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a just judge, who will give to each the appropriate reward in good things; but to the wicked and lazy servant who hid the words and bound them up with himself, having accomplished nothing, He will bring the wages of wickedness. -The phrase “over ten or five cities” indicates a certain rule and authority to be given to the saints over those who are inferior and worthy of being directed. But He will make such a distinction among His servants; but as for those not deemed worthy of the same servitude, but who have become His citizens, yet have enrolled themselves in the country of His enemies and those who hate Him, and have sent an embassy denying His kingship, what end there will be, He showed by predicting that when the king returned at His second and kingly theophany, He would issue a fearful sentence against them, which said: But as for those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me. By what authority do you do these things? He Himself, performing works of divine power, showed wondrous and extraordinary deeds, and taught heavenly lessons; but they, though they should have been amazed and recognized from His words and deeds that He was indeed the Christ proclaimed by the prophets, did not do this, but, coming upon Him suddenly to subvert the crowd, they rebuked Him, asking by what authority He was doing these things, and from whom He had received the authority to do such things without fear. I also will ask you, etc. Patiently and gently receiving them, the Lord 24.596 asks about John the Baptist, not from where he himself was, but from where he had received the law of baptism. For He considered it burdensome and boastful to testify about Himself; but to refer to John contained a hidden teaching about Himself; for it was acknowledged by all the people that John had come from heaven. And this same man testified to the Savior from where He had received His authority. For when some reported to him that Jesus was baptizing, he answered and said to them: A man can receive nothing of himself, unless it has been given to him from heaven above. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him’; and again: ‘He who comes from above is above all’; and again: ‘The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life.’ Therefore, from John’s testimony about Him, it was clear by what authority the Savior did these things, and who had given Him such authority. There will be signs in the sun and moon, and stars. For then, when the consummation of mortal life has come, and the form of this world has passed away according to the Apostle, a new age will dawn. For instead of all the sensible luminaries that previously illumined the age before this, our Savior Himself will then shine forth and appear, established as the author and luminary, and king of the new age. And so great will be the power of His divinity, and His unsurpassable glory, that the present sun and the moon and the other luminaries in heaven will, by comparison with the greater, be hidden and veiled by His power. Of the things coming upon the world. And what things are coming, he explains by adding: For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. For when the Son of God comes with power and great glory, and is about to destroy the godless and boastful tyranny of the son of perdition by the manifestation of His coming, and to consume him with the spirit of His mouth, and when the heavenly spirits and the divine and angelic ministers of God are escorting the Son of God and will be present with Him, the powers of the heavens will be shaken; so that then this is fulfilled: ‘Lift up your gates, O rulers, and the King of glory shall come in.’ But where

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δίκαιος κριτὴς, ἀποδώσων ἑκάστῳ τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἀμοιβήν· τῷ δ' ἐγκρύψαντι τοὺς λόγους καὶ καταδήσαντι παρ' ἑαυτῷ, μηδέν τε εἰργασμένῳ πονηρῷ δούλῳ καὶ ὀκνηρῷ, τἀπίχειρα τῆς πονηρίας ἐποίσει. -Τὸ ἐπάνω δέκα ἢ πέντε πόλεων ἀρχήν τινα καὶ ἐξουσίαν δηλοῖ δοθησομένην τοῖς ἁγίοις κατὰ ὑποδεεστέρων καὶ τοῦ διευθύνεσθαι ἀξίων. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τῶν μὲν αὐτοῦ θεραπόντων τοιαύτην ποιήσεται τὴν διάκρισιν· τῶν δὲ μὴ τῆς αὐτῆς δουλείας κατηξιωμένων, ἄλλως δὲ πολιτῶν αὐτοῦ γεγενημένων, ἐν ἐχθρῶν δὲ καὶ μισούντων αὐτὸν χώρᾳ ἑαυτοὺς καταλεξάντων, πρεσβείαν τε ἀπεσταλκότων ἀπαρνουμένην αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν, ὁποῖον ἔσται τέλος, παρίστη δι' ὧν ἐπανελθόντα τὸν βασιλέα κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ βασιλικὴν αὐτοῦ θεοφάνειαν, φοβερὰν ἀπόφασιν ἐξοίσειν κατ' αὐτῶν προὔλεγε τὴν φήσασαν· Πλὴν τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐκείνους, τοὺς μὴ θελήσαντάς με βασιλεῦσαι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, ἀγάγετε ὧδε, καὶ κατασφάξατε ἔμπροσθέν μου. Ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς; Αὐτὸς μὲν ἔργα θεϊκῆς δυνάμεως ἐπιτελῶν, τεραστίας καὶ παραδόξους πράξεις ἐνεδείκνυτο, ἐδίδασκέ τε οὐράνια μαθήματα· οἱ δ' ἀποθαυμάζειν δέον, γνωρίζειν τε ἐκ τῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν πράξεων, ὡς ἄρα αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν κεκηρυγμένος, τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἔπραττον, ἐπ' ἀνατροπῇ δὲ τοῦ πλήθους ἐπιστάντες ἀθρόως, ἐπετίμων πυνθανόμενοι ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ εἴη ταῦτα ποιῶν, καὶ παρὰ τίνος εἰλήφει τὴν τοῦ τὰ τοιάδε πράττειν ἀδεῶς ἐξουσίαν. Ἐρωτήσω ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ, κ. τ. λ. Ἀνεξικάκως καὶ πράως αὐτοὺς δεξάμενος ὁ Κύ 24.596 ριος ἀνερωτᾷ περὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ, οὐ πόθεν εἴη αὐτὸς, ἀλλὰ πόθεν τὸν τοῦ βαπτίσματος νόμον εἰλήφοι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μαρτυρεῖν ἐπαχθὲς ἡγεῖτο καὶ περιαυτολόγον· τὸ δ' ἐπὶ Ἰωάννην ἀναπέμπειν λεληθυῖαν τὴν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ διδασκαλίαν περιεῖχεν· ὡμολόγητο γὰρ παρὰ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ Ἰωάννης ἐξ οὐρανῶν ὡρμημένος. Οὗτος δὲ αὐτὸς ἐμαρτύρει τῷ Σωτῆρι πόθεν εἴη τὴν ἐξουσίαν εἰληφώς. Ὡς γὰρ ἀπήγγελλον αὐτῷ τινες, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς βαπτίζει, ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Οὐ δύναται ἄνθρωπος λαμβάνειν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲν, ἐὰν μὴ ᾗ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἄνωθεν. Αὐτοὶ ὑμεῖς μαρτυρεῖτέ μοι, ὅτι εἶπον· Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀπεσταλμένος εἰμὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐκείνου· καὶ πάλιν· Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστί· καὶ αὖθις· Ὁ Πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ πάντα δέδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Οὐκοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰωάννου περὶ αὐτοῦ μαρτυρίας δῆλος ἦν ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ἔπραττεν ὁ Σωτὴρ, καὶ τίς αὐτῷ δεδώκει τὴν τοιαύτην ἐξουσίαν. Ἔσται σημεῖα ἐν ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ, καὶ ἄστροις. Τηνικαῦτα γὰρ τῆς συντελείας τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου γενομένης, παρελθόντος τε τοῦ σχήματος τοῦ κόσμου τούτου κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον, νέος αἰὼν διαλήψεται. Ἀντὶ γὰρ πάντων τῶν αἰσθητῶν φωστήρων τῶν πρὶν φωτιζόντων τὸν πρὸ τούτου αἰῶνα ἐπιλάμψει λοιπὸν αὐτὸς καὶ ἐπιφανήσεται ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, ἀρχηγὸς καὶ φωστὴρ, καὶ βασιλεὺς τοῦ νέου αἰῶνος καταστησόμενος. Τοσαύτη δέ τις ἔσται ἡ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ δύναμις, καὶ ἡ ἀνυπέρβλητος αὐτοῦ δόξα, ὡς τὸν νῦν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ φωστῆρας διὰ τὴν τοῦ κρείττονος παράθεσιν ἀποκρυβῆναι καὶ καλυφθῆναι τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει. Τῶν ὑπερχομένων τῇ οἰκουμένῃ. Τίνα δὲ τὰ ἐπερχόμενα, ἑρμηνεύει συνάπτων· Αἱ γὰρ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται. Τοῦ γὰρ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς ἐπιστησομένου, καὶ τὴν ἄθεον καὶ μεγάλαυχον τυραννίδα τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀπωλείας καταργεῖν μέλλοντος τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, ἀναλίσκειν τε τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, τῶν τε ἐπουρανίων πνευμάτων καὶ τῶν θείων καὶ ἀγγελικῶν λειτουργῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ δορυφορούντων καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ παρεσομένων, αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται· ὡς τότε πληροῦσθαι τό· Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ Βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Ποῦ δὲ