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the Gospel was preached, then to all the nations; but it will also be preached again through the great Elijah before the consummation of the world. I, therefore, He says, will do everything, procuring your benefit; for you will know from these things what you have done to Me, and what good things I have provided for you. For this reason He added: 63. That you may remember, and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I have forgiven you all that you have done, says the Lord ADONAI. The three young men in the furnace also used these words. For, making the transgressions of the people their own, they said in prayer: "And now we cannot open our mouths; we have become a shame and a reproach to Your servants and to those who worship You." And the divine Daniel likewise in captivity cried out praying 81.957: "To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us confusion of face, as at this day, to our kings, and to our princes, and to our fathers." And showing the reason, they rightly added: "because we have sinned against You." This prophecy, therefore, has also reached its fulfillment; for He who inspires the prophets is true. Therefore we too must examine ourselves, and make a strict test of our conduct, comparing the divine benefactions with our own transgressions, and use these words when we pray, and by the shame of past sins flee the work that produces shame, and illumine the soul with divine remembrance. For thus we will be able to get far from the contrivances of sin, and to attend upon God, and to enjoy His grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom glory is fitting for the Father, with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

VOLUME 6. CHAPTER 17. 1-3. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, propose

a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel. And you shall say: Thus says the Lord ADONAI. He commands him to make the prophecy in a riddling way, so that those who hear, not understanding what is said, might become more earnest in their search, and through questioning receive the interpretation from the prophet. "The great eagle, with great wings, long-winged, full of claws." Through these he alluded to Nebuchadnezzar, calling him "great" because he had become renowned, and "with great wings" as having extended his dominion very far, and "long-winged" as being proud and arrogant; and He called him "full of claws" as having a large army, both cavalry and infantry, both light-armed and heavy-armed. For the soldiers are the claws of the king, being both the extremity of the body, because they are subject to their leaders, and sharp and powerful, to 81.960 strike and tear like a beast those who attempt to speak against them. "Which has, he says, the command to enter into Lebanon." Here he clearly taught that he did not come to Jerusalem of his own accord, but with the God of all invisibly stirring and leading him; for he called Jerusalem Lebanon, not only as being distinguished, but also as flourishing at that time, both with a multitude of inhabitants, and with priests according to the law, and with prophets prophesying divine things. And he entered, he says, and took the choice parts of the cedar. (4.) He nipped off the top of its tender twigs. Through these he alluded to Jeconiah; and he said "choice parts of the cedar" because of the kingdom, and "the top of its tender twigs," not only because of his high rank, but also because of the youth of his age; for while still young, he both received the kingdom and endured the captivity; and fittingly also "he nipped off"

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ἐκηρύχθη τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, εἶτα πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὖθις κηρυ χθήσεται διὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Ἠλία πρὸ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου συντελείας. Ἐγὼ οὖν, φησὶ, πάντα ποιήσω τὴν σὴν πραγματευόμενος ὠφέλειαν· γνώσῃ γὰρ ἐκ τούτων, οἷα μὲν τὰ παρὰ σοῦ εἰς ἐμὲ γεγενημένα, ὁποῖα δὲ τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ ὑπαρχθέντα σοι ἀγαθά. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπ ήγαγεν· ξγʹ. Ὅπως μνησθῇς, καὶ αἰσχυνθῇς, καὶ μὴ ᾖ σοι ἔτι ἀνοῖξαι στόμα ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀτιμίας σου, ἐν τῷ ἐξιλάσκεσθαί σε κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησας, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Τούτοις ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ καὶ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες τοῖς λόγοις ἐχρήσαντο. Οἰκειούμενοι γὰρ τὰς τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίας ἔλεγον προσευχόμενοι· "Καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἀνοῖξαι στόμα· αἰσχύνη καὶ ὄνειδος ἐγενήθημεν τοῖς δούλοις σου, καὶ τοῖς σεβομένοις σε." Καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος ∆ανιὴλ ὡσαύτως ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἐβόα προσευχό 81.957 μενος "Σοὶ Κύριε, ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἡμῖν ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώπου, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ τοῖς βασι λεῦσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν." Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δεικνύντες ἐπ ήγαγον εἰκότως· "∆ιότι ἡμάρτομέν σοι." Πέρας τοίνυν καὶ αὕτη εἴληφεν ἡ προφητεία· ἀψευδὴς γὰρ ὁ τοῖς προφήταις ἐμπνέων. ∆εῖ τοίνυν καὶ ἡμᾶς τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐξετάζοντας, καὶ βάσανον ἀκριβῆ ποιουμένους τῶν πεπολιτευμένων, παρεξετάζοντας δὲ ταῖς ἡμετέραις πλημμελείαις τὰς θείας εὐεργε σίας, τούτοις κεχρῆσθαι προσευχομένους τοῖς λόγοις, καὶ τῇ αἰσχύνῃ τῶν προειργασμένων ἁμαρτημάτων φεύγειν τὴν τῆς αἰσχύνης ποιητικὴν ἐργασίαν, καὶ τῇ θείᾳ μνήμῃ τὴν ψυχὴν καταυγάζειν. Οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα πόῤῥω μὲν τῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας γενέσθαι μηχανημάτων, τῷ δὲ Θεῷ προσεδρεύειν, καὶ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ χάριτος ἀπολαύειν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυ ρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα πρέπει, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΤΟΜΟΣ ς ʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΖʹ. α-γ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς μὲ, λέ γων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, διήγησαι

διήγημα, καὶ εἰπὲ παραβολὴν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ ἐρεῖς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Αἰνιγματωδῶς ποιήσασθαι αὐτῷ τὴν προφητείαν παρακελεύεται, ἵν' ἀγνοοῦντες οἱ ἀκούοντες τὰ λεγόμενα σπουδαιότεροι περὶ τὴν τούτων γένωνται ζήτησιν, καὶ δι' ἐρωτή σεως παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου δέξωνται τὴν ἑρμηνείαν. "Ὁ ἀετὸς ὁ μέγας, ὁ μεγαλοπτέρυγος, ὁ μακρὸς τῇ ἐκτάσει, ὁ πλήρης ὀνύχων." Τὸν Ναβουχοδο νόσορ διὰ τούτων ᾐνίξατο, μέγαν μὲν ὀνομάσας διὰ τὸ πολυθρύλλητον γενέσθαι, "μεγαλοπτέρυγον δὲ," ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἐκτείναντα, "μακρὸν δὲ τῇ ἐκτάσει," ὡς μεγαλόφρονα καὶ ἀλαζόνα· "πλήρη δὲ αὐτὸν ὀνύχων" ἐκάλεσεν, ὡς πολλὴν στρατείαν ἔχοντα, ἱππικήν τε καὶ πεζικὴν, ψιλήν τε καὶ ὁπλιτικήν. Ὄνυχες γὰρ βασιλέως οἱ στρατιῶται, καὶ τὸ ἔσχατον τοῦ σώματος ἔχοντες, διὰ τὸ τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν ὑποκεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸ ὀξὺ καὶ δυνατὸν, εἰς τὸ 81.960 πλήττειν καὶ σπαράττειν θηρίου δίκην τοὺς ἀντιλέ γειν ἐπιχειροῦντας. "Ὃς ἔχει, φησὶ, τὸ ἥγημα εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν Λίβανον." Ἐνταῦθα σαφῶς ἐδίδα ξεν, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτομάτως εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλήλυ θεν, ἀλλ' ἀοράτως τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων παρακινήσαντός τε καὶ ἀγαγόντος· Λίβανον γὰρ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ προσηγόρευσεν, οὐχ ὡς ἐπίσημον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς κομῶσαν τηνικαῦτα, καὶ οἰκητόρων πλήθει, καὶ τῶν κατὰ νόμον ἱερέων, καὶ προφητῶν τὰ θεῖα προθεσπιζόντων. Καὶ εἰσῆλθε, φησὶ, καὶ ἔλαβε τὰ ἐπίλεκτα τῆς κέδρου. (δʹ.) Τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ἁπαλότητος ἀπέκνισε. Τὸν Ἰεχονίαν διὰ τούτων ᾐνίξατο· ἐπί λεκτα δὲ ἔφη τῆς κέδρου διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν, "ἄκρον δὲ τῆς ἁπαλότητος," οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ ὑψηλὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ νέον τῆς ἡλικίας· νέος γὰρ ὢν ἔτι, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐδέξατο, καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ὑπέμει νεν· ἁρμοδίως δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀπέκνισε