18

the perceptible Jerusalem, understand as the Church. "For there is a day." This is a sign of habitation. For God, he says, has given a time of repentance, in which making your defense you will be called to salvation. "In the mountains of Ephraim." He means the one according to grace. But Scripture calls this people in various ways. Hence also Ephraim, from the many tribes; for those who are saved are from all. "Arise and go up." Be roused, he says, from earthly thoughts, and ascend to the heavenly things, being lifted up by the wings of the spirit. "Behold I am leading." Exult, he says, treading on the heads of the nations. For behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, said the Lord. He speaks of those from the nations, and those from Israel who were scattered among all the nations, but who will later themselves also obtain salvation. "At the feast of Phasek." Phasek is interpreted as remission. He says therefore that they will be saved in Christ's remission of sins. "In weeping." For sin is a cause of weeping, but conversion of salvation and consolation. 93.688 "Dwelling by canals." Pitching their tents at the streams of baptism. "Hear the word." For indeed through Christ we were taught to say: Our Father who art in heaven. "As a shepherd." The Lord who says: I am the good shepherd. "And they will come." To the Church, where the precious body and blood of Christ is offered. "And of cattle." These are signs of peace. "And elders." The Churches in the assembly of souls flourishing according to Christ, and of those gray-haired in wisdom. "I will make drunk." I will fill the priests with divine words, so as to be able to gladden the word [or: the people] in teaching. "For there is a reward." Either that there is a reward for dying for Christ, or that you will have Paul bearing much fruit. "And they will return." Either the deceased children rising, and being in Christ, or that Paul converted many from the nations. "Permanent for your children." And the reward, he says, will be lasting for your slain children, or also for Paul. But Rachel is always taken as a figure of the Church, whom, even as she laments, the Word comforts for the persecutions and slayings for Christ’s sake. "Hearing I heard Ephraim." Ephraim, he says, is the people from the nations. "I, like a calf, was not taught." As a calf, he says, nourished in my own sins, I was not taught the divine oracles. "Turn me back." For what fruit, he says, did you have in those things of which you are now ashamed? Therefore, he calls the days of sin days of shame. "And I showed you." This is interposed: Just as the people is saved by God; instead of, I will make you a good example, so that through your example others also may be saved. "Establish yourself, Zion." Rise up from the fall of sin. Rise up through the cross of victory. Or thus: Establish yourself; be exact concerning yourself; judge yourself, and test yourself. "Inflict punishment." Through faith in Christ and repentance, punish wicked things, and the very demons who work them. "Give heart." Take up, he says, the Lord's cross upon your shoulders. Otherwise: Do not hide the evil things, but reveal them through confession. Otherwise: Give it over to the labor of repentance. "The way on which you went." Since you have journeyed towards evil things, return to the good things. "Turn away." Return to the praiseworthy way of life from the beginning, and mourn for your former sins the mourning that is blessed. 93.689 "Until when will you turn away?" He finds fault with her as being slow to obedience. "For the Lord has created salvation for me." Aquila and Symmachus have rendered it: for the Lord has created a new thing in the female; and through these words the new man, the incarnate Word, the one born of a Virgin, was clearly announced beforehand. "In salvation." Through Christ, he says, men will return to paradise, from which they fell. The children also sent up some such doxology to the Savior. "Blessed is the Lord upon a just one." This hymnody, he says, the peoples of the Church will send up together with the teachers; and on high

18

αἰσθητὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν νόει. "Ὅτι ἔστιν ἡμέρα." Τοῦτο σημεῖον οἰκήσεως. Ὅτι δέδωκε, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς καιρὸν μετανοίας, ἐν ᾧ ἀπολογούμενοι κληθήσεσθε εἰς σωτηρίαν. "Ἐν ὄρεσιν Ἐφραίμ." Τὸν κατὰ χάριν φησί. ∆ιαφόρως δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ καλεῖ τοῦτον τὸν λαόν. ∆ιὸ καὶ Ἐφραὶμ, ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν φυλῶν· ἐκ πάντων γάρ εἰσιν οἱ σωζόμενοι. "Ἀνάστητε καὶ ἀνάβητε." ∆ιεγέρθητε, φησὶν, ἐκ τῶν γηΐνων φρονημάτων, καὶ ἀνέλθετε εἰς τὰ οὐράνια, τοῖς πτεροῖς τοῦ πνεύματος κουφιζόμενοι. "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἄγω." Γαυριάσατε, φησὶ, πατοῦντες ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν ἐθνῶν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος. Τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν φησι, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ τοὺς εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διεσπαρμένους, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς τευξομένους σωτηρίας. "Ἐν ἑορτῇ Φασέκ." Φασὲκ, ἀφέσεως ἑρμηνεύεται. Φησὶν οὖν ὅτι ἐν τῇ Χριστοῦ ἀφέσει τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων σωθήσονται. "Ἐν κλαυθμῷ." Ὅτι ἁμαρτία, κλαυθμοῦ αἰτία, ἡ δὲ ἐπιστροφὴ σωτηρίας καὶ παρακλήσεως. 93.688 "Αὐλίζων ἐπὶ διώρυγας." Ἐπὶ τὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος νάματα κατασκηνῶν αὐτούς. "Ἀκούσατε λόγον." Καὶ γὰρ διὰ Χριστοῦ ἐδιδάχθημεν λέγειν· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. "Ὡς ὁ βόσκων." Ὁ λέγων Κύριος· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁποιμὴν ὁ καλός. "Καὶ ἥξουσι." Ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἔνθα τὸ τίμιον σῶμα καὶ αἷμα Χριστοῦ προσφέρεται. "Καὶ κτηνῶν." Ταῦτα σημεῖα εἰρήνης. "Καὶ πρεσβύται." Αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν κατὰ Χριστὸν ἀκμαζουσῶν ψυχῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐν φρονήσει πολιῶν. "Μεθύσω." Θείων λόγων πληρώσω τοὺς ἱερεῖς, ὡς δύνασθαι εὐφραίνειν τὸν λόγον [φορτ. λαὸν] ἐν διδασκαλίᾳ. "Ὅτι ἔστι μισθός." Ἢ ὅτι ἔμμισθον τὸ ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, ἢ ὅτι ἕξεις τὸν Παῦλον πολὺν φέροντα καρπόν. "Καὶ ἐπιστρέψουσι." Ἢ οἱ τελευτήσαντες παῖδες ἀνιστάμενοι, καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ὅντες, ἢ ὅτι ὁ Παῦλος πολλοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐπέστρεψεν. "Μόνιμον τοῖς σοῖς τέκνοις." Καὶ ἔσται, φησὶ, διαρκὴς ὁ μισθὸς τοῖς σοῖς τέκνοις ἀνῃρημένοις, ἢ καὶ τῷ Παύλῳ. Ἀεὶ δὲ ἡ Ῥαχὴλ εἰς πρόσωπον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκλαμβάνεται, ἢν καὶ ὀδυρομένην ὁ λόγος παραμυθεῖται ἐπὶ τοῖς διωγμοῖς καὶ ταῖς ἀναιρέσεσι ταῖς διὰ Χριστόν. "Ἀκούων ἤκουσα, Ἐφραὶμ." Ἐφραὶμ, τὸν ἐξἐθνῶν λαόν φησι. "Ἐγὼ ὥσπερ μόσχος οὐκ ἐδιδάχθην." Ὡς μόσχος, φησὶ, ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἐντρεφόμενος οὐκ ἐδιδάχθην τὰ θεῖα λόγια. "Ἐπίστρεψόν με." Τίνα, γὰρ, φησὶ, καρπὸν ἔχετε, ἐφ' οἷς νῦν ἐπαισχύνεσθε; ἡμέρας οὖν αἰσχύνης τὰς τῆς ἁμαρτίας φησί. "Καὶ ὑπέδειξά σοι." Τοῦτο διὰ μέσου κεῖται· Ὥσπερ τὸν σωζόμενον λαὸν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἀγαθόν σε ὑπόδειγμα ποιήσω, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ σοῦ ὑποδείγματος καὶ ἄλλοι σωθῶσιν. "Στῆσον σεαυτὴν, Σιών." ∆ιανάστηθι ἐκ τοῦ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πτώματος. Ἀνάστηθι διὰ τοῦ τροπαίου σταυροῦ. Ἢ οὕτως· Στῆσον σεαυτήν· ἀκριβολογήθητι τὰ κατὰ σεαυτήν· πρὸς ἑαυτὴν κρίθητι, καὶ δοκίμασον σεαυτήν. "Ποίησον τιμωρίαν." ∆ιὰ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πίστεως καὶ τῆς μετανοίας τιμώρησαι τὰ φαῦλα, καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς αὐτὰ ἐνεργοῦντας δαίμονας. "∆ὸς καρδίαν." Ἀνάλαβε, φησὶ, τοῦ Κυρίου τὸν σταυρὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων. Ἄλλως· Μὴ κρύπτε τὰ φαῦλα, ἀλλὰ φανέρωσον αὐτὰ δι' ἐξομολογήσεως. Ἄλλως· Ἐπίδος αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν κάματον τῆς μετανοίας. "Ὁδὸν ᾗ ἐπορεύθης." Ἐπειδὴ πεπόρευσαι ἐπὶ τὰ φαῦλα, ὑπόστρεψον ἐπὶ τὰ ἀγαθά. "Ἀποστράφηθι." Ὑπόστρεψον εἰς τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπαινουμένην πολιτείαν, καὶ πένθησον ἐπὶ ταῖς προτέραις ἁμαρτίαις τὸ πένθος τὸ μακαριζόμενον. 93.689 "Ἕως πότε ἀποστρέψεις;" Μέμφεται αὐτῇ ὡς βραδυνούσῃ εἰς τὴν ὑπακοήν. "Ὅτι ἔκτισέ με Κύριος σωτηρίαν." Ἀκύλας καὶ Σύμμαχος, ὅτι ἔκτισε Κύριος καινὸν ἐν τῇ θηλείᾳ, ἐκδεδώκασιν· σαφῶς δὲ διὰ τούτων ὁ καινὸς ἄνθρωπος, ὁ σαρκωθεὶς Λόγος, ὁ ἐκ Παρθένου τεχθεὶς προκατηγγέλθη. "Ἐν σωτηρίᾳ." ∆ιὰ Χριστοῦ, φησὶν, ἐπανήξουσιν ἄνθρωποι εἰς παράδεισον, ὅθεν ἐξέπεσον. Τοιαύτην τινὰ δοξολογίαν καὶ οἱ παῖδες ἀνέπεμψαν ἐπὶ τῷ Σωτῆρι. "Εὐλογημένος Κύριος ἐπὶ δίκαιον." Ταύτην φησὶ τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν ἀναπέμψουσιν οἱ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας λαοὶ ἅμα τοῖς διδασκάλοις· καὶ εἰς ὕψος