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nations shall bless in him, and in him they shall praise God in Jerusalem,” let us do the things that were said from the beginning. Which is first? to remove "the abominations from our mouth"; next is "you shall be reverent before my face"; let us do this second, not simply, so that we may be reverent; for perhaps there is a reverence that comes to be, but not from the face of God. At any rate, those who fear without knowledge, but purpose to fear, are not reverent from the face of God; but as many as are reverent with knowledge, by always seeing and picturing to themselves "the face of God turned against those who do evil, to destroy their remembrance from the earth," these are the ones who are reverent from the face of God. 5.12 “If he removes the abominations <of his> from his mouth, and is reverent before my face, and shall swear: As the Lord lives, in truth and in judgment and in righteousness.” Let us who swear see ourselves, in what way we do not swear in judgment but without judgment, so that our oaths become a matter of habit rather than of judgment. For we are carried away, and convicting this, the word says: "and if he shall swear: As the Lord lives, in truth and in judgment and in righteousness." We know what was said in the Gospel by the Lord to the disciples: “But I say to you, do not swear at all,” but let us see also this saying; and if God grants, both will be examined together. For perhaps one must first swear “in truth and in judgment and in righteousness,” so that after this, having advanced, one may become worthy of not swearing at all, but to have a "yes" that does not need <witnesses> to be this, and for him to have a "no" that does not need witnesses for it to be truly "no". “And he shall swear,” therefore, “As the Lord lives in truth.” In the one who swears I first seek not falsehood, but truth, so that he may swear with truth, -but we wretches even perjure ourselves, -but let it be “with truth,” not even <so> is an oath well made, “but in judgment”; for grant it, I swear by habit; <I do not swear> “in judgment.” If one should take into such an oath the God of all <and> his Christ upon this matter, how great must the matter be, that I should bend my knees and swear? To cure the unbelief arising in some concerning my word I might do this sometime, but if it were a random matter, if I were to swear thus, I would sin. "If," therefore, "he shall swear: <As> the Lord <lives>, with truth, and in judgment," not without judgment, "and in righteousness," not unrighteously, "and nations shall bless in him"; he united both, those from the nations and Israel, he spoke concerning the nations, he spoke 5.13 also concerning Israel; he adds: “and nations shall bless in him, and in him they shall praise God in Jerusalem. Because thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to those who dwell in Jerusalem”; he has spoken to those from the nations, he has spoken also to those from Israel, he speaks to those from Judah. I remember the things previously said about the tropological interpretations of Judah and of those dwelling in Jerusalem; for we dwell, if God grants, in Jerusalem. Since “where the treasure is, there the heart is also,” if we store up treasure in heaven, we also have our heart in the Jerusalem above, concerning which the apostle says: “But the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother, as it is written,” and what follows. “Thus,” therefore, “says the Lord to the men of Judah and to those who dwell in Jerusalem: break up your fallow ground, and do not sow on thorns.” This word is said especially to teachers, that they not entrust the things being said to the hearers before breaking up fallow ground in their souls. For when, “having put their hand to the plow,” they break up fallow ground in the souls of those hearing, according to “the good” and “noble soil,” then when they sow they do not sow “on thorns.” But if before the plow and before breaking up fallow ground in the ruling faculty of the hearers, one receives the holy seeds, the word concerning the Father, the word concerning the Son, the word concerning the Holy Spirit, the word concerning resurrection, the word concerning punishment, the word concerning rest, the word concerning law, the word concerning

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εὐλογήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ αἰνέσουσιν τῷ θεῷ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ», ποιήσωμεν τὰ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰρημένα, ποῖον δὲ πρῶτον; περιελεῖν «τὰ βδελύγ ματα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος» ἡμῶν· ἑξῆς ἐστιν καὶ τὸ «ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου μου εὐλαβηθήσῃ»· δεύτερον τοῦτο ποιή σωμεν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἵνα εὐλαβηθῶμεν· τάχα γάρ ἐστιν εὐλάβεια γινομένη, οὐκ ἀπὸ προσώπου δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ. Οἱ γοῦν οὐκ ἐπιστημόνως φοβούμενοι, προτιθέμενοι δὲ φοβεῖ σθαι, οὐκ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ εὐλαβοῦνται· ὅσοι δὲ μετ' ἐπιστήμης εὐλαβοῦνται, τῷ ἀεὶ βλέπειν καὶ ἀναζω γραφεῖν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ «πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ γινόμενον ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὰ κακά, τοῦ ἐξολοθρευθῆναι ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν», οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ εὐλαβούμενοι. 5.12 «Ἐὰν περιέλῃ τὰ βδελύγματα <αὐτοῦ> ἀπὸ τοῦ στόμα τος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου μου εὐλαβηθῇ, καὶ ὀμόσῃ· ζῇ κύριος, ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἐν δικαιο σύνῃ.» Ἴδωμεν ἡμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς οἱ ὀμνύοντες, τίνα τρόπον οὐκ ἐν κρίσει ὀμνύομεν ἀλλ' ἀκρίτως, ὥστε γενέσθαι ἡμῶν τοὺς ὅρκους ἔθει μᾶλλον ἢ κρίσει. Συναρπαζόμεθα γοῦν, καὶ τοῦτο ἐλέγχων ὁ λόγος φησίν· «καὶ ἐὰν ὀμόσῃ· ζῇ κύριος, ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ». Οἴδαμεν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς· «Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ὀμόσαι ὅλως», ἴδω μεν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ῥητόν· καὶ ἐὰν διδῷ θεός, συνεξετασθή σεται τὰ ἀμφότερα. Τάχα γὰρ πρῶτον δεῖ ὀμόσαι «ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ», ἵνα μετὰ τοῦτο προκόψας τις ἄξιος γένηται τοῦ μὴ ὀμνύειν ὅλως, ἀλλ' ἔχειν «ναὶ» μὴ δεόμενον <μαρτύρων> τοῦ εἶναι τοῦτο, καὶ ἔχειν αὐτὸν «οὒ» μὴ δεόμενον μαρτύρων τοῦ εἶναι αὐτὸ ἀληθῶς «οὔ». «Καὶ ὀμόσῃ» οὖν «ζῇ κύριος ἐν ἀληθείᾳ». Ἐν τῷ ὀμνύοντι πρῶτον ζητῶ τὸ μὴ ψεῦδος, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀληθές, ἵνα μετὰ ἀληθείας ὀμόσῃ, -ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ τάλανες καὶ ἐπιορ κοῦμεν, -ἀλλ' ἔστω «μετὰ ἀληθείας», οὐδὲ <οὕτως> καλῶς ὅρκος γίνεται, «ἀλλ' ἐν κρίσει»· δεδόσθω γάρ, ἔθει ὀμνύω· <οὐκ ὀμνύω> «ἐν κρίσει». Εἰ δέοι παρα λαμβάνειν εἰς τὸν τοιοῦτον ὅρκον τὸν θεὸν τὸν τοῦ παντὸς <καὶ> τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τόδε τὸ πρᾶγμα, πηλίκον δεῖ εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἵνα γόνατα θῶ καὶ ὀμόσω; Πρὸς τὴν ἀπιστίαν γενομένην ἔν τισιν περὶ τοῦ λόγου μου θερα πεύων τοῦτο ποιήσαιμί ποτε, εἰ δὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, εἰ οὕτως ὀμνύοιμι, ἁμάρτοιμι ἄν. «Ἐὰν» οὖν «ὀμόσῃ· <ζῇ> κύριος, μετὰ ἀληθείας, καὶ ἐν κρίσει» μὴ ἀκρίτως «καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ» μὴ ἀδίκως, «καὶ εὐλογήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη»· ἥνωσεν ἀμφότερα, τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ, εἶπεν περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἶπεν 5.13 καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· ἐπιφέρει· «καὶ εὐλογήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ αἰνέσουσιν τῷ θεῷ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὅτι τάδε λέγει κύριος τοῖς ἀνδράσιν Ἰούδα καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλήμ»· εἴρηκεν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἴρηκεν καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, λέγει τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα. Μέμνημαι τῶν πρώην εἰρημένων περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τροπολογιῶν· κατοι κοῦμεν γὰρ ἡμεῖς, ἐὰν ὁ θεὸς διδῷ, ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἐπεὶ «ὅπου ὁ θησαυρός, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ καρδία», ἐὰν θησαυ ρίζωμεν ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἔχομεν τὴν καρδίαν ἐν Ἱερου σαλὴμ τῇ ἄνω, περὶ ἧς ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν· «Ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν, ἥτις ἐστὶν μήτηρ ἡμῶν, ὡς γέγραπται» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. «Τάδε» οὖν «λέγει κύριος τοῖς ἀνδράσιν Ἰούδα καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλήμ· νεώσατε ἑαυτοῖς νεώματα, καὶ μὴ σπείρετε ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις». Ὁ λόγος οὗτος μάλιστα τοῖς διδάσκουσι λέγεται, ἵνα μὴ πρότερον ἐμπιστεύσωσιν τὰ λεγόμενα τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς πρὸ τοῦ νεώματα ποιῆσαι ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν. Ὅταν γὰρ «ἀρότρῳ ἐπιβαλόντες τὴν χεῖρα» νεώματα ποιήσωσιν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς, κατὰ «τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν» καὶ «ἀγαθὴν» τούτων ἀκουόντων, τότε σπείροντες οὐ σπείρουσιν «ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις». Ἐὰν δὲ πρὸ τοῦ ἀρότρου καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νεώματα ποιῆσαι ἐν τῷ ἡγεμο νικῷ τῶν ἀκουόντων, λάβῃ τις τὰ σπέρματα τὰ ἅγια, τὸν περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς λόγον, τὸν περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ, τὸν περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ ἀναστάσεως, τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ κολάσεως, τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ ἀναπαύ σεως, τὸν περὶ νόμου, τὸν περὶ