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to expend the moisture of faith. To these are similar the things said by the most divine apostle: “A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. And he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,’” and again: “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” From here again the prophet foretells the mystical gift given to the gentiles: 6And the Lord God of Sabaoth shall make for all the nations on this mountain a feast of rich food, a feast of wine on the lees; they will drink gladness, they will drink wine, they will anoint themselves with myrrh. 7And they shall be delivered on this mountain by a delivering, and he shall swallow up on this mountain. He calls the mountain the height of the knowledge of God; for we have shown this also in the things said before. The aforementioned things are symbols of the mysteries of the knowledge of God. Gladness is joined to these things; for he foretells that all the nations will partake of these God-given drinks. And it agrees with the things said by the Lord to the holy |131 b| apostles: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” He says that these nations will also be delivered to the mountain, that is, to the teaching of the knowledge of God. And what follows agrees with these things: Hand over all these things to the nations; for this counsel is for all the nations. For he did not, just as he gave the law to the Jews alone, so also provide the new covenant to them alone, but he set forth the salvation growing from it for all the nations. Then, since it happens that those who are ignorant of the mystery of the economy and who, after the enjoyment of divine baptism, see death prevailing, disbelieve the power of grace, he added: 8Death, having prevailed, was swallowed up. We, he says, have given death its strength through sin. And again God has wiped away every tear from every face; the reproach of his people he has taken away from all the earth; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. But the Lord, governing our affairs with goodness, both abolished death and stopped the tears shed for those who die, having given the hope of the resurrection, and removed the reproaches of sin. But it was not I, he says, who uttered these things, but the Lord of all himself through me. 9And they will say on that day: ‘Behold our God, in whom we hoped and rejoiced, and he will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; and we will be glad and rejoice in our salvation.’ 10God will give rest on this mountain. Those who have obtained salvation, seeing the end of the hoped-for good things, offer this hymn to the one who saved them. This, he says, is the fruit of endurance: gladness and joy without end. These fruits we have gathered from this mountain, that is, of piety. And the land of Moab shall be trodden down in its place, as they tread a threshing floor with wagons; 11and he will spread out his hands as he who is being washed spreads them to swim. By these things he alluded to the error of polytheism and its teacher; for the grace of the Spirit also foretold this through Balaam: “‘A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a man shall arise out of Israel, and shall crush the rulers of Moab and shall plunder all the sons of Seth.’” The rulers of Moab are Chemosh and Baal-peor and the other idols; through these, therefore, he has declared the cessation of the error of idols; and through the sons of Seth, the salvation of all men; for from Seth Noah traces his lineage, and while all other men were given over to the utter destruction of the flood, from him the whole nature of mankind blossomed again. Therefore, he said the teacher of error will be trodden down according to the Lord's voice: “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over

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δαπανῆσαι τὴν νοτίδα τῆς πίστεως. Τούτοις ἔοικε τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θειοτάτου ἀποστόλου εἰρημένα· «Ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί, ἄγγελος Σατάν, ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ, ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι· καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτου τρὶς τὸν κύριον παρεκάλεσα, ἵνα ἀποστῇ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Καὶ εἶπέ μοι· Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου· ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται», καὶ πάλιν· «Οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, περὶ τῆς θλίψεως τῆς γενομένης ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐβαρήθημεν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν.» Ἐντεῦθεν πά λιν ὁ προφήτης προθεσπίζει τὴν δοθεῖσαν τοῖς ἔθνεσι μυστικὴν δωρεάν· 6Καὶ ποιήσει κύριος ὁ θεὸς Σαβαὼθ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο πότον λιπασ μάτων, πότον τρυγιῶν· πίονται εὐφροσύνην, πίονται οἶνον, χρίσονται μύρον. 7Καὶ παραδοθήσονται ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ παραδόσει καὶ καταπίεται ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ. Ὄρος καλεῖ τῆς θεογνωσίας τὸ ὕψος· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις ἐδείξαμεν. Τῶν δὲ τῆς θεογνω σίας μυστηρίων σύμβολα τὰ προειρημένα. Συνῆπται δὲ τούτοις ἡ εὐφροσύνη· τῶν θεοσδότων γὰρ πότ ων τούτων ἅπαντα μεταλήψεσθαι προλέγει τὰ ἔθνη. Καὶ συμφωνεῖ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου πρὸς τοὺς ἱεροὺς |131 b| ἀποστόλους εἰρημένοις· «Πορευ θέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος.» Ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τῷ ὄρει λέγει παραδοθήσεσθαι, τουτέστι τῇ τῆς θεογνωσίας διδασκαλίᾳ. Συμφωνεῖ δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· Παράδος ταῦτα πάντα τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ἡ γὰρ βουλὴ αὕτη ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Οὐ γάρ, ὥσπερ τὸν νόμον μόνοις δέδωκεν Ἰουδαίοις, οὕτω καὶ τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην μόνοις αὐτοῖς παρέσχεν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν ἐντεῦθεν φυομένην προὔθηκε σωτηρίαν. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ συμβαίνει τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος ὁρῶντας κρατοῦντα τὸν θάνατον ἀπιστεῖν τῇ δυνάμει τῆς χάριτος, ἐπήγαγεν· 8Κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας. Ἡμεῖς φησι δεδώκαμεν τῷ θανάτῳ τὴν ἰσχὺν διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου· τὸ ὄνειδος τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀφεῖλεν ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς γῆς· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησε ταῦτα. Ἀλλ' ἀγαθότητι κυβερ νῶν τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὁ δεσπότης κατέλυσε μὲν τὸν θάνατον, ἔπαυσε δὲ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς τελευτῶσι γιγνόμενα δάκρυα, τῆς ἀναστάσεως δεδωκὼς τὴν ἐλπίδα, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας περιεῖλεν ὀνείδη. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἐγώ φησιν ἐφθεγξάμην ἀλλ' αὐτὸς δι' ἐμοῦ τῶν ὅλων ὁ κύριος. 9Καὶ ἐροῦσιν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ· Ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, ἐφ' ὃν ἠλπίζομεν καὶ ἠγαλ λιώμεθα, καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς, οὗτος κύριος, ὑπεμείναμεν αὐτῷ· καὶ ἀγαλλιασόμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθησόμεθα ἐπὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ ἡμῶν. 10Ἀνάπαυσιν δώσει ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο. Οἱ τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηκότες τῶν ἐλπιζομένων ἀγαθῶν τὸ τέλος ὁρῶντες τοῦτον τῷ σεσωκότι τὸν ὕμνον προσφέρουσιν. Οὗτός φησι τῆς ὑπομονῆς ὁ καρπός· εὐφροσύνη καὶ θυμηδία τέλος οὐκ ἔχουσα. Τούτους ἀπὸ τοῦδε τοῦ ὄρους ἐδρεψάμεθα τοὺς καρπούς, τουτέστι τῆς εὐσεβείας. Καὶ καταπατηθήσεται ἡ Μωαβῖτις ἐν τῷ τόπῳ αὐτῆς, ὃν τρόπον πατοῦσιν ἅλωνα ἐν ἁμάξαις· 11καὶ ἀνήσει τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ὡς ἁπλοῖ ὁ λουόμενος εἰς τὸ κολυμβῆσαι. Τῆς πολυθεΐας τὴν πλάνην καὶ τὸν τούτων διδάσκαλον διὰ τούτων ᾐνίξατο· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ διὰ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ ἡ χάρις τοῦ πνεύματος προηγόρευσεν· «Ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον ἐξ Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἐξεγερθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ θραύσει τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς Μωὰβ καὶ προνομεύσει πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς Σήθ.» Ἀρχηγοὶ δὲ Μωὰβ Χαμὼς καὶ Βεελφεγὼρ καὶ τἆλλα εἴδωλα· διὰ τούτων τοίνυν τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων πλάνης τὴν παῦλαν δεδήλωκεν· διὰ δὲ τῶν υἱῶν Σὴθ πάντων ἀνθρώπων τὴν σωτηρίαν· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ Σὴθ ὁ Νῶε κατάγει τὸ γένος, πάντων δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων τῇ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ πανωλεθρίᾳ παραδοθέντων ἐκ τούτου πᾶσα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις ἀνήνθησεν. Τὸν τῆς πλάνης τοίνυν ἔφη δι δάσ καλον καταπατηθήσεσθαι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου φωνήν· «Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ