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to lament them as impious, and for foreigners to remain pious, Or he says this, that his name is still strong to gather them, or that it is for piety, and not simply. And they will no longer walk after the thoughts of their hearts. Life will be virtuous, and since life is most excellent, one must be confident about the future, and no longer be afraid. For the cause of the sickness is removed. If anyone is gathered in the name of God, he does not walk after the thoughts of his wicked heart. *That is, they will have the genuineness of piety in their soul, so that seeing the city itself alone, they imagine God. But it is also possible to understand it in the times of Christ, as we have no need of the legalistic worship. In those days the house of Judah shall come together to the house of Israel, and they shall come to the same place. The chief of good things is concord, love, since the chief of evils also came from there. And see how he has not set it otherwise. For he did not say, The house of Judah to the house of Israel, but what was much more wondrous, the first to rebel, the first to begin the enmity, the disobedient, the hard-hearted, he himself will also begin concord; and not after the return, but they will return together before the return. Do you see, beloved, how many good things the captivity has done? It has dissolved an undying enmity, it has gathered together peoples who were separated, it has reconciled kinsmen and citizens who were at war, nature appeared raging against itself, the race was torn apart, the rights of the state were divided, all these things injustice worked, all these things the captivity dissolved and made to disappear. From the land of the north. See the trustworthiness. From the north, much more so than from the other lands; then it also reminds them of old narratives. Which I gave as an inheritance 64.789 to their fathers; for that was more unbelievable. When he is about to narrate a wonder, he reminds of the old narrative, or wonder. Do you then disbelieve how your fathers came together? how I gave them the inheritance? For this is the wonder, for those scattered everywhere on earth to come together to one place. And I said: Let it be, Lord; for I will set you as children. See the concern of the prophet, although he was not going to be subject to those times, nor to be an eyewitness of the good things, yet as if he were about to enjoy them himself, so he prays with them. This is in the middle, as from the prophet, and immediately as from the person of God, that I will set you as children, for it is connected to the sequence of the preceding sayings. The first dignity is the paternal inheritance, although they cast themselves out of this kinship. They called the stone father, but nevertheless I will set you as children. See both in the Old as also in the New, both from God and from us this kinship being established, I will set you as children, this is of God; and Paul says: Whose is the adoption as sons. For nothing is equal to this honor. And again: He gave them power to become children of God, so as to guard the rank. For when he himself sets, but we abandon, we are ostracized, for he did not say simply of one perishing, I will make you a child, but, I will place you, into that rank as if to a dignity; but to maintain it, is ours. Do you see how many good things have come to pass? What reward does he demand of them? no toil, no sweat, what labor does the discipline have up to the salutation? For this is of a child, to always pursue the Father, even when he strikes; Do you not see little children whimpering, being rebuked, and holding onto the hem of their mother, and following? They seek one thing only from us, to be loved. *This is connected to, And they shall come to the same place from the land of the North, and from all the lands to the land which I gave as an inheritance to their fathers; For what lies in between, And I said, Let it be, Lord, is of the prophet rejoicing in the promises of God. And he says that, I will bring you into the land of promise, having you in the rank of children, just as also

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θρηνῆσαι ὡς ἀσεβοῦντας, καὶ ἀλλογενεῖς εὐσεβεῖς διαμεῖναι, Ἢ τοῦτο φησὶν, ἔτι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἰσχυρὸν συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς, ἢ ὅτι ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς. Καὶ οὐ πορεύσονται ἔτι ὀπίσω τῶν ἐνθυμημάτων τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν. Βίος ἐνάρετος ἔσται, ζωῆς δὲ οὔσης ἀρίστης, καὶ θαῤῥεῖν χρὴ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων, καὶ οὐκέτι φοβεῖσθαι. Ἡ γὰρ αἰτία ἀναιρεῖται τοῦ νοσήματος. Εἴ τις τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Θεοῦ συνάγεται, οὐ πορεύεται ὀπίσω τῶν ἐνθυμημάτων τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς. *Τουτέστιν, ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἕξουσι τὸ γνήσιον τῆς εὐσεβείας, ὥστε καὶ αὐτὴν μόνην τὴν πόλιν ὁρῶντας, φαντάζεσθαι τὸν Θεόν. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν καιρῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτὸ ἐκλαβεῖν, ὡς οὐ δεομένων ἡμῶν τῆς νομικῆς λατρείας. Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις συνελεύσονται ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰούδα ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἥξουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. Τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ ὁμόνοια, ἡ ἀγάπη, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν κακῶν ἐντεῦθεν ἐγένετο. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς οὐκ ἄλλως αὐτὸ τέθεικεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν Ὁ οἶκος Ἰούδα ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ὃπολλῷ θαυμαστότερον ἦν, ὁ πρῶτος ἀφηνιάσας, ὁ πρῶτος ἄρξας τῆς ἔχθρας, ὁ ἀπειθὴς, ὁ σκληρὸς, αὐτὸς ἄρξει καὶ ὁμονοίας· καὶ οὐ μετὰ τὸν ἐπάνοδον, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ ἐπανήξουσι πρὸ τῆς ἐπανόδου. Ὁρᾷς, ἀγαπητὲ, ὅσα ἀγαθὰ πεποίηκεν ἡ αἰχμαλωσία· Ἔχθραν ἀθάνατον ἔλυσε, δήμους ἀποσχισθέντας συνήγαγεν, συγγενεῖς, καὶ πολίτας ἐκπεπολεμωμένους κατήλλαξεν, ἡ φύσις καθ' ἑαυτῆς ἐφάνη μανεῖσα, γένος διεσπάσθη, τὰ τῆς πολιτείας διῃρέθη δίκαια, ταῦτα πάντα εἰργάσατο ἡ ἀδικία, ταῦτα πάντα διέλυσε, καὶ ἠφάνισεν ἡ αἰχμαλωσία. Ἀπὸ γῆς βοῤῥᾶ. Ὅρα τὸ ἀξιόπιστον. Ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾷ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὅτι ἀπὸ ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων χωρῶν· εἶτα καὶ ἀναμιμνήσκει αὐτοὺς παλαιῶν διηγημάτων. Ἣν κατεκλη 64.789 ρονόμησα τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἀπιστότερον ἦν. Ὅταν μέλλῃ θαῦμα διηγεῖσθαι, ἀναμιμνήσκει τοῦ παλαιοῦ διηγήματος, ἢ θαύματος. Ἀπιστεῖς οὖν πῶς οἱ πατέρες σου συνῆλθον; πῶς κατεκληρονόμησα αὐτούς; Τὸ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτο, τὸ πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς σπαρέντας εἰς ἕνα τόπον συνελθεῖν. Καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπα· Γένοιτο, Κύριε· ὅτι τάξω σε εἰς τέκνα. Ὅρα τοῦ προφήτου τὸ κηδεμονικὸν, καίτοιγε οὐκ ἔμελλεν ἐκείνοις ὑποκεῖσθαι τοῖς καιροῖς, οὐδὲ αὐτόπτης ἔσεσθαι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς αὐτὰ μέλλων ἀπολαύειν, οὕτω συνεύχεται. Τοῦτο διὰ μέσου, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ εὐθὺς ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι Τάξω σε εἰς τέκνα, συνῆπται γὰρ τῇ προηγουμένων ῥητῶν ἀκολουθίᾳ. Τὸ πρῶτον ἀξίωμα ἡ πατρικὴ κληρονομία, καίτοιγε ἑαυτοὺς ἐξέβαλλον ταύτης τῆς συγγενείας. Πατέρα ἐκάλεσαν τὸν λίθον, ἀλλ' ὅμως Τάξω σε εἰς τέκνα. Ὅρα καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶς καθάπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Καινῆς, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐξ ἡμῶν τὴν συγγένειαν ταύτην ἐνισταμένην, Τάξω σε εἰς τέκνα, τοῦτο τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ Παῦλός φησιν· Ὧν ἡ υἱοθεσία. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἴσον ταύτης τῆς τιμῆς. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι, ὥστε διαφυλάσσειν τὴν τάξιν. Ὅταν γὰρ τάξῃ μὲν αὐτὸς, ἡμεῖς δὲ καταλείπωμεν, ἐξοστρακιζόμεθα, οὐ γὰρ ἀπολλομένου ἀπολελυμένως εἶπε, Ποιήσω σε τέκνον, ἀλλὰ, στήσω σε, εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν τάξιν καθάπερ ἐπὶ ἀξιώματος· τὸ δὲ διατηρῆσαι, ἡμέτερον. Ὁρᾷς ὅσα διῆλθεν ἀγαθά; Ποίαν αὐτοὺς ἀπαιτεῖ τὴν ἀμοιβήν; οὐδεὶς πόνος, οὐδεὶς ἱδρὼς, μέχρι προσηγορίας ἡ ἄσκησις ποῖον ἔχει κάματον; Τοῦτο γὰρ παιδὸς, τὸν Πατέρα διώκειν ἀεὶ, καὶ τύπτοντα· Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὰ παιδία τὰ μικρὰ κλαυθμυριζόμενα, ἐπιτιμώμενα, καὶ τοῦ κρασπέδου τῆς μητρὸς ἐχόμενα, καὶ ἐπακολουθοῦντα; Ἓν μόνον ζητοῦσι παρ' ἡμῶν, τὸ φιλεῖσθαι. *Συνῆπται τοῦτο τῷ, Καὶ ἥξουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀπὸ γῆς Βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν χωρῶν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ἣν κατεκληρονόμησα τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν· Τὸ γὰρ μεταξὺ κείμενον, Καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπον, Γένοιτο, Κύριε, τοῦ προφήτου ἐστὶν ἡδομένου ἐπὶ ταῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίαις. Λέγει δὲ, ὅτι Ἄξω ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐν τάξει τέκνων ἐσχηκὼς, ὥσπερ καὶ