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they will be confined to the place appointed for those who are punished. After many generations there will be a visitation of them. For he says they enjoyed much and very great long-suffering. 23And the brick will melt, the earthly mindset. And the wall will fall, the supposed security of those in power. And the moon will be abashed, and the sun will be ashamed, the polytheistic error of the impious. For since they deified all of creation, from the most brilliant parts of creation he indicated the complete destruction of the error. For he does not say that the elements themselves, being inanimate and irrational, will be ashamed, but those who deified them. Whence he added: Because the Lord will reign in Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his elders he will be glorified. Zion and |131 a| Jerusalem he calls the heavenly one. "For you have come," says the divine apostle, "to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." Therefore, in that city, when the kingdom of God is revealed, those who worshiped the creation rather than the creator will be ashamed. Having been taught these things long ago, the prophet weaves a hymn to the God who does these things and says: 251O Lord my God, I will glorify you, I will hymn your name, for you have done wonderful things, an ancient, true counsel. For you preordained these things from above, and now you have revealed them through deeds. Thus also the divine apostle: "The mystery," he says, "which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations in God who created all things," and again: "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages for our glory," and again: "For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son," and the Lord in the holy gospels: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." This also the prophet said: For you have done wonderful things, an ancient, true counsel. May it be, Lord, that is, the end of the things spoken. 2For you have made cities into a heap, fortified cities, for their foundations to fall. You have refuted, he says, the temporary nature of human affairs and shown your power. A city of the impious will not be built for eternity. The saying is spoken in general terms, but it seems to me to allude also to Jerusalem according to the voice of the Lord saying: "There will not be left here one stone upon another, which will not be thrown down." 3For this reason the poor people will bless you, and cities of wronged men who fear you will bless you. He calls the pious people, who possess a humble mindset, "poor people"; for the Lord also blesses them, saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And through the cities of those wronged by men but fearing God, he alluded to the apostolic way of life; for blessing these again the Lord said: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 4For you have become a helper to every humble city and a shelter for those who despaired because of want; you will deliver them from wicked men, a shelter for the thirsty and a spirit for wronged men. He offers to all what is suitable: to the wronged, help; to the despondent, comfort; to all in need, what they require. 5As faint-hearted men thirsting in Zion, from the wicked men to whom you have delivered us. He says these things as from the apostolic choir: We thirst for the heavenly Zion and we implore to be delivered from impious men, to whom you gave us over for training and testing. A scorching heat under the shelter of a cloud will humble the branch of the strong. These things are added with asterisks. And it teaches that a flame of the sun happening with a cloud dries up even the strong and luxuriant branches. The thought is connected to the preceding saying. We are faint-hearted, he says, and we thirst for the heavenly Zion; for many terrible things attack us from all sides, and while your light is hidden, the impending cloud of the persecutors is sufficient

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καθειρχθήσονται τὸ ἀφωρισμένον τοῖς κολαζομένοις χωρίον. ∆ιὰ πολλῶν γενεῶν ἐπισκοπὴ ἔσται αὐτῶν. Πολλῆς γάρ φησι καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον μακροθυμίας ἀπέλαυσαν. 23Καὶ τακήσεται ἡ πλίνθος, τὸ γήινον φρόνημα. Καὶ πεσεῖται τὸ τεῖχος, ἡ νομιζομένη τῶν ἐν δυναστείαις ἀσφάλεια. Καὶ ἐντραπήσεται ἡ σελήνη, καὶ αἰσχυνθήσεται ὁ ἥλιος, τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἡ πολύθεος πλάνη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν ἐθεοποίησαν, ἀπὸ τῶν λαμπροτάτων μορίων τῆς κτίσεως ὑπέδειξε τὴν παντελῆ τῆς πλάνης κατάλυσιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα λέγει καταισχυνθήσεσθαι τὰ ἄψυχά τε καὶ ἄλογα ἀλλὰ τοὺς ταῦτα θεοποιήσαντας. Ὅθεν ἐπήγαγεν· Ὅτι βασιλεύσει κύριος ἐν Σιὼν καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν πρεσβυτέρων αὐτοῦ δοξασθήσεται. Σιὼν καὶ |131 a| Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἐπουράνιον λέγει. «Προσελη λύθατε» γάρ φησιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος «Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ.» Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τοίνυν τῇ πόλει δεικνυμένης τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλείας αἰσχυν θήσονται οἱ λατρεύσαντες τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα. Ταῦτα πάλαι προδιδαχθεὶς ὁ προφήτης ὕμνον ὑφαίνει τῷ ταῦτα ποιοῦντι θεῷ καί φησιν. 251Κύριε ὁ θεός μου δοξάσω σε, ὑμνήσω τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι ἐποίησας θαυμαστὰ πράγματα, βουλὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀληθινήν. Ἄνωθεν γὰρ ταῦτα προώρισας, νῦν δὲ αὐτὰ διὰ πραγμάτων ἐδήλωσας. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· «Τὸ μυστήριόν» φησι «τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν ἐν τῷ θεῷ τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι», καὶ πάλιν· «Λαλοῦμεν σοφίαν θεοῦ ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν», καὶ αὖθις· «Ὅτι οὓς προέγνω καὶ προώρισε συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ», καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις· «∆εῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου.» Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἔφη· Ὅτι ἐποίησας θαυμαστὰ πράγματα, βουλὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀληθινήν. Γένοιτο κύριε, τουτέστι· τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ τέλος. 2Ὅτι ἔθηκας πόλεις εἰς χῶμα, πόλεις ὀχυράς, τοῦ πεσεῖν αὐτῶν τὰ θεμέλια. Ἤλεγξάς φησι καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπείων πραγμάτων τὸ πρόσκαιρον καὶ τὸ σὸν ἔδειξας κράτος. Ἀσεβῶν πόλις τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ μὴ οἰκοδομηθῇ. Καθολικῶς μὲν ὁ λόγος εἴρηται, δοκεῖ δέ μοι καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ αἰνίττεσθαι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου φωνὴν τὴν λέγουσαν· «Οὐ μὴ μείνῃ ὧδε λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον, ὃς οὐ μὴ καταλυθῇ.» 3∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐλογήσει σε ὁ λαὸς ὁ πτωχός, καὶ πόλεις ἀνθρώπων ἀδικουμένων φοβουμένων σε εὐλογήσουσί σε. Λαὸν πτωχὸν τὸν εὐσεβῆ καλεῖ τὸν μετρίῳ φρονήματι χρώμενον· τοῦτον γὰρ καὶ ὁ κύριος μακαρίζει, «Μακάριοι» λέγων «οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.» ∆ιὰ δὲ τῶν πόλεων τῶν ἀδικουμένων μὲν ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων τὸν δὲ θεὸν φοβουμένων τὴν ἀποστολικὴν πολιτείαν ᾐνίξατο· τούτους γὰρ πάλιν μακαρίζων ὁ κύριος ἔλεγεν· «Μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.» 4Ἐγένου γὰρ πάσῃ πόλει ταπεινῇ βοηθὸς καὶ τοῖς ἀθυμήσασι δι' ἔνδειαν σκέπη, ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν ῥύσῃ αὐτούς· σκέπη διψών των καὶ πνεῦμα ἀνθρώπων ἀδικουμένων. Πᾶσι τὰ κατάλληλα προσφέρει· τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις βοήθειαν, τοῖς ἀθυμοῦσι ψυχαγωγίαν, πᾶσι τοῖς δεομένοις τὴν χρείαν. 5Ὡς ἄνθρωποι ὀλιγόψυχοι διψῶντες ἐν Σιὼν ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν οἷς ἡμᾶς παρέδωκας. Ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ ταῦτα λέγει χοροῦ· ∆ιψῶμεν τὴν ἐπουράνιον Σιὼν καὶ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀντιβολοῦμεν, οἷς ἡμᾶς εἰς γυμνασίαν καὶ δοκιμασίαν ἐξέδωκας. Καύσων ἐν σκέπῃ νέφους κληματίδα ἰσχυρῶν ταπεινώσει. Ταῦτα μετὰ ἀστερίσκων πρόσ κειται. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ὅτι φλογμὸς ἡλίου μετὰ νέφους γιγνόμενος καὶ τὰς ἰσχυρὰς καὶ τεθηλυίας κληματίδας ξηραίνει. Συνῆπται δὲ ἡ διάνοια τῷ πρὸ τούτου ῥη τῷ . Ὀλιγοψυχοῦμέν φησι καὶ τὴν ἐπουράνιον διψῶμεν Σιών· πολλὰ γὰρ ἡμῖν πανταχόθεν προσβάλλει δεινά, καὶ τὸ μὲν σὸν κρύπτεται φῶς, τὸ δὲ τῶν διωκόντων ἐπικείμενον νέφος ἱκανόν ἐστι