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signing, and a battle-array? And whence were the mountains provoked, or rather shaken, according to Aquila; or disturbed, according to Symmachus? Which they did not do of themselves, but as being dragged by God, for the siege of those who have sinned, from the end of the earth, so that it might show the Roman army set out from the western parts. For Scripture is accustomed to call the Babylonians and Assyrians by the name "from the north." For these are more northerly than Judea. But now speaking of the Romans he says, They rage like lions, and [they stood ready] like a lion's whelps. And indicating both the multitude and the mixed nature of the sound, he compared them to a surging sea. And concerning the besieged he says, They will look to the earth. And behold, harsh darkness in their distress, indicating the distress from their fears, who also will lie under their enemies like dung. And a signal, he says, are the things indicated by the raised signs, or those drawn down for the armies. And they have suffered these things, having turned away from the Word of the Lord, just as Jeremiah also says, "They were dismayed and were captured." What wisdom is in them, that they have rejected the Word of the Lord? 1928 Therefore now he compares them to a reed, which being empty, stands on an unsound base, and has an uneven growth, such as one might suppose the notables of this world to be. For being empty in the inner man, they live with the unevenness of life, for they walk on what is unsound. And a coal is earthy fire remaining in the thicker matter after the passage of the flame. To those, therefore, who are inflamed by passions, as having within them the cause of the burning, from which the rich man was inflamed by thirst, such as are also those who drink wine, and are inflamed by it, to whom the discourse is now, he reasonably threatens the destruction from the burning. But also for the sake of gifts, he said, they pervert justice. Therefore also their root will be burned up, which is avarice; from which root no fruits come. And what sort of flower? Likely similar to dust of an unstable and scattered nature. And, just as this, obstructing our breathing, plots against our life, so also the flowers of avarice, greed, falsehood, slanders, destroy our true life, obstructing the purity of the Spirit; and having said, Woe to the strong among you, and the powerful, he now says, And the Lord was angry with wrath against his people, as they also had sinned in emulation of their leaders. For from them to this one the wrath has made its passage; but anger and wrath are used tropologically of God. And perhaps the painful discipline is wrath. But the rebuke which causes disturbance in our reasonings is called anger. For in his anger, he says, he will disturb them, not yet deeming them worthy to receive reason. But wrath disciplines according to this: "Then he will speak to them in his wrath." Therefore it accomplishes more than anger, by disciplining. Wherefore Jeremiah, "Discipline us," he says, "O Lord, but in judgment, and not in anger." For he did not say, And not in wrath. But discipline from judgment is better than that from anger and wrath. For he who is disciplined in judgment is enlightened by the judgments of God to do all things with judgment and reason. For the reasonings of the just are also judgments. But when God brings his hand upon the people, that is, his punishing power, according to Job: "For the hand of the Lord has touched me; concerning which the devil also says: "But no, rather, send forth your hand and touch his bones." Then, he says, the mountains were provoked. For creation is moved with God for judgment. Thus from all sides were the plagues of the Egyptians, from the air, from the earth, from the water. And besides these, fire also blazed. But some say that the Roman authorities were thus spoken of, because of their conspicuousness in glory, and their eminence in dignities. And he compares the dead to dung because of their dishonor. Such also are those who have persisted in their sins, and are trampled down by 1929 the opposing powers. For because of their unrepentant heart, the anger, he says, will not be turned away, but the hand will remain raised for judgment; against whom also the intelligible mountains are provoked, principalities, and powers, and

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ὑπογράφων, παράταξίν τε πολεμικήν; Πόθεν τε τὰ ὄρη παρωξύνθη, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκλονήθη, κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· ἢ ἐταράχθη, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον; Ἦν οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἐποιήσαντο, ὡς ἐκ Θεοῦ δὲ συρόμενοι, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων πολιορκίαν, ἐξ ἄκρου τῆς γῆς, ἵνα τὸ Ῥωμαίων δηλώσῃ στρατόπεδον ἀπὸ τῶν δυτικῶν ὥρμησαν μερῶν. Βαβυλωνίους γὰρ καὶ Ἀσσυρίους ἡ ἐξ ὀνόματος ἡ ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ καλεῖν εἴωθεν ἡ Γραφή. Βορειότεροι γὰρ οὗτοι τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰσίν. Νῦν δὲ περὶ Ῥωμαίων λέγων φησὶν, Ὀργῶσιν ὡς λέοντες, καὶ [παρέστησαν] ὡς σκύμνοι λέοντος. ∆ηλῶν δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὸ συμμιγὲς τῆς φωνῆς, θαλάττῃ κυμαινούσῃ τούτους ἀπείκασεν. Περὶ δὲ τῶν πολιορκουμένων φησὶν, Ἐμβλέψονται εἰς γῆν. Καὶ ἰδοὺ σκότος σκληρὸν ἐν τῇ ἀπορίᾳ αὐτῶν, τὴν ἐκ τῶν δειμάτων ἀπορίαν δηλῶν, οἳ καὶ κοπρίων δίκην ὑποκείσονται τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. Σύσσημα δὲ, φησὶν, τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνατεταμένων σημείων, ἢ κατασπωμένων τοῖς στρατοπέδοις δηλούμενα. Ταῦτα δὲ πεπόνθασιν ἀποστραφέντες τὸν Λόγον Κυρίου, καθάπερ καὶ Ἱερεμίας φησὶν, "Ἐπτοήθησαν καὶ ἑάλωσαν." Σοφία τίς ἐστιν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι τὸν Λόγον Κυρίου ἀπεδοκίμασαν; 1928 ∆ιὸ νῦν αὐτοὺς ἀπεικάζει καλάμῃ, ἥτις διάκενος οὖσα, ἐπὶ σαθρᾶς βαίνει τῆς βάσεως, ἀνώμαλόν τε ἔχει τὴν αὔξησιν, οἵους ἄν τις ὑπόθοιτο τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου γνωρίμους. Κενοὶ γὰρ ὄντες τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, τῇ τοῦ βίου συζῶσιν ἀνωμαλίᾳ, βαίνοντες γὰρ ἐπὶ σαθροῦ. Ἄνθραξ δέ ἐστι πῦρ γεῶδες μετὰ τὴν τῆς φλογὸς πάροδον τῇ παχυτέρᾳ ὕλῃ ἐναπομεῖναν. Τοῖς οὖν ὑπὸ παθῶν φλεγομένοις, ὡς ἔνδον ἔχουσι τῆς καύσεως τὴν αἰτίαν, ἐξ ἧς ὁ πλούσιος ὑπὸ δίψης ἐφλέγετο, οἷοι καὶ οἱ τὸν οἶνον πίνοντες, καὶ ὑπὸ τούτου φλεγόμενοι, πρὸς οὓς νῦν ὁ λόγος, τὸν ἐκ τῆς καύσεως εἰκότως ἀφανισμὸν ἀπειλεῖ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ δώρων, ἔφη, χάριν τὸ δίκαιον διαστρέφουσιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὴν ῥίζαν αὐτῶν συγκαυθήσεσθαι, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ φιλαργυρία· ἀφ' ἧς ῥίζης οὐ καρποὶ γίνονται. Ἄνθος δὲ ὁποῖον; εἰκὸς κονιορτῷ παραπλήσιον ἀστάτῳ φύσει καὶ σκεδαστῇ. Καὶ, ὥσπερ οὗτος ἐμποδίζων ταῖς ἀναπνοαῖς ἐπιβουλεύει ἡμῶν τῇ ζωῇ· οὕτω, καὶ τῆς φιλαργυρίας τὰ ἄνθη, αἱ πλεονεξίαι, τὸ ψεῦδος, αἱ συκοφαντίαι, τὴν ἀληθῆ ζωὴν ἡμῶν ἀναιρεῖ, τῇ καθαρότητι τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐμποδίζοντα· εἰπὼν δὲ, Οὐαὶ οἱ ἰσχύοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ οἱ δυνάσται, νῦν φησὶ, Καὶ ἐθυμώθη ὀργῇ Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, ὡς καὶ αὐτοῦ κατὰ ζῆλον τῶν προεστώτων ἡμαρτηκότος. Ἀπ' ἐκείνων γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦτον ἡ ὀργὴ τὴν πάροδον ἔσχηκεν· θυμὸς δὲ καὶ ὀργὴ τροπικῶς ἐπὶ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τάχα ἡ μὲν ἐπίπονος παίδευσις, ὀργή. Ὁ δὲ ταραχὴν ἡμῶν ἐμποιῶν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἔλεγχος, θυμὸς προσηγόρευται. Ἐν θυμῷ γὰρ αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, ταράξει αὐτοὺς, μήπω λόγου μεταλαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἀξιῶν. Ἡ δὲ ὀργὴ παιδεύει κατὰ τό· "Τότε λαλήσει, πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ. Θυμοῦ τοίνυν ἀνύει μᾶλλον, παιδεύουσα. ∆ιόπερ Ἱερεμίας, "Παίδευσον ἡμᾶς, φησὶ, Κύριε, πλὴν ἐν κρίσει, καὶ μὴ ἐν θυμῷ." Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Καὶ μὴ ἐν ὀργῇ. Χρηστοτέρα δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ κρίσεως παίδευσις, τῆς ἀπὸ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν κρίσει παιδευθεὶς, ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων φωτίζεται πρὸς τὸ κρίσει πάντα καὶ λόγῳ ποιεῖν. Λογισμοὶ γὰρ δικαίων καὶ κρίματα. Τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ τὴν χεῖρα ἐπάγοντος τῷ λαῷ, τουτέστι τὴν κολαστικὴν δύναμιν, κατὰ τὸν Ἰώβ· "Χεὶρ γὰρ Κυρίου ἡ ἁψαμένη μου ἐστίν· περὶ οὗ καί φησιν ὁ διάβολος·" Οὐ μὴν δὲ, ἀλλ' ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ. Τότε, φησὶ, παρωξύνθη τὰ ὄρη. Συγκινεῖται γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ πρὸς δίκην ἡ κτίσις. Οὕτω πανταχόθεν ἦσαν αἱ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πληγαὶ, ἀπὸ ἀέρος, ἀπὸ γῆς, ἀπὸ ὕδατος. Καὶ πῦρ δὲ πρὸς τούτοις ἐφλόγιζε. Τινὲς δέ φασιν οὕτως εἰρῆσθαι τὰς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὰς, διὰ τὸ ἐν δόξῃ περιφανὲς, καὶ τὸ ἐν ἀξιώμασιν ἐπηρμένον. Κοπρίοις δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀτιμίαν ἀπεικάζει τοὺς τεθνηκότας. Τοιοῦτοι καὶ οἱ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐπιμείναντες, καὶ ὑπὸ 1929 τῶν ἐναντίων δυνάμεων καταπατούμενοι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀμετανόητον αὐτῶν καρδίαν, τὸν θυμὸν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἀποστραφήσεσθαι, πρὸς δὲ δίκην μένειν ἐπηρμένην τὴν χεῖρα· καθ' ὧν καὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ νοητὰ παροξύνεται, ἀρχαὶ, καὶ ἐξουσίαι, καὶ