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as interpreted men, they dwell fruitfully in Jerusalem who are able to say concerning the one reigning over the heavenly city Jerusalem: “He will shepherd us forever.” Concerning this flock of God, the one who is wise according to God says: “The Lord will stand and see and shepherd his flock in strength,” so that each of those cared for may say joyfully in the manner of a hymn: “The Lord will shepherd me, and I shall want for nothing; he has made me to dwell there in a place of green pasture, he has nourished me by the water of rest.” 1.124 Of the fruitful Jerusalem with its multitude of men and beasts in her midst, there will be no other guardian and protector than the Lord, he himself becoming like a wall of fire around her, at once warming and burning. 1.125 For he enlightens and warms those inside the protected city so that they may be prepared to be fervent in the spirit, concerning whom it is written: “As it were, fervent in the spirit.” But those who come from outside to do harm he burns up, “being a consuming fire,” especially those bearing thorns and thistles, and moreover those being cut down and cast out for not producing good fruit but deadly and poisonous fruit. Similarly to the holy city, the Lord is also said to be around his people in one of the songs of ascents: “The Lord is round about his people.” 1.126 And just as he has become a wall of fire around fruitful Jerusalem, and has been for a glorification in her midst, with the inhabitants of the holy city surrounded by God being glorified with divinity and blessedness, concerning which the hymnist singing said, or rather to it: “Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God,” and also: “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.” 1.127 And it will be for us, by the grace of God the benefactor, to bear the fruits of the Spirit, so that the Lord may become like a wall of fire around us, enlightening and protecting us, but consuming the enemies who come to destroy, so that we may cry out in victory, pointing out the indestructible city: “Behold, a strong city and our salvation.” 1.128 Zach. II, 10-11: O, o, flee from the land of the north, says the Lord; for I will gather you from the four winds of heaven, says the Lord; escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. 1.129 The word, stirring up those scattered “in the north, from whose face evils are kindled upon the inhabitants of the earth,” wanting the flight from the worse things to happen urgently, which are signified by the name of the north, redoubles the watchword of exhortation, saying: “O, o, flee from the land of the north.” And he flees from the worse things and those that bring punishment who with ready repentance gets outside of evil. The same as "flee from the land of the north" is: “Depart from evil,” and: “Cease from your wickednesses.” 1.130 And this is accomplished when there is abstinence from every form of evil, holding fast only to what is desirable and praiseworthy, according to the exhortation of the apostolic admonition: “Test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” And only he, and everyone who considers the good to be desirable and does it, flees from harmful things. 1.131 And the flight from the north becomes unhindered when the benefactor and provider of all things gathers from the four winds the citizens of the beautiful city Jerusalem who were scattered among them. Having made the flight easy, he reveals where and in what city salvation comes to those fleeing from the north, the harsh and cold wind; for it is written about it: “The north is a harsh wind,” and again: “The north wind will blow cold.” And it is the holy Zion where it is possible to be saved safely for those who formerly inhabited the daughter of Babylon. And her daughter is the multitude of those inhabiting her. 1.132 And since the name “Babylon” is translated to

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ἡρμηνευμένοις ἀνθρώποις, κατακάρπως κατοικοῦσιν ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ οἱ δυνάμενοι φάναι περὶ τοῦ βασιλεύοντος τῆς ἐπουρανίου πόλεως Ἰερουσαλήμ· «Αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.» Περὶ τοῦ οὕτω ποιμνίου ὑπάρχοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ φησιν ὁ κατὰ Θεὸν σοφός· «Στήσεται καὶ ὄψεται καὶ ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύϊ Κύριος», ὡς ἕκαστον τῶν τημελουμένων ἱλαρῶς ὑμνῳδίας τρόπῳ φάναι· «Κύριος ποιμανεῖ με, οὐδέν με οὐ μὴ ὑστηρήσει· εἰς τόπον χλόης ἐκεῖ με κατεσκήνωσεν, ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀναπαύσεως ἐξέθρεψέν με.» 1.124 Τῆς καρποφορησάσης Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἀπὸ πλήθους ἀνθρώπων καὶ κτηνῶν τῶν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς οὐχ ἕτερος φύλαξ καὶ φρουρὸς ἔσται ἢ ὁ Κύριος, αὐτὸς κύκλῳ αὐτῆς γινόμενος οἷα πύρινον τεῖχος, ἅμα θερμαίνων καὶ φλέγων· τοὺς μὲν γὰρ εἴσω τῆς φρουρουμένης πόλεως φωτίζει καὶ θερμαίνει ἵνα παρασκευασθῶσιν ζεῖν τῷ πνεύματι, περὶ ὧν γέγραπται· «Ὡσεὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ζέοντες.» 1.125 Τοὺς δ' ἔξοθεν ἐπερχομένους ἐπὶ τῷ βλάψαι καταφλέγει, «καταναλίσκον πῦρ ὑπάρχων» ἐκείνων μάλιστα τῶν τριβόλους καὶ ἀκάνθας καρποφορούντων, ἔτι μὴν καὶ ἐκκοπτομένων καὶ ἔξω βαλλομένων διὰ τὸ μὴ καλὸν καρπὸν ποιεῖν ἀλλ' ὀλέθριον καὶ δηλητήριον. Παραπλησίως τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ὁ Κύριος κύκλῳ εἶναι λέγεται ἐν μιᾷ ᾠδῇ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν· «Κύριος κύκλῳ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ.» 1.126 Ὥσπερ δὲ τεῖχος πυρὸς κυκλόθεν γέγονεν τῆς κατακάρπου Ἰερουσαλήμ, καὶ εἰς δόξασμα ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ὑπῆρκται, δοξασμένων θειότητι καὶ μακαριότητι τῶν οἰκούντων τὴν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ κυκλουμένην ἁγίαν πόλιν περὶ ἧς μελῳδῶν ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς ἔφη, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸς αὐτήν· «∆εδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ», καὶ ἔτι· «Μέγας Κύριος καὶ ἐπαινετὸς σφόδρα, ἐν πόλει τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ὄρει ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ.» 1.127 Ὑπάρξει δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν χάριτι τοῦ εὐεργέτου Θεοῦ τὸ καρποφορῆσαι τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἵνα κύκλῳ ἡμῶν οἷα τεῖχος πύρινον ὁ Κύριος γένηται, φωτίζων καὶ φρουρῶν μὲν ἡμᾶς, καταναλίσκων δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ καθελεῖν ἐπερχομένους πολεμίους, ἵν' ἐπινικίως ἀναφθεγξώμεθα δεικνύντες τὴν ἀκαθαίρετον πόλιν· «Ἰδοὺ πόλις ὀχυρὰ καὶ σωτήριον ἡμῶν.» 1.128 Zach. II, 10-11: Ὦ, ὦ, φεύγετε ἐκ γῆς βορρᾶ, λέγει Κύριος· διότι ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ συνάξω ὑμᾶς, λέγει Κύριος· εἰς Σιὼν ἀνασῴζεσθε οἱ κατοικοῦντες θυγατέρα Βαβυλῶνος. 1.129 ∆ιεγείρων ὁ λόγος τοὺς ἐσκεδασμένους «ἐν τῷ βορρᾷ, οὗ ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐκκαίεται τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν», συντόνως τὴν φυγὴν βουλόμενος γενέσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων, ἃ σημαίνεται ὀνόματι τοῦ βορρᾶ, ἐπιδιπλασιάζει τὸ σύνθημα τῆς προτροπῆς λέγων· «Ὦ, ὦ, φεύγετε ἐκ γῆς βορρᾶ.» Φεύγει δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων καὶ κολάσεως ποιητικῶν ὁ προθύμῳ μετανοίᾳ ἔξω γινόμενος τῆς κακίας. Ταὐτὸν τῷ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ γῆς βορρᾶ τό· «Ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ», καὶ τό· «Παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν.» 1.130 Τελεῖται δὲ τοῦτο ὅταν ἀποχὴ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ γένηται, κατεχομένου μόνου τοῦ αἱρετοῦ καὶ ἐπαινετοῦ, κατὰ τὴν προτροπὴν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς παραινέσεως· «Πάντα δοκιμάζετε, τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε, ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε.» Μόνος δὲ καὶ πᾶς φεύγει τὰ ἐπιβλαβῆ ὁ αἱρετὸν ἡγούμενος τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ποιῶν αὐτό. 1.131 Ἀκώλυτος δὲ ἡ φυγὴ γίνεται ἀπὸ τοῦ βορρᾶ ὅταν ὁ εὐεργέτης καὶ προνοητὴς τῶν ὅλων συναγάγῃ ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐσκεδασμένους πολίτας τῆς καλλιπόλεως Ἰερουσαλήμ. Εὔκολον παρασχὼν τὴν φυγήν, φανεροῖ ποῦ καὶ ἐν ποίᾳ πόλει ἡ σωτηρία γίνεται τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ βορρᾶ τοῦ σκληροῦ καὶ ψυχροῦ ἀνέμου· γέγραπται γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Βορέας σκληρὸς ἄνεμος», καὶ πάλιν· «Βορέας ψυχρὸς ἄνεμος πνεύσει.» Ἔστιν δὲ ἡ ἱερὰ Σιὼν ἔνθα ἀνασωθῆναι ἀσφαλῶς δυνατὸν τοὺς πρότερον κατοικοῦντας τὴν θυγατέρα Βαβυλῶνος. Θυγάτηρ δὲ αὐτῆς ἐστιν ἡ πληθὺς τῶν κατοικούντων αὐτήν. 1.132 Καὶ ἐπεὶ μεταλαμβάνεται τὸ «Βαβυλὼν» ὄνομα εἰς