said to him, Where are you going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem to see how great its width is, and how great its length. 1.102 It has already often been shown that one lifts the eyes of the inner man for the comprehension of appropriate sights. In the same way as what has been said, so now the prophet, having lifted his eyes, saw a man holding a measuring line in his hand, in order to, like an excellent architect, measure how great the width and length of Jerusalem is, so that when the foundations are laid, its rebuilding may take place, after it suffered destruction by enemies. 1.103 It is time to see who is the man who appeared to the prophet. And see if he is not the same as "the one mounted on a red horse, standing between two shady mountains." And this one is, according to one of the interpretations given, the Savior, whom the prophet Jeremiah pointed out and said: "Behold a man, his name is dawn." And he is called dawn, being "true light." And John the Baptist also said about him: "After me comes a man who was before me." 1.104 This man, being the builder of Jerusalem, architecturally

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τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς.» Καὶ ἕτεραι μυρίαι λέξεις εἰσὶν φανεροῦσαι ὅτι ὁ σπουδαῖος ἀναβαίνει καὶ μετεωρίζεται, κάτω δὲ χωρεῖ ὁ φιλήδονος καὶ ὑλικὴν προαίρεσιν ἔχων, ὡς γενέσθαι «σάρκινον, πεπραμένον ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν». 1.95 Ἀνέγνων ἐξήγησίν τινος ἐκλαβόντος τέσσαρας τέκτονας εἶναι τοὺς τέσσαρας εὐαγγελιστάς. Πότερον δ' οὕτως ἔχει οἱ ἐντυχόντες τῷ οὕτω γράψαντι κρινέτωσαν. ∆υνατὸν εἰπεῖν τέκτονας τέσσαρας «τοὺς ἀποσταλέντας ἀγγέλους συναγαγεῖν τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων», τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῶν τεσσάρων κλιμάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης. 1.96 Ὅπως δ' ἂν ἐκλαμβάνοιντο οἱ τέσσαρες τέκτονες, ὑπὸ τοῦ προνοητοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ δείκνυνταί τε καὶ ἄγονται κατὰ τῶν ἐπαιρομένων θρασύτητι καὶ ἀλαζονείᾳ κατὰ τῶν ὑποπεσόντων αὐτοῖς Θεοῦ κρίσει, οὐκ αἴροντος κεφαλὴν οὐδὲ τοῦ αἰχμαλωτίζοντος οὐδὲ τῶν αἰχμαλωτιζομένων, τῶν ἱερῶν τεκτόνων ἀντιπαρατεταγμένων. Τέτριπται καὶ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ ὡς οὐκ αἴρουσι κεφαλὴν οἱ δυσπραγοῦντες. 1.97 Εἰ δὲ σημαίνεταί ποτε ὀνόματι τῆς κεφαλῆς ὁ νοῦς, οὐδ' οὗτος ἐπαίρεται ὅταν τις «παραδοθῇ εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, μὴ δοκιμάσας τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει». Πῶς γὰρ ἔτι ὁ κρατηθεὶς ἀδοκίμῳ νῷ τὰ ἄνω φρονήσοι ἢ ἐν οὐρανῷ σχοίη τὴν καρδίαν, μὴ θησαυρίσας ἐν οὐρανῷ; Συνᾴδει τῷ διασκορπίζεσθαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καταγνύμενον ἢ καταγόμενον τὸ μετ' ὀλοφυρμοῦ ἀπαγγελλόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν σκεδασθέντων πρὸς τῶν βίᾳ κρατησάντων· «∆ιεσκορπίσθη τὰ ὀστᾶ ἡμῶν παρὰ τὸν ᾅδην.» 1.98 Ἐπεὶ δοκεῖ ἡ λέξις ἡ προφητικὴ συγκεχύσθαι ἐξ ἀκαταλληλίας τῆς συνθέσεως, μεταποιητέον αὐτὴν οὕτως· ἐν τῇ γῇ τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν οἴκησιν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδας εὖ διάγων εἶχεν·ἀνέντες δὲ τῆς τοῦ νόμου προσοχῆς καὶ τοῦ μελετᾶν αὐτὸν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, εἰς κακίαν ἔρρεψαν ὡς ὑποπεσεῖν ψήφῳ τοῦ προνοουμένου ἔθνεσι τέσσαρσιν, διὰ τὸ τυραννικὸν κέρασιν καλουμένοις. 1.99 Ταῦτα τὰ εἰρημένα κέρατα δι' ὠμότητα καὶ ἀλαζονείαν ἐπῄροντο κατὰ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν καὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα, ὥστε καταγαγεῖν καὶ κατεάξαι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λαόν, μικρὰ μὲν Θεοῦ ὀργισθέντος, εἰς κακὰ συνεπιθεμένων τῶν δίκην σκευῶν ὀργῆς ὀξυνθέντων ὑπὸ τεκτόνων ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἤδη σαφηνισθέντων, ἵν' ἀσθενεῖς ἀποδειχθέντες καὶ μετὰ τὴν θηγάνην αὐτὴν ἡττηθέντες μηκέτ' ἰσχυρῶς κατέχωσιν τοὺς παραδοθέντας αὐτοῖς. 1.100 Τὰ ἡρμηνευμένα τέσσαρα κέρατα, ὁμοφρονήσαντα κατὰ τῶν ἑαλωκότων, ἓν κέρας ἐπαιρόμενον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν Κυρίου εἴρηνται. Πολλαὶ δ' εἰσὶν γραφαὶ τοὺς διὰ τῶν κεράτων βασιλεῖς καὶ βασιλείας σημαίνουσαι, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ ∆ανιήλ, ὡς ἀναγνόντι σοι ἔσται σαφές. 1.101 Zach. II, 5-6: Καὶ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου καὶ εἶδον· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ σχοινίον γεωμετρικόν. Καὶ εἶπα πρὸς αὐτόν· Ποῦ σὺ πορεύῃ; Καὶ εἶπεν πρός με· ∆ιαμετρῆσαι τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ τοῦ ἰδεῖν πηλίκον τὸ πλάτος αὐτῆς ἐστιν, καὶ πηλίκον τὸ μῆκος. 1.102 Πολλάκις ἤδη ἀποδέδοται ὡς αἴρει τις τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου πρὸς κατανόησιν τῶν καταλλήλων θεαμάτων. Τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ νῦν ὁ προφήτης ἄρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἶδεν ἄνδρα ἐν τῇ χειρὶ σχοινίον κατέχοντα γεωμετρικόν, ἐπὶ τῷ, οἷα ἀρχιτέκτων ἄριστος, μετρῆσαι ἡλίκον τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκός ἐστιν τῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὅπως τεθέντων τῶν θεμελίων ἀνοικοδομὴ αὐτῆς γένηται παθούσης ὑπὸ πολεμίων καθαίρεσιν. 1.103 Τίς δ' ἐστὶν ὁ ὀφθεὶς τῷ προφήτῃ ἀνὴρ καιρὸς ἰδεῖν. Καὶ ὅρα γε μὴ ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν «τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ ἵππον πυρρόν, ἑστηκότι ἀνὰ μέσον δύο ὀρέων κατασκίων». Ἔστιν δ' οὗτος κατὰ μίαν τῶν ἀποδοθεισῶν ἑρμηνειῶν ὁ Σωτήρ, ὃν δεικνὺς ὁ προφήτης Ἰερεμίας εἶπεν· «Ἰδοὺ ἀνήρ, ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ.» Ἀνατολὴ δὲ κέκληται ὢν «φῶς ἀληθινόν». Καὶ Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ βαπτιστὴς περὶ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν· «Ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνὴρ ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν.» 1.104 Ὁ ἀνὴρ οὗτος οἰκοδόμος ὢν τῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἀρχιτεκτονικῶς