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His meaning is also shown by this: “Go up on Mount Zion, you who bring good news to Zion.” 1.303 And there are countless other testimonies about this, which must be omitted for now, so that the discourse does not become too long beyond what is necessary, especially since it has often been interpreted that the Savior is the mountain in the commentaries on the divine Psalms and on the last vision of Isaiah. 1.304 But the Savior, who is called a mountain, is also called a stone in the passage: “The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner.” Remembering this saying in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter, the chief disciple of the Savior, said most reprovingly to the Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees who boasted of the Jewish teaching: “This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the head of the corner.” 1.305 And since He is not only the head of the divine building, but also its foundation, God promises concerning him, saying: “Behold, I am laying a cornerstone in the foundations of Zion, chosen, precious, on whom the one who believes has a hope that will not be put to shame.” Setting forth these words, Peter, the disciple of Christ, on whom the Church is built, exhorts and advises those to whom he wrote his epistle: “Coming to whom as to a living stone, you are being built up into a spiritual house in which spiritual sacrifices are offered.” 1.306 But of what inheritance is the stone? Of that about which it is written in Isaiah: “There is an inheritance for those who serve the Lord,” and of that about which the psalmist sang, saying: “My inheritance is most excellent for me; you are the one who restores my inheritance to me.” 1.307 But see if the stone is the inheritance of that which is composed of each of the godly, which is chosen and desired by the Cause of all, according to what was announced by the spirit-bearing men, apostles and evangelists and prophets and the great hierophant of all things, Moses: “He chose for us his inheritance,” that is, God, “the beauty of Jacob which he loved.” 1.308 Equivalent in force to the voice from the Psalm is also that in the great song of Deuteronomy which runs thus: “Jacob became the Lord's portion, Israel the measure of his inheritance.” But especially is the celebrated stone the inheritance signified in the second Psalm by the stone himself: “The Lord said to me: You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance.” 1.309 In addition to the interpretation given, that the mountain and the stone are used in parallel for the same thing, it must also be said in another way that the mountain is one thing, and the stone is another. And the mountain of achievement is the unwed Mary; and the stone which came forth from her, the son whom she bore without a man, is. The book of the most wise Daniel initiates into the mysteries concerning these things. 1.310 For it is said in it that the stone that strikes the various kingdoms and the image composed of them was cut and detached from it without hands, without the customary and practiced activity of parents for generation. For all men who have their origin from both parents are detached and cut from those who bear them by the hands of marital acts, only he who was born of the virgin who knew not a man was detached and cut from her without hands. 1.311 And before the face of Zerubbabel, the stone was cut from the mountain without hands, because Jesus is also genealogically traced from him. For it is interpreted “movement of a flow” because the customary flow of parents was moved, being accomplished by a virgin alone without a man. 1.312 And the stone cast out from the inheritance has grace upon grace, according to the meaning of what John the Baptist said, “for from his fullness we have all received.” For the whole sojourn of the Savior and the salvation in it by grace

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αὐτοῦ δηλωτικὸν ὑπάρχει καὶ τό· «Ἐπ' ὄρος Σιὼν ἀνάβηθι ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Σιών.» 1.303 Καὶ ἕτεραι μυρίαι μαρτυρίαι εἰσὶν περὶ τούτου, ἃς ἐατέον παραφέρειν τὸ νῦν, ὅπως μὴ πέρᾳ τοῦ δέοντος πολὺς ὁ λόγος γένηται, μάλιστα ὅτι πολλάκις ἡρμήνευται τὰ περὶ τοῦ ὄρος εἶναι τὸν Σωτῆρα ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασιν τῶν θείων Ψαλμῶν καὶ τῆς τελευταίας ὁράσεως τοῦ Ἠσαίου. 1.304 Ἀλλὰ καὶ λίθος εἴρηται ὁ ὀνομαζόμενος ὄρος Σωτὴρ ἐν τῷ· «Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας.» Ταύτης τῆς λέξεως μνημονεύσας ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν τῶν Ἀποστόλων, ὁ κορυφαιότατος μαθητὴς τοῦ Σωτῆρος Πέτρος ἐλεγκτικώτατα πρὸς τοὺς αὐχοῦντας τὴν ἰουδαϊκὴν διδασκαλίαν φαρισαίους τε γραμματέας τε καὶ σαδδουκαίους εἶπεν· «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ λίθος ὁ ἐξουθενηθεὶς ὑφ' ὑμῶν τῶν οἰκοδόμων, ὃς ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας.» 1.305 Καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ μόνον κεφαλὴ τῆς θείας οἰκοδομῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεμέλιός ἐστιν, ὁ Θεὸς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπαγγέλλεται φάσκων· «Ἰδοὺ τίθημι λίθον ἀκρογωνιαῖον εἰς τὰ θεμέλια τῆς Σιών, ἐκλεκτόν, ἔντιμον, ἐφ' ὃν ὁ πιστεύων ἀκαταίσχυντον ἔχει τὴν ἐλπίδα.» Ταύτας τὰς λέξεις ἐκθέμενος, Πέτρος ὁ Χριστοῦ μαθητής, ἐφ' ᾧ ἡ Ἐκκλησία ᾠκοδόμηται, παραινεῖ καὶ συμβουλεύει οἷς τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐχάραξεν· «Πρὸς ὃν προσερχόμενοι λίθον ζῶντα, ἐποικοδομεῖσθε εἰς οἶκον πνευματικὸν ἐν ᾧ πνευματικαὶ θυσίαι προσάγονται.» 1.306 Ποίας δὲ κληρονομίας ὑπάρχει ὁ λίθος; Ἐκείνης περὶ ἧς ἐν Ἠσαίᾳ φέρεται· «Ἔστιν κληρονομία τοῖς θεραπεύουσιν Κύριον», κἀκείνης περὶ ἧς ψάλλων ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς ἔφη· «Ἡ κληρονομία μου κρατίστη μοί ἐστιν· σὺ εἶ ὁ ἀποκαθιστῶν τὴν κληρονομίαν μου ἐμοί.» 1.307 Ὅρα δὲ εἰ ὁ λίθος κληρονομίας ἐστὶν ἐκείνης τ̣η῀̣ς̣ συμπληρουμένης ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἕκαστα θεοσεβῶν, ἥτις ἐκλεκτὴ καὶ ποθουμένη ὑπάρχει ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰτίου τῶν ὅλων, κατὰ τὸ ἀπαγγελθὲν ὑπὸ τῶν πνευματοφόρων ἀνδρῶν, ἀποστόλων καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν προφητῶν τε καὶ τοῦ τὰ πάντα μεγάλου ἱεροφάντου Μωϋσέως· «Ἐξελέξατο ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἑαυτοῦ», ὁ Θεὸς δηλονότι, «τὴν καλλονὴν Ἰακὼβ ἣν ἠγάπησεν.» 1.308 Ἰσοδυναμεῖ τῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ψαλμοῦ φωνῇ καὶ τὸ ἐν ᾠδῇ μεγάλῃ τοῦ ∆ευτερονομίου ἔχον ὧδε· «Ἐγενήθη μερὶς Κυρίου Ἰακώβ, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ Ἰσραήλ.» Μάλιστα δὲ ὁ ὑμνούμενος λίθος κληρονομίας ἐστὶν τῆς σημαινομένης ἐν δευτέρῳ Ψαλμῷ πρὸς αὐτοῦ τοῦ λίθου· «Κύριος εἶπεν πρός με· Υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγένηκά σε. Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου.» 1.309 Πρὸς τῇ ἀποδοθείσῃ θεωρίᾳ, τὸ ὄρος καὶ τὸν λίθον ἐκ παραλλήλου κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φέρεσθαι, λεκτέον καὶ ἑτέρως ὡς ἄλλο μὲν τὸ ὄρος, ἄλλο δὲ ὁ λίθος ἐστίν. Καὶ τὸ μὲν ὄρος τῆς κατορθώσεως ἡ ἀπειρόγαμος Μαρία ἐστίν· ὁ δὲ προελθὼν ἐξ αὐτῆς λίθος ὃν ἔτεκεν υἱὸν ἄνευ ἀνδρὸς ὑπάρχει. Μυσταγωγεῖ περὶ τούτων ἡ τοῦ σοφωτάτου ∆ανιὴλ βίβλος. 1.310 Εἴρηται γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ ὡς ὁ πατάττων λίθος τὰς διαφόρους βασιλείας καὶ τὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν συμπληρουμένην εἰκόνα ἄνευ χειρῶν τέτμηται καὶ ἀπέσπασται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἄνευ τῆς εἰωθυίας καὶ μεμελετημένης πρὸς γένεσιν τῆς ἐκ γονέων ἐνεργείας. Ὅσοι μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων γονέων τὴν γένεσιν ἔχουσιν ἄνθρωποι, ἐκ χειρῶν τῶν γαμηλίων πράξεων ἀποσπῶνται καὶ τέμωνται τῶν κυουσῶν, μόνου τοῦ τεχθέντος ἐκ τῆς ἄνδρα μὴ γνούσης παρθένου ἄνευ χειρῶν ἀπεσπασμένου καὶ τμηθέντος ἀπ' αὐτῆς. 1.311 Πρὸ προσώπου δὲ Ζοροβάβελ ὑπῆρκται τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους ἄνευ χειρῶν τμηθῆναι τὸν λίθον, διὰ τὸ καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἰησοῦν γενεαλογεῖσθαι. Ἑρμηνεύεται γοῦν «ῥύσεως μετακίνησις» διὰ τὸ τὴν εἰωθυῖαν ῥύσιν τῶν γονέων μετακεκινῆσθαι, ὑπὸ μόνης ἄνευ ἀνδρὸς παρθένου ἀποτετελέσθαι. 1.312 Χάριτος δὲ χάριτα ἔχει ὁ ἐξωσθεὶς τῆς κληρονομίας λίθος, κατὰ τὴν νόησιν οὗ εἶπεν ὁ βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης «ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν». Ὅλη γὰρ ἡ ἐπιδημία τοῦ Σωτῆρος καὶ ἡ ἐπ' αὐτῇ σωτηρία χάριτι