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summer, for which there is need of the proper tools, about which it is said, that Lift up your eyes and see, that the fields are white. Therefore, no warmonger is fit for the harvest. But he sent his own disciples to this harvest, about whom he also said: The harvest is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore, to these harvesters, because they did not have a weapon of war in their hearts, he gave the power to leave peace upon the houses into which they might enter. 2.75 And nation shall not take up sword against nation. For as long as the word of the world’s wisdom was fervently at work, nations rose up against one another, wielding against each other the sword of reason, fiercely sharpened by study and gleaming with persuasiveness. But when our peace came, and glory to God in the highest and on earth peace was proclaimed, all falsehood at once fell silent before the truth. Just as the polyphony of chattering birds is suddenly silenced, when an eagle appears to them from somewhere above, they no longer strike down one another’s arguments: the one, that there is no Providence at all, the other saying that it extends as far as the moon. No longer about the soul; the one declaring it mortal, the other immortal. The things concerning fate, the one that it rules all things, the other that it does not exist at all. But since the foolishness of the preaching has come, and the Crucified is glorified, and resurrection is believed, and judgment is hoped for, the nations, having ended the war against each other, live in quiet. But I fear that they may henceforth become spectators of our war ... And since before this their whole life was consumed in the learning of vain words, as dialectic is a warlike dialogue, "They shall not" (it says) "learn war anymore," instead of they will no longer spend their time with the teachers of verbal combat. 2.76 And now, O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. A second call, summoning those who receive blessings to more perfect things. For after ascending the mountain of the Lord and rising above earthly things, as if partaking of a purer radiance, it is possible to encounter a divine light, which enlightens the eyes of the soul for the understanding of blessed and intelligible sights and divine theorems. Similar to this is also that in the Psalmist: Come to him, and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be ashamed. For he is not ashamed, upon whom the light of the Lord's countenance has been signed. But he who does evil, hates the light. But since the house of Jacob has deludedly supposed the teaching of the law to be a self-sufficient light and himself to be a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, the word, correcting their ignorance, says: Come and let us walk (not in the prophetic, not in the legal light, but) in the light of the Lord. For indeed lamps are useful, but before the sun; stars are delightful, but in the night. But if he is ridiculous, who, when the sun is shining, lights a lamp for himself, much more ridiculous is he who, when the Gospel is being preached, remains in the shadow of the law. 2.77 For he has forsaken his people, the house of Israel. The most grievous loss is abandonment by God. As if from a strong grip of hands, by the relaxing of the fingers, with which someone had hitherto grasped the one being held, he let it fall from his own preservation, so the word shows the people to be unrestrained by God. But for what reason one is let go from the hands of God, the following teaches: Because their land was filled, as from the beginning, with omens, like that of foreigners. You see how great an evil it is to practice divination by omens. It places him who pays attention to it outside the care of God. But for many Christians it is a matter of indifference to listen to gossip and hunt for rumors and pay attention to signs. Someone sneezed (he says) at the word, and it means this. Someone called me from behind; and this is an obstacle. The foot stumbled on the way out; the cloak was caught. And some of those who are very well known and who await the Judge from heaven, fall indifferently into these harmful things. But hear that the people was rejected who these things...

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θέρος, εἰς ὃ χρεία τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ὀργάνων, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται, ὅτι Ἐπά ρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἴδετε, ὅτι αἱ χῶραι λευκαί εἰσιν. Οὐδεὶς οὖν πολεμοποιὸς πρὸς τὸν θερισμὸν ἐπιτήδειος. Ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἰδίους μαθητὰς πρὸς τὸν θερισμὸν τοῦτον ἀπ έστειλε, περὶ ὧν καὶ εἶπεν· Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολὺς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι. Τούτοις οὖν τοῖς θερισταῖς, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν πολέμου ὄργανον ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις, ἔδωκε δύναμιν τοῦ ἐναφιέναι εἰρήνην τοῖς οἴκοις, εἰς οὓς ἂν εἰσέλθωσιν. 2.75 Καὶ οὐ λήψεται ἔθνος ἐπ' ἔθνος μάχαιραν. Ἕως μὲν ἐνηργεῖτο διαπύρως ὁ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου σοφίας λό γος, ἀλλήλων τὰ ἔθνη κατεπανίσταντο, σφοδρῶς ἠκονημένην τῇ μελέτῃ καὶ τῇ πιθανότητι στίλβουσαν τοῦ λόγου τὴν μά χαιραν ἀλλήλοις ἀντεπιφέροντες. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἦλθεν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, καὶ κατηγγέλη δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰ ρήνη, ἅπαν ὁμοῦ τὸ ψεῦδος τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ὑπεσιώπησεν. Ὥσπερ ὀρνέων λάλων πολυφωνία ἀθρόως κατεσιγάσθη, ἀετοῦ πόθεν αὐτοῖς ἐπιφανέντος ἄνωθεν, οὐκέτι τοὺς ἀλλήλων καταβάλ λουσι λόγους· ὁ μὲν, μὴ εἶναι Πρόνοιαν τὸ παράπαν, ὁ δὲ μέχρι σελήνης προδιήκειν αὐτὴν λέγων. Οὐκέτι περὶ ψυχῆς· ὁ μὲν θνητὴν, ὁ δὲ ἀθάνατον ἀποφαινόμενοι. Τὰ περὶ εἱ μαρμένης, ὁ μὲν πάντων αὐτὴν κρατεῖν, ὁ δὲ μηδὲ εἶναι αὐτὴν τὸ παράπαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἦλθεν ἡ μωρία τοῦ κη ρύγματος, καὶ ὁ Ἐσταυρωμένος δοξάζεται, καὶ ἀνάστασις πι στεύεται, καὶ κρίσις ἐλπίζεται, τὸν πρὸς ἀλλήλους πόλεμον τὰ ἔθνη καταλύσαντα, τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγει. Φοβοῦμαι δὲ μὴ θεαταὶ λοιπὸν τοῦ ἡμετέρου πολέμου γίνωνται ... Καὶ ἐπειδὴ πρὸ τούτου ἅπας ὁ βίος αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ τῶν ματαίων λόγων μαθήσει καταναλίσκετο, ὡς τῆς διαλεκτικῆς πολεμικῆς οὔσης διαλόγου, Οὐ μὴ (φησὶν) μάθωσιν ἔτι πολεμεῖν, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐκέτι τοῖς διδασκάλοις τῆς λογομαχίας προσδιατρίψου σιν. 2.76 Καὶ νῦν, οἶκος τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, δεῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν τῷ φωτὶ Κυρίου. ∆ευτέρα κλῆσις, ἐπὶ τὰ τελειότερα προκαλουμένη τοὺς εὐεργετουμένους. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἀναβῆναι εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυ ρίου καὶ ὑπερκύψαι τὰ γήϊνα, οἷον καθαρωτέρας μεταλα βόντα αὐγῆς, φωτί ἐστιν ἐντυχεῖν θείῳ, φωτίζοντι ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς κατανόησιν τῶν μακαρίων καὶ νοητῶν θεα μάτων καὶ θείων θεωρημάτων. Ὅμοιον τούτῳ καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Ψαλμῳδῷ· Προσέλθετε πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ φωτί σθητε, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. Οὐ καταισχύνεται γὰρ, ἐφ' οὓς ἂν σημειωθῇ τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσ ώπου Κυρίου. Ὁ δὲ τὰ φαῦλα πράσσων, μισεῖ τὸ φῶς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰακὼβ φῶς αὔταρκες τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου διδασκαλίαν καὶ ἑαυτὸν ὑπείληφεν ἠπατημένως ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τυφλῶν, φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει, διορθούμενος αὐτῶν τὴν ἄγνοιαν ὁ λόγος, φησί· ∆εῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν (μὴ τῷ προ φητικῷ, μὴ τῷ νομικῷ φωτὶ, ἀλλὰ) τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ Κυρίου. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ λύχνοι χρήσιμοι, ἀλλὰ πρὸ ἡλίου· ἀστέρες τερ πνοὶ, ἀλλ' ἐν νυκτί. Εἰ δὲ γελοῖος, ἡλίου λάμποντος, ὁ λύχνον ἑαυτῷ παραφαίνων, πολλῷ γελοιότερος ὁ, Εὐαγγελίου κη ρυσσομένου, τῇ σκιᾷ τῇ νομικῇ παραμένων. 2.77 Ἀνῆκε γὰρ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Χαλεπωτάτη ζημία ἡ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἐγκατάλειψις. Οἱονεὶ ἀπὸ ἰσχυρᾶς κατοχῆς χειρῶν, τῇ ἀνέσει τῶν δακτύλων, οἷς τέως περιεδέδρακτό τις τοῦ κατεχομένου, ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸ τῆς ἰδίας συντηρήσεως ἐκπεσεῖν, οὕτως ὁ λόγος ἐμφαίνει ἀπερικρά τητον ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν λαὸν εἶναι. ∆ιὰ ποίας δὲ αἰτίας ἀφίεταί τις τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰ ἐφεξῆς διδάσκει· Ὅτι ἐνεπλήσθη ὡς τὸ ἀπαρχῆς ἡ χώρα αὐτῶν κληδονισμῶν, ὡς ἡ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. Ὁρᾷς ἡλίκον κακὸν τὸ κληδονίζεσθαι. Ἔξω τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐπιμελείας ποιεῖ τὸν προσέχοντα αὐτῇ. Πολλοῖς δὲ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀδιάφορον ὠτακουστεῖν καὶ φήμας θηρᾶσθαι καὶ συμβόλοις προσέχειν. Ἔπταρέ τις (φησὶν) ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ τόδε σημαίνει. Κατόπιν μέ τις ἀνεκάλεσε· καὶ ἐμπόδιον τοῦτο. Ὁ ποὺς προσέπταισεν ἐξιόντος· τὸ ἱμάτιον ἐνεσχέθη. Καὶ τῶν πάνυ γνωρίμων καὶ τῶν ἀναμενόντων Κριτὴν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν τινες, τούτοις ἀδιαφόρως τοῖς βλαβεροῖς περι πίπτουσιν. Ἀλλ' ἄκουε ὅτι ἀπεῤῥίφη ὁ λαὸς ὁ ταῦτα περι