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having believed. "And many kings." For they are a holy nation, a royal priesthood; these things he unites after the historical account. The people being baptized in the Jordan. The one warring against the spiritual Babylon. "To Gaitham." Gaitham is a place of the Jordan, in which are many lions. "Because I will quickly drive them out." The Chaldeans from Babylon. "And who is this shepherd." For with the good shepherd delivering us, the enemy can do nothing to us. "Unless a pasture be made manifest from them." Instead of, most beloved children; and this is a sign of bitter captivity. CHAPTER 51. "A scorching, destroying wind." After the historical account, understand those who are helped by the Holy Spirit, those who dry up and destroy the streams of evil. "And do not spare." Instead of, do not be terrified by the threat of the demons. For I am with you. "Because their land." For the fullness, he says, of the injustice of the Chaldeans, was to carry away both the holy vessels and holy men to Babylon. "Flee from the midst of Babylon." The prophet commands those who are being saved to flee from the midst of Babylon, whether the perceptible one, or that of the world's confusion. "Babylon a golden cup." The so-called wrath of God is often named a cup in the divine Scripture. Therefore, since God punished those who worshiped him through the Babylonians, he has called it an intoxicating cup; and golden, because of the wealth in it. "The Lord stirred up the spirit of the king of the Medes." The voice of prophets giving thanks, because the people were redeemed both from the historical captivity, and from the confusion of the world through our Savior Jesus Christ. "Dwelling upon many waters." Of Cyrus; but others say of Darius. According to history, by the multitude of men, but in a spiritual sense, by the streams of the heart. "Because the Lord swore by his arm." By his own power. "And they will cry out against you." Instead of, reproaching you. 93.720 "The Lord who makes the earth." He teaches that God is to be contemplated by analogy from creation. In heaven, so as to produce thunders. "Every man has become foolish from knowledge." Not understanding from the beauty of created things their creator, or even at all; for now we know in part. "You scatter for me the instruments of war." Sensibly, the word is addressed to Babylon; but more truly all things in order are said to Satan; as from God. You, he says, attempt to scatter the God-fearing people who are able to fight you; but I scatter your entire demonic multitude, and those among them who are more powerful in evil. The maddening pleasure for women, and the demon who brings it about. "And I will scatter in you horse." The desires for glory, the desires for money, and the demons who bring them about. "And I will scatter in you young man." Those who are barren in virtue. "And I will scatter in you man and woman." The love of pleasure. "And I will scatter in you shepherd." The teachers of falsely named knowledge along with those who are persuaded by them. "And I will scatter in you farmer." The priests of idols, and their rites, and the idols. "And I will scatter leaders." The ruling demons in evil. "Behold, I am against you, O corrupting mountain." Sensibly, Nebuchadnezzar, but spiritually, Satan corrupted, because he too, having been one of the archangels, of his own free will fell from his proper virtue. "And I will stretch out my hand against you." I will push away from those who have believed, from the holy stones, which are rolled upon the earth, or also homonymously with the rock, that is Christ, the faithful too have been called rocks because of their faith in him, and the unshakeable nature of the faith. "And I will make you as a burned mountain." Instead of, fruitless, useless. "And they shall not take from you a stone." The solid and strong stones are laid for foundations, and for corners. You will be, therefore, weak, he says, and useless, and unprofitable. "Raise a standard on the earth." He calls the trumpet a standard. And God commands this perhaps to certain angelic powers, in order to stir up the souls of those who are about

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πιστεύσαντες. "Καὶ βασιλεῖς πολλοί." Ἔθνος γάρ εἰσιν ἄγιον, βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα· ταῦτα δὲ ἑνοῖ μετὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν. Ὁ ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ βαπτιζόμενος λαός. Ὁ τὴν νοητὴν Βαβυλῶνα καταπολεμῶν. "Εἰς Γαιθάμ." Γαιθὰμ τόπος τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ἐν ᾧ πολλοὶ λέοντες. "Ὅτι ταχέως ἐκδιώξω αὐτούς." Τοὺς Χαλδαίους ἐκ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος. "Καὶ τίς οὗτος ποιμήν." Τοῦ γὰρ ἀγαθοῦ ποιμένος ἐξαιρουμένου ἡμᾶς, οὐδὲν ἡμῖν ποιεῖν δύναται ὁ πολέμιος. "Ἐὰν μὴ διαφανισθῇ νομὴ ἀπ' αὐτῶν." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, φίλτατα τέκνα· δεῖγμα δὲ τοῦτο πικρᾶς αἰχμαλωσίας. ΚΕΦ. ΝΑʹ. "Ἄνεμον καύσωνα διαφθείροντα." Μετὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν νόει τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος βοηθουμένους, τοὺς ξηραίνοντας καὶ διαφθείροντας τῆς κακίας τὰ ῥεύματα. "Καὶ μὴ φείσεσθε." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, μὴ πτοηθῆτε τὴν ἀπειλὴν τῶν δαιμόνων. Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι μεθ' ὑμῶν. "Ὅτι ἡ γῆ αὐτῶν." Πλήρωμα γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς ἀδικίας τῶν Χαλδαίων, τὸ καὶ τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἅγια καὶ ἁγίους ἄνδρας μετάγειν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. "Φεύγετε ἐκ μέσου Βαβυλῶνος." Φεύγειν ὁ προφήτης κελεύει ἐκ μέσου τῆς Βαβυλῶνος τοὺς σωζομένους, εἴτε τῆς αἰσθητῆς, εἴτε καὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου συγχύσεως. "Ποτήριον χρυσοῦν Βαβυλών." Ποτήριον πολλαχοῦ παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ ὠνόμασται ἡ λεγομένη ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτῷ Θεὸς διὰ Βαβυλωνίων ἐτιμωρεῖτο, ποτήριον μεθύσκον αὐτὴν κέκληκεν· χρυσοῦν δὲ, διὰ τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ πλοῦτον. "Ἤγειρε Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα βασιλέως Μήδων." Προφητῶν ἡ φωνὴ εὐχαριστούντων, ὅτι ἐλυτρώθη ὁ λαὸς τῆς τε καθ' ἱστορίαν αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου συγχύσεως διὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. "Κατασκηνοῦντας ἐφ' ὕδασι πολλοῖς." Τοῦ Κύρου· φασὶ δὲ ἕτεροι ∆αρείου. Καθ' ἱστορίαν, τῇ πολυπληθείᾳ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τοῖς τῆς καρδίας ῥεύμασιν. "Ὅτι ὤμοσε Κύριος κατὰ τοῦ βραχίονος." Κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως. "Καὶ φθέγξονται ἐπὶ σέ." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὀνειδίζοντές σε. 93.720 "Κύριος ποιῶν γῆν." Ἀπὸ τῆς δημιουργίας ἀναλόγως θεωρεῖσθαι διδάσκει τὸν Θεόν. Ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, εἰς τὸ ἀποτελεῖν βροντάς. "Ἐμωράνθη πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ γνώσεως." Μὴ νοήσας ἀπὸ τῆς καλλονῆς τῶν κτισμάτων τὸν αὐτῶν δημιουργὸν, ἢ καὶ καθόλου. ὅτι νῦν ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν. "∆ιασκορπίζεις σύ μοι σκεύη πολέμου." Αἰσθητῶς μὲν, ὡς πρὸς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα ὁ λόγος· ἀληθέστερον δὲ πάντα ἐφεξῆς πρὸς τὸν Σατανᾶν εἴρηται· ὡς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Σὺ, φησὶν, ἐπιχειρεῖς διασκορπίζειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς θεοσεβεῖς τοὺς δυναμένους σοι πολεμεῖν· ἐγὼ δὲ διασκορπίζω σου πᾶσαν δαιμονιώδη πληθὺν, καὶ τοὺς αὐτῶν ἐν κακίᾳ ἐπικρατεστέρους. Ἡδονὴν τὴν θηλυμανῆ, καὶ τὸν ταύτην ἐνεργοῦντα δαίμονα. "Καὶ διασκορπιῶ ἐν σοὶ ἵππον." Τὰς φιλοδοξίας, τὰς φιλοχρηματίας καὶ τοὺς αὐτὰς ἐνεργοῦντας δαίμονας. "Καὶ διασκορπιῶ ἐν σοὶ νεανίσκον." Τοὺς ἀγόνους εἰς ἀρετήν. "Καὶ διασκορπιῶ ἐν σοὶ ἄνδρα καὶ γυναῖκα." Τὴν φιληδονίαν. "Καὶ διασκορπιῶ ἐν σοὶ ποιμένα." Τοὺς τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως διδασκάλους σὺν τοῖς πειθομένοις. "Καὶ διασκορπιῶ ἐν σοὶ γεωργόν." Τοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων ἱερουργοὺς, καὶ τὰς τελετὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα. "Καὶ διασκορπιῶ ἡγεμόνας." Τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐν κακίᾳ δαίμονας. "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πρὸς σὲ τὸ ὄρος τὸ διεφθαρμένον." Αἰσθητῶς μὲν τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν τὸν Σατανᾶν διεφθαρμένον, ὅτι εἷς καὶ αὐτὸς γεγονὼς τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων, αὐτοπροαιρέτως τῆς οἰκείας ἐξέπεσεν ἀρετῆς. "Καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ σέ." Ἐξώσω ἀπὸ τῶν πεπιστευκότων, τῶν ἁγίων λίθων, τῶν κυλιομένων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἢ καὶ ὁμωνύμως τῇ πέτρᾳ, τουτέστι Χριστῷ, καὶ οἱ πιστοὶ πέτραι ἐκλήθησαν διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πίστιν, καὶ τὸ ἀκλόνητον τῆς πίστεως. "Καὶ δώσω σε ὡς ὅρος ἐμπεπυρισμένον." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἄκαρπον, ἀχρεῖον. "Καὶ οὐ μὴ λάβωσι ἀπὸ σοῦ λίθον." Οἱ στερεοὶ καὶ ἐῤῥωμένοι λίθοι εἰς τοὺς θεμελίους καταβάλλονται, καὶ εἰς γωνίας. Ἔσῃ οὖν ἀσθενὴς, φησὶ, καὶ ἀχρεῖος, καὶ ἀνωφελής. "Ἅρατε σημεῖον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Τὴν σάλπιγγα σημεῖόν φησι. Κελεύει δὲ τοῦτο Θεὸς ἴσως ἀγγελικαῖς τισι δυνάμεσιν, ἐπὶ τῷ διεγεῖραι τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν μελλόντων