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The word "confusion," every one disturbed and confounded in mind is a Babylonian, from whom it is fitting that he who has a love to be saved in Zion should be alienated in relation and disposition, so that he may hymn and sing psalms to God, since a hymn is fitting for God there, and it is harmonious to sing psalms to Him. For it is said: "A hymn is fitting for you, O God, in Zion," and: "Sing psalms to the Lord who dwells in Zion." 1.133 And since it is not possible for one dwelling in the daughter of Babylon and in the north to hymn and sing psalms to God, the Holy Spirit cries out as a herald, saying: "O, O, flee from the land of the north, says the Lord; be saved to Zion, you who inhabit the daughter of Babylon, for from the four winds I will gather you," that is, from all the regions of the place above the earth. 1.134 It is equivalent to: "From the four winds I will gather you," which the Savior said in the Gospel, "that the angels are sent to gather the elect from the four winds." 1.135 Zion and the daughter of Babylon having been allegorized, the winds must also be considered, either as incorporeal powers or as the various winds of falsely named teaching, which toss and carry about to godless thoughts and unsteady practices those who are childish in mind in a way not commendable; for the Apostle writes about such a state: "That we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by human cunning." 1.136 The winds are sometimes taken for temptations and circumstances, as in the Gospel they are mentioned with rain and raging rivers, coming to strike and blow violently against the houses of those who have heard the words of Jesus, being unable to harm and overturn those who have turned the words of the Teacher into deeds, since they have laid the foundation upon the saving rock; but pulling down the building of the one who heard the divine words and did not do them, since he laid its foundation upon the sand. 1.137 The winds having been interpreted in so many ways, from all of them God gathers those who flee from the north and dwell in the daughter of Babylon, that they may be saved in Zion, about which the Apostle writes: "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." For only in this way will the present prophecy also be understood in a lofty manner. 1.138Zach. II, 12-13: For thus says the Lord Almighty: After glory he has sent me to the nations that plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye; for behold, I am bringing my hand against them, and they shall be plunder for those who served them, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me. 1.139 The Lord God Almighty gives the reason for being sent "after glory" against the nations that plundered the true Israelites; and since it is God Almighty who says these things, "after" and "before" are not to be taken physically. For the things "after" God are to be taken as those after His pre-eminent existence. 1.140 For being unbegotten and eternal, He exists before all things, while those things related to created things and His administration are understood to be after Him and behind Him, of which His incarnation and sojourn are a part, things which the God-wise men are able to imagine and have a concept of, of whom the hierophant Moses is one. 1.141 For having besought God to see Him manifestly, when God Himself revealed Himself, the one who was besought says: "You shall see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen by you," "after I have first passed by in my glory." According to the sojourn of God the Word, His "becoming flesh" and being seen in the flesh happens after His glory, the glory before such a manifestation being that "of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." 1.142 This contemplation is also suggested by what was said by the Apostle and those who agree with him

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τὸ «σύγχυσις», πᾶς ὁ τεταραγμένος καὶ συγκεχυμένος τὸν νοῦν Βαβυλώνιός ἐστιν, οὗ ἀπαλλοθριοῦσθαι σχέσει καὶ διαθέσει προσήκει τὸν ἔρωτα ἔχοντα ἐν τῇ Σιὼν ἀνασωθῆναι, ἵνα ὑμνῇ καὶ ψάλλῃ τῷ Θεῷ, ἐπείπερ ἐκεῖ πρέπει ὕμνος τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ψάλλειν αὐτῷ ἁρμόνιόν ἐστιν. Εἴρηται γάρ· «Σοὶ πρέπει ὕμνος, ὁ Θεός, ἐν Σιών», καί· «Ψάλατε τῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ κατοικοῦντι ἐν Σιών.» 1.133 Καὶ ἐπεὶ οὐ δυνατόν ἐστιν τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῇ θυγατρὶ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ ἐν τῷ βορρᾷ ὑμνεῖν καὶ ψάλλειν τῷ Θεῷ, κηρυκάδην ἐπιβοᾷ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα λέγον· «Ὦ, ὦ, φεύγετε ἀπὸ γῆς βορρᾶ, λέγει Κύριος· εἰς Σιὼν ἀνασῴζεσθε, οἱ κατοικοῦντες θυγατέρα Βαβυλῶνος, διότι ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων συνάξω ὑμᾶς», τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐκ πάντων κλιμάτων τοῦ ὑπὲρ γῆς τόπου. 1.134 Ἰσοδυναμεῖ τῷ· «Ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων συνάξω ὑμᾶς», ὃ εἶπεν ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ὁ Σωτὴρ «ἀποστέλλεσθαι τοὺς ἀγγέλους συναγαγεῖν τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων». 1.135 Ἀλληγορηθείσης τῆς Σιὼν καὶ τῆς θυγατρὸς Βαβυλῶνος, ἀνακτέον καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους, ἤτοι εἰς δυνάμεις ἀσάρκους ἢ τοὺς διαφόρους τῆς ψευδωνύμου διδασκαλίας ἀνέμους, κλυδωνίζοντας καὶ περιφέροντας εἰς ἄθεα φρονήματα καὶ ἀβεβαίους πράξεις τοὺς νηπιάζοντας τῇ διανοίᾳ οὐκ ἐπαινετῶς· γράφει γοῦν περὶ τῆς τοιαύτης καταστάσεως ὁ Ἀπόστολος· «Ἵνα μὴ ὦμεν νήπιοι κλυδωνιζόμενοι καὶ περιφερόμενοι παντὶ ἀνέμῳ διδασκαλίας ἐν πανουργίᾳ.» 1.136 Λαμβάνονταί ποτε οἱ ἄνεμοι ἀντὶ πειρασμῶν καὶ περιστάσεων, ὡς ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ μετὰ βροχῆς καὶ ῥαγδαίων ποταμῶν μνημονεύονται ἐπερχόμενοι ἐπὶ τῷ προσκροῦσαι καὶ σφοδρῶς πνεῦσαι τὰς οἰκίας τῶν ἀκουσάντων τοὺς Ἰησοῦ λόγους, βλάψαι καὶ ἀνατρέψαι οὐ δυνάμενοι τοὺς εἰς ἔργα μεταβαλόντας τοὺς λόγους τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου, ἐπεὶ τὸν θεμέλιον ἐπὶ τὴν σωτήριον πέτραν τέθεικεν, κατασπῶντες τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ ἀκούσαντος τοὺς θείους λόγους καὶ μὴ ποιήσαντος, ἐπείπερ ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον τὴν κρηπῖδα αὐτῆς κατεβάλετο. 1.137 Τοσαυταχῶς τῶν ἀνέμων ἡρμηνευμένων, ἀπὸ πάντων αὐτῶν συνάγει Θεὸς τοὺς φεύγοντας ἀπὸ βορρᾶ καὶ κατοικοῦντας τὴν θυγατέρα Βαβυλῶνος, ἵνα ἀνασωθῶσιν ἐν τῇ Σιὼν περὶ ἧς ὁ Ἀπόστολος γράφει· «Προσεληλύθατε Σιών, ὄρει καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ.» Οὕτω γὰρ μόνως ὑψηλῶς νοηθήσεται καὶ ἡ ἐκκειμένη προφητεία. 1.138Zach. II, 12-13: ∆ιότι τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· Ὀπίσω δόξης ἀπέσταλκέν με ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ σκυλεύσαντα ὑμᾶς, διότι ἁπτόμενος ὑμῶν ὡς ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῆς κόρης τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτοῦ· διότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπιφέρω τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔσονται σκῦλα τοῖς δουλεύσασιν αὐτοῖς, καὶ γνώσεσθε διότι Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἀπέστειλέν με. 1.139 Αἰτίαν ἀποδίδωσιν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ τοῦ ὀπίσω δόξης ἀπεστάλθαι ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ σκυλεύσαντα τοὺς ἀληθῶς Ἰσραηλίτας· καὶ ἐπεὶ Θεὸς παντοκράτωρ ἐστὶν ὁ ταῦτα λέγων, τὸ ὀπίσω καὶ ἔμπροσθεν οὐ σωματικῶς ἐκλημπτέον. Τὰ γὰρ ὀπίσω τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ μετὰ τὴν προηγουμένην ὕπαρξιν αὐτοῦ ἐκλημπτέον. 1.140 Ἀγένητος μὲν γὰρ ὢν καὶ ἀείδιος, πρόσω πάντων ὑπάρχει, μετ' αὐτὸν καὶ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ τυγχανόντων τῶν πρὸς τὰ γενητὰ καὶ τὴν διοίκησιν αὐτοῦ νοουμένων, ὧν τυγχάνει ἡ ἐνανθρώπησις καὶ ἐπιδημία αὐτοῦ, ἃ καὶ φαντάζεσθαι δύνανται καὶ ἔννοιαν αὐτῶν ἔχειν οἱ θεόσοφοι ἄνδρες, ὧν εἷς ὑπάρχει ὁ ἱεροφάντης Μωϋσῆς. 1.141 Παρακαλέσας γοῦν τὸν Θεὸν γνωστῶς ἰδεῖν αὐτόν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμφανίζοντος ἑαυτόν, αὐτὸς ὁ παρακαλούμενός φησιν· «Ὄψει τὰ ὀπίσω μου, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπόν μου οὐκ ὀφθήσεταί σοι», «παρελθόντος μου πρότερον ἐν τῇ δόξῃ μου». Κατὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου, ὀπίσω δόξης αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει τὸ «σάρκα αὐτὸν γενέσθαι» καὶ ὀφθῆναι ἐν σαρκί, πρὸ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐμφανίου δόξης οὔσης «μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας». 1.142 Ταύτην τὴν θεωρίαν ὑποβάλλει καὶ τὸ λεχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου καὶ τῶν συμφρονούντων