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species, is taken to mean the diversity of human choice. But a tree of the oak of Bashan signifies a harsh and resistant character. Common custom compares such people to the oak, whose fruit is food for swine. Whence it is called a tree of shame. For this is how Bashan is interpreted. Therefore, those whose glory is in their shame are also punished. But according to the literal meaning, they say that this place of Judea is Bashan, now Batanaea, the best nurturer of trees. But Scripture calls not only the licentious life, but also idolatry, a shame. As Elijah said to Ahab, "Send," he says, "to him, to Carmel the prophets, men of shame, who ate at the tables of Jezebel." Moreover, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire on the day of the Lord." And upon every mountain, it says, and upon every hill. These are wicked powers, having as measures of 1889 their wrongdoings the difference between one another, just as mountains and hills differ from what lies beneath. For there too is one choice, differing in magnitude. And the tower, a high watchtower for the protection of a city, and for knowledge of enemy attacks, such as the mind given to us by God, is a guardian of good things, and foresees those who plot against us. But it is not right for this one to work out the ascent to heaven in itself through earthly things. For the Lord descends to it, fallen low because of its pride, shattering for salvation its accord with evil things; concerning whose building the Lord commands first to calculate, then we acquired for completion. He says that this one, being high-minded, must fear the day of the Lord. And the wall, protecting a city, repels the attacks of enemies. So also with the reasonings within us, some are guardians of the doctrines of truth, surrounding the mind so that the doctrines are not overthrown; others are devised for the fortification of falsehood, and the protection of vanity from external contrivance. For dialectic is a wall, not allowing those who wish to plunder and dissolve the doctrines. Wherefore the walls of Jerusalem are inscribed upon the hands of the Lord; but those of Jericho are torn down by Josiah, being dissolved by voice alone. Above, then, only the high things are accused. But here, also those things having a certain strength with their height, the plausibility which has been greatly strengthened and exalted in demonstrative methods, the prophet tropologically calls a high wall, affirming that this will be thrown down on the day of the Lord. But for the sake of training, Scripture hands these things down through names, accustoming the mind to accept nothing at random, nor to be kept on the ground. And after the high-minded intellect, which is not carried away with the humble, he again speaks in riddles about bodies, calling them ships of the sea. For the day of the Lord is not terrible to inanimate things; but to those who through their bodies are tossed in the salty surge of this life, which indeed those living in the flesh but not warring according to the flesh trample down, doing their work in many waters, when they also descend with their life to gain some of those who are submerged. Wherefore they saw the works of the Lord, receiving as a reward for their work 1892 the understanding of the works of the Lord, and of the wonders in the deep. But he also threatens those who beautify their bodies, and are excessively captivated by the sight of them. For the sight of ships is not terrible, but the perception for the desire of the body. And that the things spoken of before are riddles, he has made clear by saying: and every man will be humbled, that is, every form of evil among men will fall. But the Lord alone, he says, will be exalted. For when light appears, darkness disappears, and when truth is demonstrated, the nature of falsehood is refuted. And when all true contemplation is comprehended, the things that before seemed high and lofty become easy to despise, with every rational nature bearing witness that height belongs to God alone. But Scripture discusses the two comings of the Lord in an interwoven manner. For the things spoken of before, concern the

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εἴδη, εἰς τὸ ποικίλον τῆς προαιρέσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαμβάνεται. ∆ένδρον δὲ βαλάνου Βασᾶν, σκληρὸν ἦθος δηλοῖ καὶ ἀντίτυπον. Τοὺς δὲ τοιούτους, καὶ ἡ κοινὴ συνήθεια παρεικάζει δρυῒ, ἧς ὁ καρπὸς χοίρων τροφή. Ὅθεν δένδρον αἰσχύνης ὠνόμασται. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ Βασᾶν ἑρμηνεύεται. Κολάζονται οὖν καὶ ὧν ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ ῥητὸν, χωρίον τοῦτο τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἶναί φασι τὴν Βασᾶν, τὴν νῦν Βαταναίαν, δένδρων ἀρίστην τροφόν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τὸν ἀσελγῆ βίον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν, αἰσχύνην φησὶν ἡ Γραφή. Ὡς Ἐλιοῦ πρὸς Ἀχαὰβ,"Ἀποστεῖλαι, φησὶ, πρὸς αὐτὸν, εἰς τὸν Κάρμηλον τοὺς προφήτας, τῆς αἰσχύνης ἄνδρας, οἳ ἤσθιον τὰς τραπέζας Ἰεζαβέλ." Πλὴν, "Πᾶν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν εἰς πῦρ ἐμβάλλεται κοπὲν ἐν τῇ Κυρίου ἡμέρᾳ." Καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν ὄρος, φησὶ, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα βουνόν. Πονηραὶ δυνάμεις αὐταὶ, μέτρα τῶν 1889 ἀδικημάτων ἔχουσαι τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλας διαφορὰν, ὡς ὄρη τε καὶ βουνοὶ τοῖς ὑποκειμένοις διαφέροντα. Κακεῖ γὰρ προαίρεσις μία τῷ μεγέθει διάφορος. Ὁ δὲ πύργος, ὑψηλὸν σκοπευτήριον πρὸς φυλακὴν πόλεως, καὶ γνῶσιν ἐφόδων πολεμικῶν, ὁποῖος ἡμῖν ὁ νοῦς ἐδόθη παρὰ Θεοῦ, φυλακτικὸς μὲν ἀγαθῶν, προβλέπων δὲ τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας. Οὐ χρὴ δὲ τοῦτον ἐν αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν γηΐνων τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν ἄνοδον πραγματεύεσθαι. Καταβαίνει γὰρ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς αὐτὸν κάτω πεσόντα διὰ τὸ φρόνημα, διασπῶν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τὴν πρὸς τὰ κακὰ συμφωνίαν αὐτοῦ· περὶ οὗ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς κελεύει πρῶτον ψηφίζειν ὁ Κύριος, εἶτα πρὸς ἀπαρτισμὸν ἐκτησάμεθα. Τοῦτον ὑψηλοφρονοῦντα δεδιέναι δεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου φησίν. Καὶ τὸ τεῖχος δὲ φυλᾶττον πόλιν, τῶν πολεμίων τὰς προσβολὰς ἀποκρούεται. Οὕτω καὶ λόγων τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν, οἱ μὲν τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας δογμάτων φυλακτικοὶ, τῷ νῷ πρὸς τὸ μὴ καθαιρεῖσθαι τὰ δόγματα περικείμενοι· οἱ δὲ πρὸς ὀχύρωσιν ψεύδους, καὶ φυλακὴν ματαιότητος ἐκ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπινοίας ἐπιτηδευόμενοι. Τεῖχος γὰρ ἡ διαλεκτικὴ, μὴ συγχωροῦσα τοῖς βουλομένοις διαρπᾶσαί τε καὶ διαλῦσαι τὰ δόγματα. ∆ιὸ τὰ μὲν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τείχη ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν ἀναγέγραπται τοῦ Κυρίου· τὰ δὲ Ἱεριχοῦς ὑπὸ Ἰωσιοῦ καθαιρεῖται φωνῇ μόνῃ διαλυόμενα. Ἄνω μὲν οὖν μόνα κατηγορεῖται τὰ ὑψηλά. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ, καὶ τὰ ἰσχύν τινα μετὰ τοῦ ὕψους ἔχοντα τὴν ἐν ταῖς ἀποδεικτικαῖς μεθόδοις ἐπὶ πολὺ κραταιωθεῖσαν πιθανότητα, καὶ ὑψωθεῖσαν, τεῖχος ὑψηλὸν τροπικῶς λέγοντος τοῦ προφήτου διαβεβαιουμένου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου τοῦτο καθαιρεθήσεσθαι. Γυμνασίας δὲ χάριν διὰ ὀνομάτων αὐτὰ παραδίδωσιν ἡ Γραφὴ μηδὲν εἰκῆ προσίεσθαι, μηδὲ τὸν νοῦν ἔχειν χαμαὶ συνεθίζουσα. Μετὰ δὲ τὸν ὑψηλόφρονα νοῦν, καὶ τοῖς ταπεινοῖς οὐ συναπαγόμενον, καὶ περὶ σωμάτων αὖθις αἰνίττεται, πλοῖα ταῦτα θαλάσσης εἰπών. Οὐ τοῖς ἀψύχοις γὰρ φοβερὰ ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμέρα· τοῖς δὲ διὰ τῶν σωμάτων ἐν τῷ ἁλμυρῷ τοῦ βίου τοῦ τούτου κλύδωνι σαλευομένοις, ὃν δὴ καταπατοῦσιν οἱ ἐν σαρκὶ ζῶντες, καὶ μὴ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμενοι, ποιοῦντες ἐργασίαν ἐν ὕδασιν πολλοῖς, ὅτε καὶ τῷ βίῳ συγκαταβαίνουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν βεβυθισμένων κερδάναι τινάς. ∆ιὸ εἴδοσαν τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου, μισθὸν τῆς ἐργα 1892 σίας τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν ἔργων Κυρίου, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ θαυμασίων λαμβάνοντες. Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ καὶ τοῖς τὰ σώματα καλλωπίζουσιν, καὶ περὶ τὴν τούτων θέαν περιέργως ἐπτοημένοις. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ τῶν πλοίων θέα φοβερά· ἀλλ' ἡ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ σώματος κατανόησις. Ὅτι δὲ τὰ περὶ τῶν προειρημένων ἐστιν αἰνίγματα, δεδήλωκεν εἰπών· καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται πᾶς ἄνθρωπος τοῦτ' ἕστι πᾶσα ἰδέα τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις κακῶν καταπεσεῖται. Μόνος δέ φησιν ὁ Κύριος ὑψωθήσεται. Φωτὸς γὰρ ἀναφανέντος, ἀφανίζεται σκότος, καὶ ἀληθείας ἀποδειχθείσης, ἡ τοῦ ψεύδους φύσις ἐλέγχεται. Καὶ πάσης τῆς ἀληθινῆς θεωρίας καταληφθείσης, εὐκαταφρόνητα τὰ δοκοῦντα πρὶν ὑψηλὰ καὶ μετέωρα, πάσης λογικῆς φύσεως τὸ ὕψος μόνον μαρτυρούσης Θεῷ. Ἐπιπεπλεγμένως δὲ περὶ τῶν δύο τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσιῶν ἡ Γραφὴ διαλέγεται. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ προειρημένα, περὶ τῆς