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and spiritual enemies. For God says concerning Jerusalem: "And I will be to her a wall of fire round about." But by their drunken rage against Christ, having become vulnerable to their enemies, grace having passed over to the gentiles. But Symmachus says: For a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of falling, to the two houses of Israel, for a trap, and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And he says "two houses," that of the rulers and that of the ruled, indicating the whole nation. And the rest, too, rendered it "the two houses." For this reason, he says, many among them will be weak, it is clear because He became for them a stone of stumbling. But instead of "they will draw near," Symmachus rendered it, And they will be snared and 1989 be taken. But the phrase, "men in security," is superfluous, and has been marked with an obelus. ιιηʹ. 9Then they who seal the law so as not to learn it will be manifest. And he will say: I will wait for God who has turned His face away from the house of Jacob, and I will be confident in Him9, etc. The first verse Symmachus rendered thus: Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples; with which the readings of Aquila also agree. Then, he says, after the aforementioned things happened to the two houses of Israel: then bind up the law. For there is no longer a need for the law of Moses, nor for the testimonies from it, since the new teaching is being delivered to his disciples, to those called from the gentiles, who will be manifest, sealing the law so as not to learn it, it being no longer useful in comparison with what is better. Shall we therefore refrain from the legal readings when Christ says: "Therefore I say to you, that every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a rich man, who brings out of his treasure new things and old."? Not therefore, not at all, but we reject its bodily interpretation. But some say that through these things are slandered those who close their ears to the divine law, who are also said to be sealed, having conformed themselves to the form of the adversary, not wanting Christ to be formed in them. Preferring the image of the earthly to the heavenly, but the law by itself has been sealed by the obscurity of its words, having been delivered in this way for the training of the mind. But he who does not attempt to loose the bond of ignorance through study is said to seal it. The teachers of the Jews also sealed it under the pretext of observing the letter, not revealing the mysteries in the depth. Concerning whom, the Savior says, that You have taken away the keys, and you neither enter yourselves, nor do you permit those who are able to enter. And such a Jewish person says: I will wait for God who has turned away, and the rest. And he says: I do not accept Immanuel, even if I have now been abandoned; but I will await at some time the visitation of God who has now turned away from us. But according to the former explanation, those who have hoped in Christ say these things, turning away from the law, and waiting for the grace of Christ, that He might become their sanctification; according to that which says: "Waiting, I waited for the Lord, and he attended to me." [but he waits for the Lord] Who also endures the things that seem good to God, and bears the struggles for piety, making a secure stand in God, through seeing how God has turned away from those who have disobeyed Him. But some who say these things: the person of the Only-begotten will teach, being introduced and saying concerning them: 1992 Behold, I and the children whom God has given me; which Paul also quoted in the Epistle to the Hebrews. For the Jewish children are from a man and a woman; but these, of the Lord who declares these things, were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God, the Father having given such children to him according to the flesh. For insofar as He is God, he rules over all things by nature, no longer adhering to the law of Moses. And He calls the faithful "children," as having been reborn in the spirit, and having put off the old man; gentle in manner, and innocent of evil, weaned then from the introductory words, and proceeding to the more perfect food of the mysteries. And having given us also to cry out in the spirit, "Abba, Father,"

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καὶ νοητοὺς πολεμίους. Φησὶ γὰρ περὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὁ Θεός· "Κἀγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῇ τεῖχος πυρὸς κύκλοθεν." Τῇ δὲ εἰς Χριστὸν παροινίᾳ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς γεγονότες εὐάλωτοι, εἰς τὰ ἔθνη μετελθούσης τῆς χάριτος. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχός φησιν· Εἰς λίθον προσκόμματος, καὶ εἰς πέτραν πτώματος, τοῖς δύο οἴκοις Ἰσραὴλ, εἰς παγίδα, καὶ εἰς σκάνδαλον τῶν οἰκούντων Ἱερουσαλήμ. ∆ύο δὲ οἴκους φησὶ, τόν τε τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ τὸν τῶν ἀρχομένων, τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος δηλῶν. Καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ, τοὺς δύο οἴκους ἐξέδωκαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ, φησὶν, ἀδυνατήσουσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς πολλοὶ, δῆλον δι' ὅτι γέγονεν αὐτοῖς εἰς λίθον προσκόμματος. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐγγιοῦσιν, Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκεν, Καὶ παγιδευθήσονται καὶ 1989 συλληφθήσονται. Τὸ δὲ, ἄνθρωποι ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ, περιττὸν, καὶ ὠβέλισται. ιιηʹ. 9Τότε φανεροὶ ἔσονται οἱ σφραγιζόμενοι τὸν νόμον τοῦ μὴ μαθεῖν. Καὶ ἐρεῖ· Μενῶ τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἀποστρέψαντα τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου Ἰακὼβ, καὶ πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι ἐπ' αὐτῷ9, κ.τ.λ. Τὸν πρῶτον στίχον ὁ Σύμμαχος οὔτως ἐξέδωκεν· ∆ῆσον μαρτύριον, σφράγισαι τὸν νόμον ἐν τοῖς διδακτοῖς μου· οἷς καὶ τὰ Ἀκύλου συνᾴδει. Τότε δὲ, φησὶ, μετὰ τὸ συμβῆναι τὰ εἰρημένα τοῖς δύο οἴκοις τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· τότε δῆσον τὸν νόμον. Οὐκέτι γὰρ χρεία τοῦ Μωϋσέως νόμου, οὐδὲ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ μαρτυρίων, τῆς καινῆς παραδιδομένης διδασκαλίας τοῖς διδακτοῖς αὐτοῦ, τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν κεκλημένοις, οἵτινες φανεροὶ ἔσονται σφραγίζοντες τὸν νόμον τοῦ μὴ μαθεῖν αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἔτι ὄντα χρήσιμον τῇ παραθέσει τοῦ κρείττονος. Ἄρ' οὖν ἀφεξόμεθα τῶν νομικῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· "∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι πᾶς γραμματεὺς μαθητευθεὶς τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὅμοιός ἐστι πλουσίῳ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὅστις ἐκβάλλει ἐκ τοῦ θησαυροῦ αὐτοῦ καινὰ καὶ παλαιά." Οὐκ οὖν, οὐ καθάπαξ, τὴν δὲ σωματικὴν ἐκδοχὴν αὐτοῦ παραιτούμεθα. Τινὲς δὲ διαβάλλεσθαι διὰ τούτων φασὶ τοὺς τῷ θείῳ νόμῳ τὰς ἀκοὰς ἀποκλείοντας, οἳ καὶ σφραγίζεσθαι λέγονται, τῇ μορφῇ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ἑαυτοὺς ὁμοιώσαντες, μὴ θέλοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς μορφωθῆναι Χριστόν. Προτιμῶντες δὲ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ, ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ ὁ νόμος τῇ ἀσαφείᾳ τῶν ῥημάτων ἐσφράγισται διὰ νοῦ γυμνασίαν οὕτω παραδοθείς. Ὁ δὲ μὴ τῇ μελέτῃ λῦσαι τῇ ἀγνοίας ἐπιχειρῶν τὸν δεσμὸν σφραγίζειν αὐτὸν λέγεται. Ἐσφράγιζον καὶ Ἰουδαίων οἱ διδάσκαλοι προφάσει τῆς κατὰ τὸ γράμμα τηρήσεως οὐκ ἀποκαλύπτοντες τὰ ἐν τῷ βάθει μυστήρια. Περὶ ὧν, φησὶν ὁ Σωτὴρ, ὄτι Ἤρατε τὰς κλεῖς, καὶ οὔτε αὐτοὶ εἰσέρχεσθε, καὶ τοὺς δυναμένους εἰσελθεῖν κωλύετε. Ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτός φησιν Ἰουδαϊκός· μενῶ τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἀποστρέψαντα, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Λέγει δέ· Οὐ δέχομαι τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ, εἰ καὶ νῦν ἐγκαταλέλειμμαι· μενῶ δέ ποτε τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ νῦν ἡμᾶς ἀποστραφέντος. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν προτέραν ἐξήγησιν, οἱ εἰς Χριστὸν ἠλπικότες ταῦτά φασιν, τὸν μὲν νόμον ἀποστρεφόμενοι, τὴν δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ περιμένοντες χάριν, ὡς ἂν αὐτῶν ἁγίασμα γένηται· κατὰ τό· "Ὑπομένων ὑπέμεινα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ προσέσχεν μοι." [ὑπομένει δὲ Κύριον] Ὃς καὶ καρτερεῖ τὰ δοκοῦντα Θεῷ, καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἀγῶνας ἀνέχεται, στάσιν ἐν Θεῷ ποιούμενος ἀσφαλῆ, διὰ τοῦ βλέπειν, ὡς ἀπεστράφη Θεὸς τοὺς ἠπειθηκότας αὐτῷ. Τινὲς δὲ οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες· διδάξει τὸ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς πρόσωπον εἰσαχθὲν καὶ λέγον περὶ αὐτῶν· 1992 Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός· ἃ καὶ Παῦλος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους παρέθετο. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ Ἰουδαϊκὰ παιδία ἐξ ἀνδρός τε καὶ γυναικός· τὰ δὲ, τοῦ χρηματίζοντος ταῦτα Κυρίου, οὐκ ἐξ αἵματος, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς, ἀλλ' ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν, τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῷ τοιαῦτα τέκνα δεδωρημένου κατὰ σάρκα. Καθ' ὃ γὰρ Θεὸς, πάντων κρατεῖ φυσικῶς, μηκέτι τῷ Μωϋσέως προσέχοντα νόμῳ. Παιδία δέ φησι τοὺς πιστοὺς, ὡς ἀναγεννηθέντας τῷ πνεύματι, καὶ τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπεκδυσαμένους· ἁπαλοὺς τὸν τρόπον, καὶ ἀπειροκάκους, ἀπογεγαλακτισμένους λοιπὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰσαγωγικῶν λόγων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν τελειοτέρων τροφὴν τῶν μυστηρίων χωροῦντας. ∆οὺς δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ κράζειν ἐν πνεύματι, Ἀββᾶ ὁ πατὴρ,