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admiring persons, Symmachus said venerable. Thus, therefore, the venerable and the elder can be the head. For the head of the peoples is the priest, when it is understood as of one body. But the tail, the prophet teaching lawless things, having no rank among the people, but self-ordained and bearing false witness to his own prophetic spirit, such as was Hananiah of Jeremiah, and in the time of Micaiah; in whom was the lying spirit, which deceived Ahab to engage with the Syrians. But others say, that he might mean certain ones interpreting the law of Moses, to which they added unwritten traditions, commandments of men, who also persuaded them to disobey Christ, whom he calls a tail, as following the opinions of the priests, whom he also calls prophets, and teachers of lawless things. For there were false prophets in Israel, at the same time that there were true prophets. But after the capture of Jerusalem we could not say that any such men had appeared, unless someone should mention Theudas and Judas, of whom Gamaliel made mention, but therefore those who speak contrary to these things, and call the people blessed, he says are deceivers, so that they might devour the people with profits. For they were urging them to bring gifts to God for the sake of profit, not for piety. For which reason, they neither received Christ themselves, and they shut the kingdom to others. Because of this the Lord will not rejoice in their young men. Young men, therefore, in the Churches, are those who have received spiritual strength; of whom John says, that you are strong and have overcome the evil one. And there were also before the coming some who acted manfully to fulfill the commandment. But after the shadow in the law the Lord does not rejoice in the young men who hold to the letter. And he calls orphans those lacking spiritual upbringing; and widows those in whom the divine Word, sowing, has ceased they will suffer these things as lawless and wicked men; for they put to death him who was calling them to life. But he foretells these things as one who is good, so that the lawlessness in them, in the manner of a wild-growing plant, might be destroyed, being consumed by fire; for this 2021 is what is indicated by the phrase, lawlessness shall be burned as fire, and what follows. And by lawlessness he means the lawless, indicating that they have been made excessively so by lawlessness. But the phrase, "shall be burned as fire," some say means, that they themselves will become a fire against themselves. For another will not bring the flame upon them, but for this they will suffice for one another; which indeed is worse than a flame. But for the better, others again interpreted profoundly by explaining the nature of couch grass. For as long as the soul is buried in earthly passions, its passions, like some couch grass growing out from the flesh, creep through one another, having their birth. For the plant is prolific, and its generation never ceases. And the end of the first generation becomes the beginning of the next. Such is the nature of sins. For fornication draws fornication after it, and theft moves to theft, and a lie follows a lie. But if through confession we lay bare the sin, we make it dry, worthy to be consumed by fire. And it is burned in the thickets of the forest. In the first of Kings, the people, being at war, entered into the forest, and faints from not eating. And Absalom, being at war, enters a forest. And he might mean those treacherous and darkened in mind, and keeping many evils therein. But some say, that the flames spread more when they fall upon highly flammable matter. Therefore, of their flame he represents the magnitude through this. And by dry couch grass and a thicket of a forest, they say, he means the herd-like multitude, of the peoples dashed against one another in opposition, as Josephus relates. But also of those who seem to be something the terrible thing will take hold; which he indicates through the phrase, and it will consume together all the things round about the hill. For by hills he means those who are raised up in some respect above the others. For to such ones the sedition in the cities was attached. But it must be understood more simply, that according to these examples, the wrath of God, coming upon those mentioned before, will work a great confusion among them, so that there will be no sparing even of family. But one will lean upon his approaching brother for

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πρόσωπα θαυμάζοντας, ὁ Σύμμαχος αἰδέσιμον ἔφησεν. Οὕτως οὖν ὁ αἰδέσιμος καὶ ὁ πρεσβύτης δύναται εἶναι ἡ κεφαλή. Κεφαλὴ γὰρ λαῶν ἱερεὺς, ὅταν ὡς ἐφ' ἑνὸς νοῆται σώματος. Ἡ δὲ οὐρὰ, ὁ διδάσκων ἄνομα προφήτης, μηδεμίαν μὲν τάξιν ἔχων ἐν τῷ λαῷ, αὐτοχειροτόνητος δὲ καὶ προφητικὸν ἑαυτοῦ πνεῦμα καταψευδόμενος, οἷος ἦν Ἱερεμίου ὁ Ἀνανίας, καὶ ἐπὶ Μιχαίου· ἐν οἷς ἐγένετο τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ψευδὲς, ὃ ἐξηπάτα τὸν Ἀχὰβ τοῖς Σύροις συμπλέκεσθαι. Ἕτεροι δέ φασιν, ὡς λέγοι ἄν τινας τὸν Μωϋσέως ἑρμηνεύοντας νόμον, ᾧπερ ἐπῆγον παραδόσεις ἀγράφους, ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων, οἳ καὶ πεπείκασιν ἀπειθῆσαι Χριστῷ, οἳς οὐρὰν ὀνομάζει, ὡς ταῖς γνώμαις ἑπομένους τῶν ἱερέων, οὓς καὶ προφήτας καλεῖ, καὶ διδάσκοντας ἄνομα. Ἦσαν μὲν γὰρ ἐν Ἰσραὴλ ψευδοπροφῆται, καθ' ὃν ἦσαν καιρὸν οἱ ἐξ ἀληθείας προφῆται. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἅλωσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιμεν λέγειν τοιούτους γεγονότας τινὰς, πλὴν εἰ μήτις λέγοι Θευδᾶν τε καὶ Ἰούδαν, ὧν ἐμνήσθη Γαμαλιὴλ, τοὺς δ' οὖν λέγοντας παρὰ ταῦτα, καὶ μακαρίζοντας τὸν λαὸν, πλάνους εἶναί φησιν, ἵνα τὸν λαὸν τοῖς κέρδεσι καταπίνωσιν. Προὔτρεπον γὰρ αὐτοὺς δωροφορεῖν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ κέρδος, οὐ δι' εὐσέβειαν. ∆ι' ἣν αἰτίαν, οὔτε Χριστὸν αὐτοὶ προσήκαντο, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπέκλεισαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοὺς νεανίσκους αὐτῶν οὐκ εὐφρανθήσεται Κύριος. Νεανίσκοι μὲν οὖν ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις, οἳ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἀνειληφότες ἰσχύν· οἷς φησιν Ἰωάννης, ὅτι ἰσχυροί ἐστε καὶ νενικήκατε τὸν πονηρόν. Ἦσαν δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τινὲς ἀνδριζόμενοι πληρῶσαι τὴν ἐντολήν. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν νόμῳ σκιὰν οὐκ εὐφραίνεται Κύριος ἐπὶ τοῖς νεανίσκοις ἀντεχομένοις τοῦ γράμματος. Ὀρφανοὺς δέ φησι τοὺς ἀνατροφῆς πνευματικῆς ἐνδεεῖς· χήρας δὲ ἐν αἷς ὁ θεῖος Λόγος ἐπισπείρων ἐξέλιπεν πείσονται ταῦτα ὡς ἄνομοι καὶ πονηροί· τὸν καλοῦντα γὰρ πρὸς ζωὴν ἐθανάτωσαν. Ταῦτα δὲ ὡς ἀγαθὸς προλέγει, ὡς ἂν ἡ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀνομία δίκην ὑλομανοῦς βοτάνης ὑπὸ πυρὸς ἀναλισκομένοις ἀφανισθῇ· τοῦτο 2021 γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, καυθήσεται ὡς πῦρ ἡ ἀνομία, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀνομίαν δὲ τοὺς ἀνόμους δηλοῖ, ἄγαν αὐτοὺς τῇ ἀνομίᾳ πεποιῶσθαι δηλῶν. Τὸ δὲ, ὡς πῦρ καυθήσεσθαι, φασὶ σημαίνειν τινὲς, ὡς αὐτοὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν γενήσονται πῦρ. Οὐ γὰρ ἕτερος αὐτοῖς ἐποίσει τὴν φλόγα, πρὸς τοῦτο δὲ ἀλλήλοις ἀρκέσουσιν· ὃ δὴ φλογός ἐστι χείρονος. Πρὸς δὲ τὸ κρεῖττον ἕτεροι πάλιν δεινῶς ἐξέλαβον τὴν ἄγρωστιν φυσιολογήσαντες. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἐγκέχωσται τοῖς γηΐνοις πάθεσιν ἡ ψυχὴ, τὰ ταύτης πάθη καθάπερ τις ἄγρωστις ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκφυόμενα διέρπει δι' ἀλλήλων τὴν γέννησιν ἔχοντα. Πολύγονος γὰρ ἡ πόα, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ καταλήγει ταύτης ἡ γένεσις. Τὸ δὲ πέρας τῆς πρώτης γεννήσεως ἀρχὴ τοῦ ἐφεξῆς γίνεται. Τοιαύτη τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡ φύσις. Πορνεία γὰρ πορνείαν ἐφέλκεται, καὶ κλοπὴ κινεῖ πρὸς κλοπὴν, καὶ ψεύδει ψεῦδος ἀκολουθεῖ. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν διὰ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως τὴν ἁμαρτίαν γυμνώσωμεν, ξηρὰν αὐτὴν ἐργαζόμεθα ἀξίαν τοῦ ὑπὸ πυρὸς καταβρωθῆναι. Αὐτὴ δὲ καίεται ἐν τοῖς δάσεσι τοῦ δρυμοῦ. Ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν πολεμούμενος ὁ λαὸς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν δρυμὸν, καὶ ἐκλείπει μὴ ἐσθίων. Καὶ ὁ Ἀβεσαλὼμ πολεμούμενος εἰς δρυμὸν εἰσέρχεται. Λέγοι δ' ἂν τοὺς ὑπούλους καὶ συνεσκιασμένους τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ πλεῖστα ταύτῃ τηροῦντας κακά. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς νέμονται μᾶλλον αἱ φλόγες εἰς ὕλην πεσοῦσαι τὴν εὐκατάπρηστον. Τῆς οὖν τούτων φλογὸς παρίστησι διὰ τούτου τὸ μέγεθος. Ἄγρωστιν δὲ, φασὶ, ξηρὰν καὶ δασῆ δρυμοῦ τὴν ἀγελαίαν ὀνομάζει πληθὺν, συῤῥαγέντων ἀλλήλοις ἐνστάσει τῶν δήμων, ὡς Ἰώσηπος ἱστορεῖ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν εἶναί τι δοκούντων ἅψεται τὸ δεινόν· ὃ δηλοῖ διὰ τοῦ, καὶ συγκαταφάγεται τὰ κύκλῳ τοῦ βουνοῦ πάντα. Βουνοὺς γὰρ τοὺς κατά τι τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερανεστηκότας καλεῖ. Τοῖς γὰρ τοιούτοις τὸ στασιάζον ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἐπεφύετο. Ἁπλούστερον δὲ νοητέον, ὅτι κατὰ ταῦτα τὰ παραδείγματα μετελθοῦσα τοὺς προλεχθέντας ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγάλην ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐργάσεται σύγχυσιν, ὡς μηδὲ γένους εἶναι φειδώ. Ἐγκλινεῖ δέ τις προσιόντα τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπὶ