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of a bed, one is taken and one is left, two women grinding at the mill, one is taken and one is left,” and again: “These will go away into eternal life and these into eternal punishment and shame.” That by the glory of the Lord the water of the sea will be troubled. 15Therefore the glory of the Lord will be in the islands of the sea, in the islands the name of the Lord God of Israel |130 b| will be glorious. He has called the miracles done through the apostles ‘glory of the Lord’, and the multitude of people ‘water of the sea’. For they were troubled like the sea, and some contradicted while others believed in what was being preached. And he calls the churches built up in the midst of this sea ‘islands’, which receive the waves of the sea, but are kept unharmed according to the promise of the Lord; in these the divine name is hymned by the pious. The prophet, having learned these things through spiritual grace, says to the Master: Lord God of Israel, 16from the wings of the earth we have heard wonders. He named faith and the knowledge of God ‘wings of the earth’; for earthly men, flying up by means of these, behold divine things. And he calls ‘wonders’ both the things foretold concerning the consummation and the things decreed concerning the churches. Then he shows the profit of the things said; for he adds: Hope for the pious. For he who lives lawfully and piously, learning the recompenses of the age to come, nobly bears the labors of virtue, with hope supporting him. But what is the hope, O divine prophet? I have received the hope of good things, he says, but I have not clearly learned its forms. For he added this: And he said: My mystery is for me and for mine. For this reason the divine apostle, discoursing on these very things, said: “What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him; but God has revealed it to us through his Spirit.” So also here God says through the prophet: My mystery is for me and for mine. Having thus initiated the pious, he turns his discourse against the lawless: Woe to those who set aside, who practice the lawlessness of those who set aside the law. Those who live contrary to its will set aside the law. And again, here he means not only the Mosaic law, but also the natural law; for the discourse is about all people. 17Fear and the pit and the snare are upon you who dwell on the earth. 18And it shall be that he who flees from the fear will fall into the pit, and he who comes out of the pit will be caught by the snare. He speaks of successive evils, and the second ones are more grievous than the first; for he says that whoever escapes the lesser will fall into the more grievous. For windows are opened from heaven, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken. Through these things he has revealed the overseeing of the God of all. Similar to these is what was said by the most divine David: “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there is anyone who understands or seeks God.” Then again he speaks of the things that will happen from the divine overseeing, the confusion of all, the perplexity about what is to be done; for he says they all wander here and there like drunken men. 20And the earth shall be shaken like a fruit-watcher's hut and shall fall, and shall not be able to rise again; for lawlessness has prevailed upon it. The fruit-watcher's hut is a temporary tent. So also the fashion of this life is limited to a certain time; and the blessed Paul said that this passes away. 21And God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven on high in that day, and upon the kingdoms of the earth upon the earth. 22And they will gather its gathering into a prison and will shut them up into a stronghold. And these things declare the consummation of all; for then according to the voice of the Lord “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,” and again: “the stars of heaven will fall as a leaf falls from a vine and as a leaf drops from a fig tree.” Then the kingdoms on the earth will receive an end, and those worthy of punishment as into some stronghold and prison

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κλίνης, εἷς παραλαμβάνεται καὶ εἷς ἀφίεται, δύο ἀλήθουσαι ἐν τῷ μυλῶνι, μία παραλαμβάνεται καὶ μία ἀφίεται», καὶ πάλιν· «Οὗτοι ἀπελεύσονται εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ οὗτοι εἰς κόλασιν καὶ αἰσχύνην αἰώνιον.» Ὅτι τῇ δόξῃ κυρίου ταραχθήσεται τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης. 15∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡ δόξα κυρίου ἔσται ἐν ταῖς νήσοις τῆς θαλάσσης, ἐν ταῖς νήσοις τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ |130 b| ἔνδοξον ἔσται. ∆όξαν κυρίου κέκληκε τὰ διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων γενόμενα θαύματα, ὕδωρ δὲ θαλάσσης τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ πλῆθος. ∆ίκην γὰρ θαλάττης διεταράττοντο καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀντέλεγον οἱ δὲ ἐν τοῖς κηρυττομένοις ἐπίστευον. Νήσους δὲ τὰς ἐν μέσῳ τῆς θαλάττης ταύτης ἀνοικοδομηθείσας ἐκκλησίας καλεῖ καὶ δεχομένας μὲν τῆς θαλάττης τὰ κύματα, ἀβλαβεῖς δὲ φυλαττομένας κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ὑπόσχεσιν· ἐν ταύταις τὸ θεῖον ὄνομα παρὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ὑμνεῖται. Ταῦτα δὲ διὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς χάριτος ὁ προφήτης μεμαθηκὼς πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην φησίν· Κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, 16ἀπὸ τῶν πτερύγων τῆς γῆς τέρατα ἠκούσαμεν. Πτέρυγας τῆς γῆς τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν θεογνωσίαν ὠνόμασεν· οἱ γὰρ γήινοι διὰ τούτων ἀνιπτάμενοι θεωροῦσι τὰ θεῖα. Τέρατα δὲ καλεῖ τά τε περὶ τῆς συντελείας προηγορευμένα καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τεθεσπισμένα. Εἶτα δείκνυσι τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ ἐπικερδές· ἐπάγει γάρ· Ἐλπὶς τῷ εὐσεβεῖ. Ὁ γὰρ ἐννόμως καὶ εὐσεβῶς πολιτευόμενος τὰς τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος ἀντιδόσεις μανθάνων φέρει γενναίως τῆς ἀρετῆς τοὺς πόνους, τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑπερει δούσης. Τίς δὲ ἡ ἐλπίς, ὦ θεσπέσιε προφῆτα; Ἀγαθῶν μέν φησιν ἐδεξάμην ἐλπίδα, τὰ δὲ ταύτης εἴδη σαφῶς οὐ μεμάθηκα. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν· Καὶ εἶπεν· Τὸ μυστήριόν μου ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος περὶ τούτων αὐτῶν διαλεγόμενος ἔφη· «Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν· ἡμῖν δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀπεκάλυψε διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ.» Οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φησίν· Τὸ μυστήριόν μου ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς. Οὕτω μυσταγωγήσας τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς κατὰ τῶν παρα νομούντων τρέπει τὸν λόγον· Οὐαὶ τοῖς ἀθετοῦσιν, οἱ ἀθετοῦντες ἀθεσίαν ἀθετούντων τὸν νόμον. Ἀθετοῦσι τὸν νόμον οἱ παρὰ τὸ τούτου συμβιοτεύοντες βούλημα. Νόμον δὲ πάλιν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν μόνον λέγει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν φυσικόν· περὶ πάντων γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ὁ λόγος. 17Φόβος καὶ βόθυνος καὶ παγὶς ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 18Καὶ ἔσται ὁ φεύγων τὸν φόβον ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς τὸν βόθυνον, καὶ ὁ ἐκβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ βοθύνου ἁλώσεται ὑπὸ τῆς παγίδος. Ἐπάλληλα λέγει κακὰ καὶ τὰ δεύτερα τῶν προτέρων χαλεπώτερα· ὁ γὰρ τὸ ἔλαττόν φησι διαφυγὼν τῷ χαλεπωτέρῳ περιπεσεῖται. Ὅτι θυρίδες ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀνεῴχθησαν, καὶ σεισθήσεται τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς. Τὴν ἐποψίαν τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων διὰ τούτων δεδήλωκεν. Τούτοις ἔοικε τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ θειοτάτου ∆αυὶδ εἰρημένον· «Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν ἐπὶ τοὺς οἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ ἔστι συνίων ἢ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν.» Εἶτα πάλιν τὰ ἐκ τῆς θείας ἐποψίας συμβησόμενα λέγει, τὴν ἁπάντων ταραχήν, τοῦ πρακτέου τὴν ἀπορίαν· μεθύουσι γάρ φησιν ἐοικότες ἅπαντες τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περιπλανῶνται. 20Καὶ σεισθήσεται ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἡ γῆ καὶ πεσεῖται καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἀναστῆναι· κατίσχυσε γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἡ ἀνομία. Τὸ ὀπωροφυλάκιον πρόσκαιρός ἐστι σκηνή. Οὕτω καὶ τοῦ βίου τὸ σχῆμα χρόνῳ τινὶ περιώρισται· τοῦτο δὲ παράγειν ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος. 21Καὶ ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐν τῷ ὕψει τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς βασιλείας τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 22Καὶ συνάξουσι συναγωγὴν αὐτῆς εἰς δεσμωτήριον καὶ ἀποκλείσουσιν εἰς ὀχύρωμα. Καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ παντὸς δηλοῖ τὴν συντέλειαν· τότε γὰρ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου φωνὴν «Ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φέγγος αὐτῆς», καὶ πάλιν· «Πεσεῖται τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς πίπτει φύλλα ἀπὸ ἀμπέλου καὶ ὡς ἐκρεῖ φύλλα ἀπὸ συκῆς.» Τότε αἱ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς βασιλεῖαι δέξονται τέλος καὶ οἱ κολάσεως ἄξιοι ὡς εἰς ὀχύρωμά τι καὶ δεσμωτήριον