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all the power of the enemy.” And concerning the wagon that makes the threshing-floor fine, the same prophet taught us the meaning more clearly in another passage; “Behold,” he says, “I have made you like the new, saw-toothed wheels of a threshing wagon.” And he who swims does nothing else, but provides for his own salvation; thus, therefore, both the teacher of error and those who have received his teaching, having been handed over to punishment in the future life, no longer hunt for deceit in other ways, but mourn their own destruction. In the way that he himself humbled in order to destroy, so will his height be humbled and it will be humbled , upon which he laid his hands; 12and he will humble the height of the refuge of your wall, and they will come down to the ground, to the dust. He humbled their nature by separating them from the creator and showing the paths of error. But he will be humbled, being lifted up, and will be convicted as being a wicked demon but not God. For this he said: upon which he laid his hands; for he seized the name that was not fitting. And he calls the refuge of his wall those who were led astray by him; for they too will be handed over to punishment according to the voice of the Lord: “Go,” he says, “you cursed, into the outer darkness prepared for the devil and his angels.” 261On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah, saying: Behold, a strong city, and our salvation he will set as a wall and a rampart. 2Open the gates, let a righteous people enter, keeping righteousness and keeping truth, 3upholding truth and keeping |132 a| perfect peace, because in you 4we have hoped, Lord, forever. That the divine apostle knows not only the Jew who is one outwardly but also the one who is one inwardly, we have clearly learned. He teaches, therefore, how the choir of the pious, seeing the destruction of the enemies, hymns God the benefactor and shows the invincible nature of the pious state; and it also exhorts the heavenly gates to be opened for the people nourished by righteousness, who have kept both righteousness toward men and the truth of the divine dogmas, and have completely acquired peace with God, and are firmly established in the hope placed in him. The great, eternal God, 5who humbling brought down those who dwell in high places; you will cast down fortified cities and will bring them down to the ground, 6and the feet of the meek and the tracks of the humble will tread upon them. This the holy virgin also said in her hymn: “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble.” He, having destroyed the God-fighting mind of the cities raging against piety, subjected them to the apostolic tracks and to those who received their teaching. 7The way of the pious is straight, the path of the pious is straight , the way of the pious has become straight and prepared; 8for the way of the Lord is judgment. From above God showed this way to men. And the word hinted at this: The way of the pious is straight and prepared. For which reason he also teaches through the Law: “You shall go by the king’s highway, you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” The nurtured ones of piety have traveled this way. We have hoped in your name and in the remembrance, 9which our soul desires with the desire of the soul. More lovely to us than any good memory is the memory of the name. Similar to these are the things said by the blessed David: “My soul refused to be comforted, I remembered God and was gladdened,” and again: “Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” And since these things were to happen many years later, the prophet teaches whence he learned these things: From the night my spirit rises early to you, O God, because your commandments are a light upon the earth. He calls the time before the incarnation of the Lord 'night', and the prophetic foreknowledge 'dawn'. For the rising of the knowledge of God is 'day'. For the Lord himself has also been called “true light” and sun of righteousness. The prophet says, therefore, that while it was still night, being enlightened by your spirit, of your day the

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πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ.» Καὶ τῆς ἁμάξης δὲ τῆς τὴν ἅ λωνα λεπτυνούσης σαφέστερον ἡμᾶς ἐν ἑτέρῳ χωρίῳ ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης ἐδίδαξε τὴν διάνοιαν· «Ἰδοὺ» γάρ φησιν «ἐποίησά σε ὡς τροχοὺς ἁμάξης ἀλοῶντας καινοὺς πριστηροειδεῖς.» Καὶ ὁ νηχόμενος δὲ ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν ἐρ γάζεται, προμηθεῖται δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας· οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ ὁ τῆς πλάνης διδάσκαλος καὶ οἱ τὴν ἐκείνου δεξάμενοι διδασκαλίαν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι βίῳ τῇ τιμωρίᾳ παραδοθέντες οὐκέτι μὲν ἄλλως τὴν ἀπάτην ἀγρεύουσι, τὸν δὲ οἰκεῖον θρηνοῦσιν ὄλεθρον. Ὃν τρόπον καὶ αὐτὸς ἐταπείνωσεν τοῦ ἀπολέσαι, οὕτως ταπεινωθήσεται <καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται> τὸ ὕψος αὐτοῦ, ἐφ' ᾧ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπέβαλεν· 12καὶ τὸ ὕψος τῆς καταφυγῆς τοῦ τοίχου σου ταπεινώσει, καὶ καταβήσονται ἕως τοῦ ἐδάφους ἕως κόνεως. Ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτ ῶν τὴν φύσιν ἀποστήσας τοῦ ποιητοῦ καὶ τῆς πλάνης τὰς ἀτραποὺς ὑποδείξας. Ταπεινωθήσεται δὲ ἐπαιρ όμενος καὶ ἐλεγχθήσε ται δαίμων ὢν πονηρὸς ἀλλ' οὐ θεός. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν· ἐφ' ᾧ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπέβαλεν· ἥρπασε γὰρ τὸ μὴ προσῆκον ὄνομα. Καταφυγὴν δὲ τοῦ τοίχου αὐτοῦ καλεῖ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πλανηθέντας· καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τιμωρίᾳ παραδοθήσονται κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου φωνήν· «Πορεύεσθε» γάρ φησιν «οἱ κατηραμένοι εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ.» 261Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ᾄσονται τὸ ᾆσμα τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς Ἰούδα λέγοντες· Ἰδοὺ πόλις ἰσχυρά, καὶ σωτήριον ἡμῶν θήσει τεῖχος καὶ περίτειχος. 2Ἀνοίξατε πύλας, εἰσελθέτω δίκαιος λαὸς φυλάσσων δικαιοσύνην καὶ φυλάσσων ἀλήθειαν, 3ἀντιλαμβανόμενος ἀληθείας καὶ φυλάσσων |132 a| εἰρήνην τελείαν, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ 4ἠλπίσαμεν κύριε ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ὅτι ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος οὐ μόνον τὸν ἐν τῷ φανερῷ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ οἶδεν Ἰουδαῖον, σαφῶς μεμα θήκαμεν. ∆ιδάσκει τοίνυν ὡς τῶν εὐσεβῶν ὁ χορὸς ὁρῶν τὴν τῶν πολεμίων κατάλυσιν ἀνυμνεῖ τὸν εὐεργέτην θεὸν καὶ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς πολιτείας τὸ ἄμαχον δείκνυσι παρακαλεῖ δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐπουρανίους ἀνοιγῆναι πύλας τῷ τῆς δικαιοσύνης τροφίμῳ λαῷ τῷ καὶ τὴν περὶ ἀνθρώπους δικαιοσύνην καὶ τῶν θείων δογμάτων φυλάξαντι τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εἰρήνην ἐντελῶς κτησαμένῳ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδος βεβαίως ἐρηρεισμένῳ. Ὁ θεὸς ὁ μέγας ὁ αἰώνιος, 5ὃς ταπεινώσας κατήγαγες τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν ὑψηλοῖς· πόλεις ὀχυρὰς καταβαλεῖς καὶ κατάξεις ἕως ἐδάφους, 6καὶ πατήσουσιν αὐτὰς πόδες πραέων καὶ ταπεινῶν ἴχνη. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡ ἁγία παρθένος ὑμνοῦσα ἔλεγεν· «Καθεῖλε δυνάστας ἀπὸ θρόνων καὶ ὕψωσε ταπεινούς.» Οὗτος καὶ τῶν κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας μαινομένων πόλεων τὸ θεομάχον φρόνημα καταλύσας τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς αὐτὰς ὑπέταξεν ἴχνεσι καὶ τοῖς τὴν ἐκείνων διδασκαλίαν ἐκδεξαμένοις. 7Ὁδὸς εὐσεβῶν εὐθεῖα, τρίβος εὐσεβῶν <εὐθεῖα>, εὐθεῖα ἐγένετο ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν εὐσεβῶν καὶ παρασκευασμένη· 8ἡ γὰρ ὁδὸς τοῦ κυρίου κρίσις. Ἄνωθεν ταύτην τὴν ὁδὸν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπέδειξεν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ λόγος ᾐνίξατο· Εὐθεῖα ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν εὐσεβῶν καὶ παρεσκευασμένη. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ διὰ τοῦ Νόμου διδάσκει· «Ὁδῷ βασιλικῇ πορεύσῃ, οὐκ ἐκκλινεῖς δεξιὰ ἢ ἀριστερά.» Ταύτην οἱ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὥδευσαν τρόφιμοι. Ἠλπίσαμεν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ μνείᾳ, 9ᾗ ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ἐπιθυμίᾳ ψυχῆς. Πάσης μνήμης ἀγαθῆς ἀξιεραστοτέρα ἡμῖν ἡ τοῦ ὀνόματος μνήμη. Τούτοις ἔοικε τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αυὶδ εἰρημένα· «Ἀπηνήνατο παρακληθῆναι ἡ ψυχή μου, ἐμνήσθην τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εὐφράνθην», καὶ πάλιν· «Εὐφρανθήτω καρδία ζητούντων τὸν κύριον.» Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ταῦτα ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, διδάσκει ὁ προφήτης πόθεν ταῦτα μεμάθηκεν· Ἐκ νυκτὸς ὀρθρίζει τὸ πνεῦμά μου πρὸς σὲ ὁ θεός, διότι φῶς τὰ προστάγματά σου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Νύκτα καλεῖ τὸν πρὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ κυρίου καιρόν, ὄρθρον δὲ τὴν προφητικὴν πρόγνωσιν. Ἡμέρα γὰρ ἡ τῆς θεογνωσίας ἀνατολή. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος «φῶς ἀληθινὸν» καὶ ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης ὠνόμασται. Λέγει τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης ὅτι ἔτι νυκτὸς οὔσης ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ φωτιζόμενος πνεύματος τῆς σῆς ἡμέρας τὸν