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of their punishments. "Produce therefore fruit worthy of repentance"; and after other things; "Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire." 1.352 Against the plants so interpreted, the curse is brought like a sickle for the cutting down of those of whom it is said that they bear deadly and harmful fruit; "Our enemies are senseless. For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, and their shoot is from Gomorrah; their grape is a grape of gall, a cluster of bitterness is theirs, their wine is the venom of dragons, and the incurable venom of asps." 1.353 And of a wicked choice, like a harmful vine bringing forth poisonous fruits, it had to be cut down with a sharp sickle, and the grape and the cluster to be removed. These things having appeared more generally, see also the particulars as it is possible to clarify. 1.354 The prophet, having turned from what he already saw and taught, lifting up the luminous eyes of his heart, sees a flying sickle, not perceptible, but intelligible, clearly, having a length of twenty cubits and ten cubits in width, cutting down "every plant which the heavenly Father has not planted." And all things being cut down happen to be unclean. 1.355 The cutting is done with a sickle twenty cubits in length; for the number twenty is not pure, being a dyad in tens. But since the length does not remain always alone, it takes on a width of ten cubits. And this number resembles a monad. And it is shown through the stated measures that a favorable and beneficial end comes to those who have been purified by the sickle. 1.356 And the sickle is called a curse because it brings labors and afflictions to those being cleansed, bringing vengeance against every thief and everyone who swears by the name of the Lord in falsehood. Therefore, so that no one may suffer these things, let him keep the commandments that are as follows, in the Mosaic teaching: "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal," and in the apostolic: "Let the one who steals steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working what is good." 1.357 And in the same way that theft is to be avoided because of the curse called a sickle, so let perjury be avoided, "not taking the name of the Lord in vain." At least after a few things of the prophecy, perjury is forbidden thus: And those taking the name of the Lord in falsehood "and do not love a false oath." 1.358 Concerning such a curse the Lord says, it being a sickle: "I will bring it out" by a verdict of judgment, "and it shall enter into the house of the thief and of the perjurer and shall consume it and its wood and its stones." And just as the house being consumed is not a perceptible building, so the wood and stones that complete and furnish it are not visible. 1.359 Among the others who have interpreted the Hebrew scripture, the curse is said to be a scroll, evidently covering those caught by it, the thief and the perjurer. And this sickle flies very swiftly, coming upon all the earth. And for a second reason it flies because it touches not only those sinning on earth, but also those in the air and those who are impious everywhere being punished. 1.360 Quickly... in the middle of the house, that is in the ruling faculty, the sickle destroys, similarly to the sword that split in two the judge of Israel who was madly lustful for Susanna adulterously. For in this saying also, for the one condemned for adultery to be split in two, signifies that his ruling faculty was divided. 1.361 Zech. 5:5-8: And the angel who spoke in me went out and said to me, "Lift up your eyes and see what this is that is going out." And I said, "What is it?" And he said, "This is the measure that is going out." And he said, "This is their iniquity in all the earth." And behold, a talent of lead was lifted up, and behold, one woman was sitting in the middle of the measure. And he said, "This is lawlessness." And he threw her into the middle of the measure and threw the stone of lead into its mouth. 1.362 The angel who usually speaks in the prophet

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τῶν κολάσεων αὐτῶν. «Ποιήσατε γὰρ καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας»· καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «Ἤδη ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται· πᾶν οὖν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται.» 1.352 Κατὰ τῶν οὕτως ἑρμηνευομένων φυτῶν, ἡ ἀρὰ δρεπάνου δίκην ἐπάγεται ἐπὶ τῷ ἐκκοπῆναι ἐκείνους περὶ ὧν εἴρηται καρπὸν ὀλέθριον καὶ ἐπιβλαβῆ φερόντων· «Οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν ἀνόητοι. Ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ κληματὶς αὐτῶν ἐκ Γομόρρων· ἡ σταφυλὴ αὐτῶν σταφυλὴ χολῆς, βότρυς πικρίας αὐτοῖς, θυμὸς δρακόντων ὁ οἶνος αὐτῶν, καὶ θυμὸς ἀσπίδων ἀνίατος.» 1.353 Φαυλῆς δὲ προαιρέσεως, δίκην βλαβερᾶς ἀμπέλου, δηλητηρίους καρποὺς ἀγαγούσης, ἔδει ὀξεῖ δρεπάνῳ ἐκκοπῆναι, καὶ τὴν σταφυλὴν καὶ τὸν βότρυν περιαιρεθῆναι. Τούτων ὁλοσχερέστερον φανέντων, ὅρα καὶ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον ὡς οἷόν τε σαφηνίσαι. 1.354 Ἐπιστρέψας ὁ προφήτης ἐξ ὧν εἶδεν ἤδη καὶ ἐδίδαξεν, ἐπάρας τοὺς φωτεινοὺς τῆς καρδίας ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, ὁρᾷ πετάμενον δρέπανον, οὐκ αἰσθητόν, ἀλλὰ νοούμενον δηλονότι, ἔχον μ̣ῆκος πήχεων εἴκοσι καὶ πήχεων δέκα τὸ πλάτος, ἐκκόπτον «πᾶσαν φυτείαν ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ οὐράνιος Πατήρ». Καὶ πάντα ἐκτεμνόμενα ἀκάθαρτα τυγχάνει. 1.355 Εἰκοσαπήχει τὸ μη῀̣κος δρεπάνῳ ἡ ἐκτομὴ γίνεται· οὐ καθαρὸς γὰρ ὁ εἴκοσι ἀρ̣ιθμός, δυὰς ὢν ἐν δεκάσιν. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ μένει ἀεὶ μόνον τὸ μῆκος, πλάτος προσλαμβάνει πήχεων δέκα. Ἔοικεν δὲ ὁ ἀριθμὸς οὗτος μονάδι. ∆είκνυται δὲ διὰ τῶν ἐκκειμένων μέτρων ὅτι τέλος αἴσιον καὶ ἐπωφελὲς ἐπιγίνεται τοῖς διὰ τοῦ δρεπάνου κεκαθαρμένοις. 1.356 Ἀρὰ δὲ καλεῖται τὸ δρέπανον διὰ τὸ πόνους καὶ κακώσεις ἐμποιεῖν τοῖς καθαιρομένοις, ἐκδίκησιν ἐπάγον κατὰ παντὸς κλέπτου καὶ ὀμνύντος τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἐπὶ ψεύδει. Ἵν' οὖν μή τις ταῦτα παθῇ, τηρείτω τὰς οὕτω ἐχούσας ἐντολάς, ἐν μὲν τῇ μωσαϊκῇ διδασκαλίᾳ· «Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις», ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀποστολικῇ· «Ὁ κλέπτων μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, μᾶλλον δὲ κοπιάτω ἐργαζόμενος τὸ ἀγαθόν.» 1.357 Ὅνπερ δὲ τρόπον παραιτητέα ἡ κλοπὴ διὰ τὴν ἀρὰν καλουμένην δρέπανον, οὕτω φευκτέα ἔστω ἡ ἐπιορκία, «οὐ λαμβανομένου τοῦ ὀνόματος Κυρίου ἐπὶ ματαίῳ». Μετ' ὀλίγα γοῦν τῆς προφητείας ἀπαγορεύεται ἡ ἐπιορκία οὕτως· Καὶ τοὺς λαμβάνοντας τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἐπὶ ψεύδει «καὶ ὅρκον ψευδῆ μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε». 1.358 Περὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀρᾶς ὁ Κύριος λέγει οὔσης δρεπάνου· «Ἐξοίσω αὐτὸ» ψήφῳ κρίσεως, «καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κλέπτου καὶ ἐπιόρκου καὶ συντελέσει αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ ξύλα καὶ τοὺς λίθους αὐτοῦ.» Ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ συντελούμενος οἶκος οὐκ αἰσθητόν ἐστιν οἰκοδόμημα, οὕτως οὐχ ὁρατὰ τὰ συμπληροῦντα καὶ ἀπαρτίζοντα αὐτὸν ξύλα καὶ λίθοι. 1.359 Παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς τῶν ἑρμηνευσάντων τὴν ἑβραϊκὴν γραφήν, διφθέρα ἡ ἀρὰ εἴρηται, καλύπτουσα δηλονότι τοὺς ἁλόντας αὐτῇ κλέπτην καὶ ἐπίορκον. Πέταται δὲ τὸ δρέπα̣νον τοῦτο τάχιστα ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐρχόμενον. Καὶ κ̣ατὰ δεύτερον λόγον πέταται ὅτι οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐπὶ γῆσ ἁμαρτανόντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν ἀέρι ἅπτεται καὶ τῶν ἁπανταχοῦ ἀσεβούντων κολαζομένων. 1.360 Τάχ̣···· ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου, τοῦτ' ἔστι τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ, καταλύει τὸ δ̣ρέπανον, παραπλησίως τῇ μαχαίρᾳ τῇ σχιζούσῃ μέσον τὸν κατὰ Σωσάννης μοιχικῶς ἐπιμανέντα κριτὴν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ ῥητῷ τὸ σχισθῆναι μέσον τὸν ἐπὶ μοιχείᾳ κατακριθέντα, τὸ διῃρῆσθαι τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν αὐτοῦ σημαίνει. 1.361 Zach. V, 5-8: Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ εἶπεν πρός με· Ἀνάβλεψον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου καὶ ἰδὲ τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον τοῦτο. Καὶ εἶπα· Τί ἐστιν; Καὶ εἶπεν· Τοῦτο τὸ μέτρον τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον. Καὶ εἶπεν· Αὕτη ἡ ἀδικία αὐτῶν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ τάλαντον μολίβου ἐξαιρόμενον, καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ μία ἐκάθητο ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ μέτρου. Καὶ εἶπεν· Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία· καὶ ἔρριψεν αὐτὴν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ μέτρου καὶ ἔρριψεν τὸν λίθον τοῦ μολίβου εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς. 1.362 Ὁ λαλῶν συνηθῶς ἄγγελος ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ