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to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying: Do not harm, he says, until the servants of our God are sealed. For the divine angel to arrive from the rising of the sun, but not from the west and the evening, signifies a gospel proclamation and a promise of good things. And concerning the present seal, the prophet, foreseeing in the spirit, also said: The light of your countenance has been marked upon us, O Lord. For the time being, it is good that he commands no one to be harmed, until those of the Jews worthy of being saved are sealed, so that the righteous may not suffer any unwanted things along with the sinners. And they sealed, he says, one hundred forty-four thousand; for many they were, and beyond number, those from the Jews who believed in Christ, to whom also salvation from the common utter destruction was due, and they who said to Paul when he was in Jerusalem bear witness: You see, brother, how many myriads there are of Jews who have believed? And it was likely that not only the faithful escaped, but also those who cooperated through ignorance and deceit with the cross of the Lord, concerning whom he said: Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing—although Cyril in the thirteenth book Against Julian says that this prayer of the Lord is not found in the Gospels, yet it has been spoken among us—and not only these, but also those who were not present then, or residing in Jerusalem, and for this reason had not shared in the unholy counsel of the accursed 98 high priests concerning the cross, or who were indeed present, but yet had not partaken of the defilement, even if he himself blessed all under heaven, it having turned out contrary to how the God-hated council of the lawless wished; all of whom it is likely were later sealed with the faith of Christ. For otherwise the angel would not have called them servants of God; when these had been saved by flight and by defecting to the Romans, the remaining evil ones were evilly destroyed, becoming a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men in another way, and not as Paul said concerning the divine apostles. And again, Josephus is a witness of these things, enumerating very many myriads to the famine. The equality according to the number of those sealed and who believed from each tribe. signifies the equal honor of zeal and the unanimity of faith, even if from this tribe more, and from another fewer were saved and believed in Christ, who was dishonored by the Jews? but is worshiped by us and by all super-celestial creation now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen#556 Fifth discourseThese things which the discourse has narrated, have been shown to the divine evangelist concerning those from the blood of Israel who were sealed and for this reason were saved, and then also believed. But so that nothing lacking might be seen by him, the divine oracle shows him also the countless myriads of the nations, who after these things ran to the faith, being both around the Lord and standing by the divine throne. For since the Lord is described almost in the proclamation of the vision as arriving 99 in the second coming, and the saints at that time are caught up in the clouds to meet the Savior, according to the divine apostle, the vision shows them as having been previously caught up and as having obtained the blessedness laid up for them. For what is more blessed than to have been deemed worthy to be with Christ and to behold the divine throne? But see what he says. After these things I saw, and behold, a great crowd, which no one was able to number, from every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits upon the throne. And the holy ones of the elders stand around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped our God unto the ages of ages. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying

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τέσσαρσιν ἀγγέλοις οἷς ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἀδικῆσαι τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, λέγων· μηδὲν ἀδικήσετέ φησιν ἄχρι σφραγισθῶσιν οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. τὸ μὲν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν καὶ τῆς ἑσπέρας παραγίνεσθαι τὸν θεῖον ἄγγελον, εὐαγγελισμὸν αἰνίττεται καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίαν. τὴν δέ γε σφραγῖδα τὴν νῦν, καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐν πνεύματι προορῶν ἔλεγεν· ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε. καλῶς τέως τὸ μηδένα ἀδικηθῆναι κελεύει, ἄχρι σφραγισθῶσιν οἱ τοῦ διασωθῆναι τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἄξιοι, ὅπως μὴ δὲ οἱ δίκαιοι σὺν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς πάθωσί τι τῶν ἀβουλήτων. καὶ ἐσφράγισάν φησιν ἑκατὸν τεσσαρακοντέσσαρας χιλιάδας· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἦσαν καὶ ἀριθμοῦ κρείττονες οἱ Χριστῷ πιστεύσαντες ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, οἷς καὶ τὸ σώζεσθαι ἐκ τῆς κοινῆς ὠφείλετο πανωλεθρίας, καὶ μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ λέγοντες τῷ Παύλῳ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ γενομένῳ· θεωρεῖς, ἀδελφέ, πόσαι μυριάδες εἰσὶν Ἰουδαίων τῶν πεπιστευκότων; οὐ μόνον δὲ εἰκὸς ἦν διαφυγεῖν τοὺς πιστούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ καὶ ἀπάτῃ συνεργήσαντας τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Κυρίου, περὶ ὧν ἔλεγεν· Πατέρ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσινεἰ καὶ ὁ Κύριλλος ἐν τρισκαιδεκάτῳ βιβλίῳ Κατὰ Ἰουλιανοῦ λέγει μὴ κεῖσθαι ταύτην τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν εὐχὴν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, παρ' ἡμῖν δέ γε εἴρηταικαὶ οὐ μόνον τούτους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς οὐδὲ παρόντας τηνικάδε, ἢ ἐνδημοῦντας ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ κεκοινωνηκότας τῇ ἀνοσίῳ βουλῇ τῶν καταρά 98 των ἀρχιερέων τῇ περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ, ἢ καὶ παρόντας μέν, οὐ μὴν τοῦ μιάσματος κατεσχηκότας, εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς πᾶσαν εὐλόγησε τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανόν, ἐναντίως ἀποβὰν ἢ ὡς τὸ θεοστυγὲς ἢβούλετο συνέδριον τῶν παρανόμων· οὓς πάντας εἰκὸς ὕστερον τῇ Χριστοῦ σφραγισθῆναι πίστει. οὐ γὰρ ἂν αὐτοὺς ἄλλως ὁ ἄγγελος ἐκάλεσε δουλοὺς Θεοῦ· ὧν διασωθέντων φυγῇ τὲ καὶ τῷ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους αὐτομολῆσαι οἱ λοιποὶ κακοὶ κακῶς διεφθάρησαν, θέατρον γενηθέντες τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἕτερως, καὶ οὐχ' ὡς ὁ Παῦλος περὶ τῶν θεσπεσίων εἴρηκεν ἀποστόλων. τούτων δὲ πάλιν μάρτυς ὁ Ἰώσηππος πλείστας ὅσας ἀπαριθμούμενος μυριάδας τῷ λιμῷ. τὸ δὲ ἶσον κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐξ ἑκάστης φυλῆς σφραγισθέντων τὲ καὶ πεπιστευκότων. τὸν ἰσότιμον ζῆλον καὶ τὸ τῆς πίστεως ὁμόδοξον αἰνίττεται, κἂν ἐκ τῆσδε μὲν τῆς φυλῆς πλείους, ἐξ ἑτέρας δὲ ἐλάττους ἐσώθησαν τε καὶ ἐπίστευσαν Χριστῷ, τῷ παρὰ Ἰουδαίων μὲν ἀτιμασθέντι; παρ' ἡμῶν δέ γε καὶ πάσης ὑπερκοσμίου κτίσεως προσκυνουμένῳ νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν#556 Λόγος πέμπτοσ ταῦτα μὲν ἅπερ ὁ λόγος ἀφηγήσατο, δέδεικται τῷ θεσπεσίῳ εὐαγγελιστῇ περὶ τῶν ἐξ αἵματος Ἰσραὴλ ἐσφραγισμένων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σωθέντων, εἶτα καὶ πεπιστευκότων. ἀλλ' ὅπως μηδὲν ἐλλιπὲς αὐτῷ θεωρηθείη, δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ ὁ χρηματισμὸς καὶ τὰς ἀπείρους τῶν ἐθνῶν μυριάδας, τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα τῇ πίστει προσδραμοῦσας, ἀμφί τε τὸν Κύριον οὔσας καὶ τῷ θείῳ παρεστώσας θρόνῳ. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὅσον οὔπω ἐν τῇ τῆς θεωρίας προαναφωνήσει ὁ Κύριος γράφεται 99 παραγινόμενος ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ παρουσίᾳ, οἱ δὲ ἅγιοι τηνικάδε ἁρπάζονται ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ὑπάντησιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον προηρπαγμένους αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀπτασία δείκνυσι καὶ τῆς ἀποκειμένης αὐτοῖς μακαριότητος τετυχηκότας. τί γὰρ τοῦ ἠξιῶσθαι μετὰ Χριστοῦ εἶναι καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἐποπτεύειν θρόνον μακαριώτερον; ὅρα δὲ τί φησι. μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὄχλος πολύς, ὃν ἀριθμῆσαι οὐδεὶς αὐτὸν ἠδύνατο, ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ φυλῶν καὶ λαῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν, ἑστῶτας ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, περιβεβλημένοι στολὰς λευκάς, καὶ φοίνικες ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν· καὶ κράζουσι φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγοντες· ἡ σωτη ρία τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου. καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οἱ ἅγιοι ἑστήκασι κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζώων· καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ Θέῳ ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν. καὶ ἀπεκρίθη εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγων