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16

wonderful Counselor, through whom she was then faithful and full of judgment and righteousness; according to whom he promises to make the apostles the remnant according to the election; concerning whom he said: Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, when with a new name it will be called a city of righteousness instead of a harlot; and instead of murderers, a faithful city of righteousness and instead of a city, a metropolis. And guiding others to salvation; and as it were sending out certain colonies of the system of the monastics; this indeed was formerly established among the Jews, and it has fallen, but now it is seen throughout the whole inhabited world in the Churches of Christ founded upon the rock, having taken its beginning from the apostles, and presiding in the Churches by succession, concerning which David marvelling said: "Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you." For being Jews, and the disciples of Jews, and sons of their Synagogue, they were transferred to the rank of fathers, guiding their former mother, the Synagogue, to Christ. And another prophet says concerning Christ and the disciples: "Behold, a righteous king." But why, having passed over the kings, did he mention the judges, although even among the kings some have been good? Because in the time of the judges, the polity was autonomous, and they knew only God as king. For according to their own judgment, out of foolishness they chose a king. It was necessary therefore for those being benefited to return to the blessed state, having freedom. "For there was no king in Israel, but each one did what was right in his own eyes." Or that when the true king arrived, there was no longer a time for kings, but for judges, concerning whom it is said, that You will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And again, because of free will, he has promised to give counselors. For a king 1865 indeed commands, but a counselor persuades those who do not see for themselves what is necessary. Every bishop therefore, not a ruler, but a counselor is given, like the prophets, and Moses; whom it is necessary for all ... to be made like. "But I give my judgment as one who has received mercy from the Lord." And that the word is concerning a few, he has made clear by adding, from the remnant people of the Jews; For with judgment will her captivity be saved, and with mercy. Or as the others have interpreted, with righteousness. For those judged worthy of salvation by God alone will obtain the promise, while the Jews imagine that there will be one conversion of their whole nation. a release from captivity, a change from error to the knowledge of God, wherefore also the Savior the relevant passage; "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me." in which is, "to proclaim release to the captives;" he insisted it was said concerning himself. For now the prophet has said nothing concerning perceptible enemies. But each one who sins is a prisoner of the enemy, and ............ ............. by posturing hunting for glory from men, after the revelation of the hidden things (when all things become naked and laid bare, and no creature is unseen), they will be an unseasonable spectacle, with the present deceit concerning them having vanished, so that their circumstances are likened to an oak; for so the others have rendered terebinth. And in Genesis also they have learned the same oak and terebinth. And their strength will be as a stalk of tow. But not of grain, nor of any other more necessary thing, "Because there has been taken away from them the strong man, and the strong woman, the strength of bread, and the strength of water, the giant, and the mighty man." So as not to be able to say according to Paul, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"? for having lost their freedom, they are slaves to any Roman rulers, and the strength of the idols, in which they trusted, has been refuted. Thus by the chains of his own sins each one is bound tight. For these things have become to them practically fire and wood. And the expected power has handed them over to unquenchable fire, just as all sins committed by us hand over to fire those who did them, even if they boast to be Christians. For the lawless [will be boasted against], he says, and the sinners together. Let no one therefore with mere

16

θαυμαστὸν Σύμβουλον, δι' οὓς ὑπῆρχε τότε πιστὴ καὶ πλήρης κρίσεως καὶ δικαιοσύνης· καθ' οὓς ἐπαγγέλλεται τοὺς ἀποστόλους ποιῆσαι τὸ κατ' ἐκλογὴν λεῖμμα· περὶ ὧν ἔλεγεν· Εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὅτε καινῷ ὀνόματι πόλις δικαιοσύνης κληθήσεται ἀντὶ πόρνης· καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ φονευτῶν, πόλις πιστὴ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀντὶ πόλεως, μητρόπολις. Καὶ ἄλλοις καθηγουμένη πρὸς σωτηρίαν· καὶ οἷον ἀποικίας τινὰς στέλλουσα τῶν μοναζόντων τὸ σύστημα· τοῦτο δὲ πάλαι μὲν συνεστήκει παρ' Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ πέπτωκε, νυνὶ δὲ καθ' ὅλης ὁρᾶται τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις Χριστοῦ τεθεμελιωμένον ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων λαβὸν, καὶ τῇ διαδοχῇ προεδρεῦον ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις, περὶ ὧν θαυμάζων ἔλεγεν ὁ ∆αβίδ· "Ἀντὶ τῶν πατέρων σου ἐγεννήθησάν σοι υἱοί." Ἰουδαῖοι γὰρ ὄντες, καὶ Ἰουδαίων οἱ μαθηταὶ, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων Συναγωγῆς υἱοὶ, πρὸς πατέρων μετέστησαν τάξιν ὁδηγοῦντες τὴν πάλαι μητέρα Συναγωγὴν ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστόν. Καὶ ἄλλος δὲ προφήτης περὶ Χριστοῦ φησι καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν· "Ἰδοὺ δὴ βασιλεὺς δίκαιος." ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ὑπερβὰς τοὺς βασιλεῖς, τῶν κριτῶν ἐμνήσθη, καίτοι καὶ ἐν βασιλεῦσί τινες γεγόνασιν ἀγαθοί; Ὅτιπερ ἐπὶ τῶν κριτῶν, αὐτόνομος ὑπῆρχεν ἡ πολιτεία, καὶ Θεὸν μόνον ἠπίσταντο βασιλέα. Κατ' ἰδίαν γὰρ γνώμην ἐξ ἀβουλίας ἠρήσαντο βασιλέα. Ἐχρῆν οὖν εὐεργετουμένους ἐπανελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν μακαρίαν κατάστασιν, τὸ ἐλευθέριον ἔχοντας. "Οὐ γὰρ ἦν βασιλεὺς ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τὸ εὐθὲς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐποίει." Ἢ ὅτι τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ βασιλέως ἐπειδημήσαντος, οὐκέτι βασιλέων ὑπῆρχε καιρὸς, κριτῶν δὲ, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται, ὅτι Καθίσετε ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνους κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Πάλιν δὲ, διὰ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον, συμβούλους δώσειν ἐπήγγελται. Βασιλεὺς 1865 μὲν γὰρ προστάττει, πείθει δὲ σύμβουλος τοὺς οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν συνορῶντας τὰ δέοντα. Πᾶς οὖν ἐπίσκοπος, οὐκ ἄρχων, ἀλλὰ σύμβουλος δέδοται, ὡς οἱ προφῆται, καὶ Μωϋσῆς· οἷς πᾶσιν ...νόσιν ἐξομοιοῦσθαι χρεών. "Γνώμην δὲ δίδωμι ὡς ἠλεημένος ὑπὸ Κυρίου." Ὅτι δὲ περὶ ὀλίγων ὁ λόγος, ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων περιλειφθέντων λαοῦ δεδήλωκεν ἐπενεγκών· Μετὰ γὰρ κρίματος σωθήσεται ἡ αἰχμαλωσία αὐτῆς, καὶ μετὰ ἐλεημοσύνης. Ἢ ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμήνευσαν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης. Οἱ γὰρ σωτηρίας ἄξιοι κριθέντες ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, μόνον τεύξονται τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, τῶν Ἰουδαίων φανταζομένων μίαν τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν ἔσεσθαι τοῦ παντὸς αὐτῶν ἔθνους. Αἰχμαλωσίας δὲ ἀπαλλαγὴν ἀπὸ πλάνης ἐπὶ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν μεταβολὴν, διὸ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ τὴν ἔχουσαν περικοπὴν· "Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με." Ἐν ᾗ ἐστι, "Κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν·" περὶ ἑαυτοῦ εἰρῆσθαι διισχυρίσατο. Οὐδὲν γὰρ νῦν ὁ προφήτης περὶ αἰσθητῶν πολεμίων διήλεκται. Ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ἁμαρτάνων ὑπὸ τοῦ πολεμίου δέσμιος, καὶ ............ ............. σχηματισμῶ τὴν παρ' ἀνθρώπων δόξαν θηρῶντες, μετὰ τὴν φανέρωσιν τῶν κρυπτῶν (ὅταν γένηται πάντα γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα, μηδέ τις ἢ κτίσις ἀφανὴς), ἄωρον ἔσονται θέαμα τῆς νῦν περὶ αὐτοὺς ἀπάτης ἀφανισθείσης, ὥς τε δρυὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἀπεικάζεσθαι· οὕτω γὰρ οἱ λοιποὶ τὴν τερέβινθον ἐκδεδώκασιν. Καὶ ἐν τῇ γενέσει δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν δρῦν καὶ τερέβινθον μεμαθήκασιν. Ἔσται δὲ καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτῶν ὡς καλάμη στυππίου. Ἀλλ' οὐ σίτου, οὐ δέ τινος ἑτέρου ἀναγκαιοτέρου, "∆ιὰ τὸ ἀφῃρῆσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν ἰσχύοντα, καὶ ἰσχύουσαν ἰσχὺν ἄρτου, καὶ ἰσχὺν ὕδατος, γίγαντα, καὶ ἰσχύοντα." Ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι κατὰ Παῦλον εἰπεῖν, "Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστοῦ; ἀπολέσαντες γὰρ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, τοῖς τυχοῦσι Ῥωμαίων δουλεύουσιν ἄρχουσιν, καὶ ἡ τῶν εἰδώλων, ἐν οἷς ἐθάῤῥουν, ἰσχὺς διελήλεγκται. Οὕτω σειραῖς τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτημάτων ἕκαστος σφίγγεται. Αὐτὰ γὰρ αὐτοῖς γέγονε μονονουχὶ πῦρ τε καὶ ξύλα. Καὶ ἡ προσδοκηθεῖσα δύναμις αὐτοὺς πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ παρέδωκεν, ὡς καὶ πάντα τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν πλημμελούμενα πυρὶ τοὺς δράσαντας παραδίδωσιν, κἂν αὐχῶσιν εἶναι Χριστιανοί. Ἄνομοι [καταυχηθήσονται] γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἅμα. Μηδεὶς οὖν ψιλῷ