44

at the end these things will overtake you, practice virtue. Otherwise: In the general consummation, just as through the Word of God creation was formed, so also through the divine command it is dissolved. For when the sensible world is brought to an end, the need for the luminaries is superfluous; then indeed, then there is no need for the rains that water the earth below; but in a certain way the clouds turn back from the rain, that is, they neither produce showers nor let the rain drip down, or they are even dissolved along with the rain itself; for there is no need for rains or clouds. But if they serve the Creator for another need, perhaps becoming chariots for the saints; then also the guardians of the house are shaken, holy men called of power, being perverted indeed by the Antichrist, but not losing strength or falling down. For they are the guardians of both the Church and of this world, through whom it also holds together. Then also the grinding women become few; and by grinding women we must understand the Jews, who pull the heavy and toilsome yoke of the law. They become few, because all, except for a few, have run to the faith of Christ. For then all Israel will be saved, that is, the majority. Then those few themselves who have not run to the faith, who now look as if through holes through the letter of the law, are completely darkened, being persuaded by the working of error, and having shut for themselves in this life the door of salvation. For the present life has been called a marketplace. But they suffer this because they remained in the weakness of the voice of the grinding woman, that is, of the letter of the law. For the law is heavy and weak, unable to perfect anyone, as the Apostle also says: For what was impossible for the law, in that it was weak through the flesh; and the rest. "And he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song shall be brought low; and they shall look from on high and be terrified in the way. Here the wise man speaks of the general resurrection, when the dead rise up at a command, at the voice of an archangel. At the command of the sparrow, the incarnate Word, who on account of his isolation on the cross said, I have become like a sparrow dwelling alone on the housetop. Then the daughters of song are brought low, the souls that in this life lived in luxury, and were wanton, and applauded the sound of instruments and of songs 93.617, or also those of the false teachers, who using fine speech and deception like a song in their words, produced a destructive pleasure for their listeners. And the souls of the Jews, being daughters of song, are brought low, because they did not listen to the prophets singing: Let me sing now to my beloved a song of the beloved; and such like things. And all these aforementioned souls of sinners, and perhaps also those of the righteous, are amazed, when they are led away in the way; and seeing from on high the Son of man coming on the clouds in the glory of his Father. "The almond shall blossom, and the locust shall grow fat, and the caper shall be scattered." Solomon, understanding the present life, according to what is said in the Songs. The winter has passed. Spring, he said, the future life dawning for the righteous, in which he adds: "The flowers have appeared in our land." Therefore, he followed the same course here for himself, and says that then the almond blossoms, and the locust grows fat, and the caper opens; for so another of the interpreters has rendered it. And these things naturally happen in the spring. He says, therefore, that the future life is like spring. Otherwise: Those who have studied these things say that the almond blossoms before all other trees, and sheds its leaves after all others, so that the plant is in a way evergreen. We know that this almond, the nut, is threefold in nature; for it has a husk on the outside, and after that the shell, then inside the edible part. Such also is man, composed of body, and spirit, and soul. Then, he says, the righteous blossom, like almonds, preserving whole both soul, and body, and spirit. Otherwise: The rod of Aaron that budded was both of a nut tree, and it bore nuts, the rod from the root

44

τελευτῇ ταῦτά σε καταλαβεῖν, ἐργάζου τὴν ἀρετήν. Ἄλλως· Ἐν τῇ γενικῇ συντελείᾳ, ὥσπερ διὰ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ κτίσις συνέστη, οὕτω καὶ διὰ τοῦ θείου προστάγματος ἀναλύεται. Συντελουμένου γὰρ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ κόσμου, περιττὴ τῶν φωστήρων ἡ χρεία· τότε δὴ, τότε οὐδὲ τῶν ὑετῶν ἐστι χρεία τῶν κάτω δευόντων τὴν γῆν· ἀλλὰ τρόπον τινὰ ἀποστρέφουσιν αἱ νεφέλαι ὀπίσω τοῦ ὑετοῦ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὔτε ὀμβροτοκοῦσιν, οὔτε τὸν ὑετὸν καταστάζουσιν, ἢ καὶ αὐτῷ συναναλύονται τῷ ὑετῷ· οὔτε γὰρ ὑετῶν οὔτε νεφελῶν χρεία. Εἰ δὲ εἰς ἑτέραν τῷ ∆ημιουργῷ χρείαν ὑπηρετοῦσιν, ἴσως ὀχήματα τοῖς ἁγίοις γινόμενα· τότε καὶ σαλεύονται οἱ φύλακες τῆς οἰκίας, ἅγιοι ἄνδρες τῆς δυνάμεως λεχθέντες, διαστρεφόμενοι μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου, οὐ μὴν ἐξατονοῦντες ἢ καταπίπτοντες. Αὐτοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ φύλακες τῆς τε Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ κόσμου, δι' οὓς καὶ συνίσταται. Τότε ὀλιγοῦνται καὶ αἱ ἀλήθουσαι· ἀληθούσας δὲ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐκληπτέον, τοὺς τὸν βαρὺν καὶ ἐπίμοχθον ζυγὸν ἕλκοντας τοῦ νόμου. Ὀλιγοῦνται δὲ, διὰ τὸ πάντας, πλὴν ὀλίγων, δεδραμηκέναι τῇ πίστει τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τότε γὰρ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οἱ πλείονες. Τότε αὐτοὶ οἱ ὀλίγοι οἱ μὴ προσδεδραμηκότες τῇ πίστει, οἱ νῦν ὡς δι' ὀπῶν διὰ τοῦ νομικοῦ γράμματος βλέποντες, τελείως σκοτίζονται, τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τῆς πλάνης πεισθέντες, καὶ ἀποκλείσαντες ἑαυτοῖς ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ τὴν θύραν τῆς σωτηρίας. Ἀγορὰ γὰρ ὁ παρὼν ὠνομάσθη βίος. Τοῦτο δὲ πάσχουσι διὰ τὸ ἐναπομεῖναι ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς φωνῆς τῆς ἀληθούσης, τουτέστι τοῦ νομικοῦ γράμματος. Βαρὺς γὰρ ὁ νόμος καὶ ἀσθενὴς, μηδένα δυνάμενος τελειῶσαι, ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησι· Τὸ γὰρ ἀσθενὲς τοῦ νόμου, ἐν ᾧ ἠσθένει διὰ τῆς σαρκός· καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. "Καὶ ἀναστήσεται εἰς φωνὴν τοῦ στρουθίου, καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ θυγατέρες τοῦ ἄσματος καί γε ἀπὸ ὕψους ὄψονται καὶ θάμβους ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ. Ἐνταῦθα σοφὸς περὶ τῆς καθόλου ἀναστάσεώς φησι, ὅτε οἱ νεκροὶ ἀνίστανται ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου. Κελεύσματι δὲ τοῦ στρουθίου, τοῦ ἐνανθρωπήσαντος Λόγου, ὃς διὰ τὴν ἐν σταυρῷ μόνωσιν ἔλεγε, Ἐγενήθην ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον ἐπὶ δώματος. Τότε ταπεινοῦνται αἱ θυγατέρες τοῦ ᾄσματος, αἱ ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ τρυφήσασαι, καὶ σπαταλήσασαι καὶ τῇ φωνῇ τῶν ὀργάνων καὶ τῶν ᾀσμά 93.617 των ἐπικροτήσασαι ψυχαὶ, ἢ καὶ αἱ τῶν ψευδοδιδασκάλων, αἳ τῇ καλιῤῥημοσύνῃ καὶ ἀπάτῃ δίκην ᾄσματος τοῖς λόγοις χρώμεναι, ἡδονὴν ὀλεθρίαν ἐποίουν τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Καὶ αἱ τῶν Ἰουδαίων δὲ ψυχαὶ, θυγατέρες οὖσαι τοῦ ᾄσματος, ταπεινοῦνται, ὅτι μὴ ἤκουσαν ᾀδόντων τῶν προφητῶν· Ἄσω δὴ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ᾆσμα τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ· καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Αὗται δὲ πᾶσαι αἱ προειρημέναι τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ψυχαὶ, τάχα δὲ αἱ τῶν δικαίων ἔκθαμβοι γίνονται, ὅταν ἀπάγωνται ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ· καὶ ὁρῶντες ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕψους ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ δόξᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. "Ἀνθήσει τὸ ἀμύγδαλον, καὶ παχυνθῇ ἡ ἀκρὶς, καὶ διασκεδασθῇ ἡ κάππαρις." Τὸν ἐνεστῶτα βίον νοήσας ὁ Σολομὼν, κατὰ τὸ ἐν τοῖς Ἄσμασι φερόμενον. Ὁ χειμὼν παρῆλθε. Ἔαρ, τοῖς δικαίοις ἀναλάμποντα τὸν μέλλοντα βίον ἔφη, ἐν οἷς ἐπάγει· "Τὰ ἄνθη ὤφθησαν ἐν τῇ γῇ ἡμῶν." Τὸ αὐτὸ τοίνυν κἀνταῦθα ἐπορεύθη ἑαυτῷ, καί φησιν ὅτι τότε ἀνθεῖ τὸ ἀμύγδαλον, καὶ παχύνεται ἡ ἀκρὶς, καὶ διανοίγεται ἡ κάππαρις· οὕτω γὰρ ἕτερος τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν ἐκδέδωκε. Ταῦτα δὲ πέφυκε ἐν τῷ ἔαρι γίγνεσθαι. Φησὶ οὖν ὅτι ὁ μέλλων βίος ἔαρι ἔοικε. Ἄλλως· Φασὶν οἱ περὶ ταῦτα ἠσχολημένοι, πρὸ πάντων δένδρων ἀνθεῖν τὸ ἀμύγδαλον, καὶ μετὰ πάντα ἀποβάλλειν τὰ φύλλα, ὡς εἶναι τρόπον τινὰ τὸ φυτὸν ἀειθαλές. Ἴσμεν δὲ ὅτι τὸ ἀμύγδαλον τοῦτο δὴ τὸ κάρυον τριπλοῦν ἐστι τὴν φύσιν· τότε γὰρ ἔξωθεν ἔχει λέπος, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τὸ ὀστρακῶδες, εἶτα ἔνδοθεν τὸ ἐδώδιμον. Τοιοῦτος δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἐκ σώματος, καὶ πνεύματος, καὶ ψυχῆς συνεστώς. Τότε οὖν, φησὶ, ἀνθοῦσιν οἱ δίκαιοι, δίκην ἀμυγδάλων, ὁλόκληρα διασώζοντες καὶ ψυχὴν, καὶ σῶμα, καὶ πνεῦμα. Ἄλλως· Ἡ ῥάβδος Ἀαρὼν ἡ βλαστήσασα,καρυΐνη τε ἦν, καὶ κάρυά γε ἔφερε, τῆς ῥάβδου τῆς ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης