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thoughts separate from God.” 1.394 Besides flying about tombs, the aforementioned animal, because it is unclean and delights in foul odors, makes its nest out of human dung. What follows from this but that it itself, I mean the hoopoe, and its young live in uncleanness? 1.395 In addition to this, by observing human affairs it got this name; and by human affairs I mean strifes and contentions and the blameworthy jealousies, about which the Apostle writes, reproving those who are held by them: “For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not men, and do you not walk according to the flesh?” 1.396 Those who are thus called flesh you might wittily say are women who, for evil practices, take the aforementioned hoopoe, perhaps having been killed and eaten, in an allegorical sense, so as to abort what is conceived out of fear, that it may not be brought to term, and to stir up love-potions leading to licentiousness. 1.397 It is fitting for one who has taken up the wings as of a dove to abstain from these women and their wings, on which one who has flown finds rest, finding “the Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God,” the thoughts of the Holy Spirit who descended in the form of a dove at the Jordan, which he alone has and everyone who rests between the two testaments, called lots according to this: “If you sleep between the lots, the wings of a dove covered with silver.” It is blessed to be winged according to these; for they take up the one who has them into heaven and the things beyond the world. 1.398 When the two women winged like a hoopoe raised the measure on which lawlessness sits between heaven and earth—for both the angels who sinned, and the earthly demons, and as many men as “bear the image of the earthly” have experienced it—he who sees the revelation, seeing the measure on which lawlessness sits being raised and carried away, says to the angel speaking in him: “Where are these carrying the measure?” 1.399 And the angel answered and says: “To build for it a house in the land of Babylon, and they will place it there on its foundation.” 1.400 For what other place was fitting for the measure that has lawlessness, than confusion, so that it might be found ready for those who desire it? Therefore one must turn away from and flee Babylon, because the measure has been placed there to be found ready for those who wish it. Therefore the divine word cries out as a herald to the one who wishes to be zealous: “Come out of Babylon, fleeing from the land of the Chaldeans.” 1.401 Having thus paid attention to the vision of the prophet, let us hate to have the wings of a hoopoe, having been winged according to the Holy Spirit; for thus it is very easy to pass into the super-celestial regions.

1.402 Zach. VI, 1-8: And I turned and lifted up my eyes and saw;

and behold, four chariots coming out from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot black horses, and in the third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot dappled, ash-colored horses. And I answered and said to the angel who was speaking in me: What are these, Lord? And the angel who was speaking in me answered and said: These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth to stand before the Lord of all the earth; 1.403 in which were the black horses, they went out to the land of the north, and the white ones went out after them, and the dappled ones went out to the land of the south, and the ash-colored ones went out and looked to go and patrol the earth. And they patrolled the earth. And he cried out and spoke to me, saying: Behold, those who go out to the land of the north have appeased my wrath in the land of the north. 1.404 Having turned

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λογισμοὶ χωρίζουσιν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ.» 1.394 Πρὸς τῷ πωτᾶσθαι περὶ τὰ μνήματα τὸ μνημονευθὲν ζῷον διὰ τὸ ἀκάθαρτον ὑπάρχειν καὶ χαῖρον ταῖς δυσωδίαις, ἐκ κόπρου ἀνθρωπίνης τὴν καλιὰν ἑαυτοῦ κατασκευάζει. Τί δὲ τούτῳ ἀκολουθεῖ ἢ τὸ καὶ αὐτόν, τὸν ἔποπά φημι, καὶ τοὺς νεόττους αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀκαθαρσίᾳ διάγειν; 1.395 Πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἐποπτεύων ἔσχεν τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ταύτην· ἀνθρώπινα δέ φημι τὰς ἔριδας καὶ φιλονεικίας καὶ τοὺς ψεγομένους ζήλους, περὶ ὧν γράφει ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἐλέγχων τοὺς ἐνεχομένους αὐτοῖς· «Ὅπου γὰρ ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις ἐν ὑμῖν, οὐχὶ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε, καὶ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατεῖτε;» 1.396 Τοὺς οὕτω σάρκας καλουμένους χαριέντως ἐρεῖς γυναῖκας εἶναι εἰς κακοσχολίας παραλαμβανούσας πεφθέντα τάχα καὶ βρωθέντα τὸν εἰρημένον κατ' ἀναγωγὴν ἔποπα, ὥστ' ἐξαμβλῶσαι τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου συλλαμβανόμενα ἵνα μὴ ἀποτελ̣ῆται, καὶ φίλτρα ἐγεῖραι εἰς ἀκολασίαν ἄγοντα. 1.397 Τούτων τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τῶν πτερύγων αὐτῶν ἀποσχέσθαι προσήκει τὸν ἀναλαβόντα πτέρυγας ὡς περιστερᾶς, ἐν αἷς ὁ πετασθεὶς κ̣αταπαύει, εὑρίσκων «τὸν σαββατισμὸν τὸν ἀπολειπόμενον τῷ λαῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ», νοήσεις τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τοῦ καταβάντος ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ, ἃς ἔχει μόνος καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀναπαυόμενος ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν δύο διαθηκῶν, κλήρων ὀνομασθεισῶν κατὰ τό· «Ἐὰν κοιμηθῆτε ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων, πτέρυγες περιστερᾶς περιηργυρωμέναι.» Κατὰ ταύτας ἐπτερῶσθαι μακάριόν ἐστιν· ἀναλαμβάνουσιν γὰρ τὸν ἔχοντα εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ὑπερκόσμια. 1.398 Τῶν πτερωσθεισῶν κατὰ τὸν ἔποπα δύο γυναικῶν μετεωριζουσῶν τὸ μέτρον ἐφ' ὃ ἡ ἀνομία κάθηται ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, -πεπείρανται γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτήσαντες ἄγγελοι, καὶ οἱ ἐπίγειοι δαίμονες, καὶ ἄνθρωποι ὅσοι «φοροῦσιν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ», -ἰδὼν ὁ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν ὁρῶν μετεωριζόμενον καὶ ἀποφερόμενον τὸ μέτρον ᾧ ἐπικάθηται ἡ ἀνομία, φησὶν τῷ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντι ἀγγέλῳ· «Ποῦ αὗται ἀποφέρουσιν τὸ μέτρον;» 1.399 Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἄγγελος λέγει· «Οἰκοδομῆσαι αὐτῷ οἰκίαν ἐν γῇ Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ θήσουσιν αὐτὸ ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν αὐτοῦ.» 1.400 Ποῖος γὰρ ἄλλος ἥρμοζεν τόπος τῷ ἔχοντι τὴν ἀνομίαν μέτρῳ, ἢ ἡ σύγχυσις, ἵν' ἕτοιμον εὑρίσκηται τοῖς ἐφιεμένοις αὐτοῦ; ∆ιὸ ἐκκλιτέον καὶ ἐκφευκτέον τὴν Βαβυλῶνα διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖ τεθεῖσθαι τὸ μέτρον πρὸς τὸ ἕτοιμον εὑρίσκεσθαι τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν. Κηρυκάδην οὖν ὁ θεῖος λόγος βοᾷ πρὸς τ̣ο`̣ν εἶναι σπουδαῖον θέλοντα· «Ἔξελθε ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος φεύγων ἐκ γῆς Χαλδαίων.» 1.401 Ἐπιστήσαντες τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ τοῦ προφήτου τοῖόν τε, μισήσωμεν πτέρυγας ἔχειν ἔποπος, πτερωθ̣έντες κατὰ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· οὕτω γὰρ ῥᾷστα εἰς τὰ ὑπερουράν̣ια διαβῆναι δυνατόν.

1.402 Zach. VI, 1-8: Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα καὶ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου καὶ εἶδον·

καὶ ἰδοὺ τέσσερα ἅρμ̣ατα ἐκπορευόμενα ἐκ μέσου δύο ὀρέων, καὶ τὰ ὄρη ἦν ὄρη χαλκᾶ. Ἐν τῷ ἅρματι τῷ πρώτῳ ἵπποι πυρροί, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἅρματι τῷ δευτέρῳ ἵπποι μέλανες, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἅρματι τῷ τρίτῳ ἵπποι λευκοί, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἅρματι τῷ τετάρτῳ ἵπποι ποικίλοι ψαροί. Καὶ ἀπεκρίθην καὶ εἶπα πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν λαλοῦντα ἐν ἐμοί· Τί ἐστιν ταῦτα, Κύριε; Κ̣αὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ εἶπεν· Ταῦτά εἰσιν οἱ τέσσαρες ἄνεμοι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἐκπορεύονται παραστῆναι τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσης τῆς γῆς· 1.403 ἐν ᾧ ἦσαν οἱ ἵπποι οἱ μέλανες, ἐξεπορεύοντο ἐπὶ γῆν βορρᾶ, καὶ οἱ λευκοὶ ἐξεπορεύοντο κατόπισθεν αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ ποικίλοι ἐξεπορεύοντο ἐπὶ γῆν νότου, καὶ οἱ ψαροὶ ἐξεπορεύοντο καὶ ἐπέβλεπον τοῦ πορεύεσθαι καὶ περιοδεῦσαι τὴν γῆν. Καὶ περιώδευσαν τὴν γῆν. Καὶ ἀνεβόησεν καὶ ἐλάλησεν πρός με λέγων· Ἰδοὺ οἱ ἐκπορευόμενοι ἐπὶ γῆς βορρᾶ ἔπαυσαν τὸν θυμόν μου ἐν γῇ βορρᾶ. 1.404 Ἐπιστρέψας