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of us in tribulations, but being terrified we turn back to ourselves. Their waters resounded and were troubled. He spoke of the earth's confusion, and the removal of mountains; he speaks also of the sea's surge and overturning, with the mountains falling into the midst of the seas. Their waters resounded and were troubled; of the seas, clearly. But the mountains themselves make the disturbance in the waters even greater, not being fixed in the sea, but by their own surge causing a great turmoil in the waters. Therefore, when the earth is troubled, and the waters of the seas shall roar and boil up from the depths, and the mountains are moved and endure great confusion, because of the exceeding greatness of the power of the Lord; then, he says, our heart is unterrified in having 29.421 safe and sure hopes in God. The mountains were troubled by His strength. You can also take the meaning of the saying figuratively, calling mountains those who are high-minded because of their own greatness, but are ignorant of the strength of God, and exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, then are conquered by those who, with power and wisdom, proclaim the word of wisdom, and after the realization of their own poverty, fear the Lord, and are humbled by His strength. Or perhaps also the rulers of this age, and the fathers of the wisdom that is perishing, they too are called mountains, being troubled by the strength of Christ, which He showed in the struggle through the cross against the one who has the power of death. For having stripped Himself, like some noble combatant, He wrestled against the principalities and the powers, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them on the cross. The streams of the river make glad the city of God. The salty waters, being violently disturbed by the winds, resounded and were troubled; but the streams of the river, proceeding without a sound, and flowing quietly to those worthy of receiving them, make glad the city of God. And now the righteous one drinks the living water, and later he will drink more abundantly, when he is enrolled as a citizen in the city of God. But now he drinks through a glass and in a riddle, because of the gradual comprehension of divine truths; but then he will at once receive the flooding river, able to inundate the whole city of God with gladness. And what would the river of God be but the Holy Spirit, generated in the worthy from the faith of those who have believed in Christ? For he who believes in Me, he says, rivers shall flow from his belly; and again: If anyone drinks of the water that I give, it will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. This river, therefore, makes glad the whole city of God at once, that is, the Church of those whose citizenship is in heaven; or one must understand the city as all intelligible creation from the super-cosmic powers to human souls, being gladdened by the influx of the Holy Spirit. For some define a city to be an established system, administered according to law. And the given definition of the city also applies to the Jerusalem above, the heavenly city. For there too is a system of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven; and this is established because of the unchangeable conduct of the saints, and is administered according to the heavenly law. Therefore, to understand the order of that commonwealth, and all its arrangement, is not of any human 29.424 nature. For those are the things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him; except that myriads of angels are there, and a festal gathering of saints, and the Church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. Concerning that city David says: Glorious things have been spoken of you, O city of God. To that city through Isaiah God promises that: I will make you an eternal exultation, a joy from generation to generation; and there will be no destruction nor misery in
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ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν, ἀλλὰ διαπτοηθέντες πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιστρεφόμεθα. Ἤχησαν καὶ ἐταράχθησαν τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῶν. Εἶπε γῆς ταραχὴν, καὶ ὀρῶν μετάθε σιν· λέγει καὶ θαλάσσης σάλον καὶ ἀνατροπὴν, μέσον τῶν ὀρέων τοῖς πελάγεσιν ἐμπιπτόντων. Ἤχησαν καὶ ἐταράχθησαν τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῶν· τῶν θαλασσῶν δηλονότι. Ἐπὶ πλέον δὲ ποιεῖται τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι ταραχὴν αὐτὰ τὰ ὄρη μὴ ἐνιδρυμένα τῇ θα λάσσῃ, ἀλλὰ τῷ οἰκείῳ σάλῳ πολὺν ἐμποιοῦντα τὸν κλόνον τοῖς ὕδασιν. Ὅτε τοίνυν ἡ μὲν γῆ ταράσσε ται, ὕδατα δὲ θαλασσῶν ἠχήσει καὶ ἀναβρασθήσεται ἐκ βυθῶν, ὄρη δὲ μετατίθεται καὶ πολὺν ὑπομένει τὸν τάραχον, διὰ τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ Κυ ρίου· τότε, φησὶν, ἀπτόητος ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία τοῦ ἀσ 29.421 φαλεῖς καὶ βεβαίας ἔχειν ἐπὶ Θεὸν τὰς ἐλπίδας. Ἐταράχθησαν τὰ ὄρη ἐν τῇ κραταιότητι αὐτοῦ. ∆ύνασαι καὶ τροπικῶς ἐκλαβεῖν τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ ῥη τοῦ, ὄρη ὀνομάζων τοὺς μεγαλοφρονοῦντας ἐπὶ τῷ ἑαυτῶν μεγέθει, ἀγνοοῦντας δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρα ταιότητα, καὶ ὑπερυψουμένους κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἶτα νικωμένους ὑπὸ τῶν μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ σοφίας πρεσβευόντων τὸν τῆς σοφίας λόγον, καὶ μετὰ τὴν συναίσθησιν τῆς ἑαυτῶν πτωχείας φοβουμένους τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ὑποταπεινουμένους τῇ κραταιότητι αὐτοῦ. Ἢ τάχα καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, καὶ πατέρες τῆς ἀπολλυμένης σοφίας, ὄρη καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγονται, ταρασσόμενοι ἐν τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κραταιό τητι, ἣν ἐν τῷ ἀγῶνι διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ πρὸς τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου ἐπεδείξατο. Ἀπεκδυ σάμενος γὰρ, ὥσπερ τις γενναῖος ἀγωνιστὴς, κατ επάλαισε τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας, καὶ Ἐδειγ μάτισεν ἐν παῤῥησίᾳ, θριαμβεύσας αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ. Τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὰ μὲν ἁλμυρὰ ὕδατα σφο δρῶς ὑπὸ τῶν πνευμάτων ἐκταρασσόμενα ἤχησαν καὶ ἐταράχθησαν· τὰ δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὁρμήματα ἀψοφητὶ προϊόντα, καὶ ἡσυχῆ τοῖς ἀξίοις τῆς ὑποδοχῆς ἐπιῤ ῥέοντα, εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ νῦν ὁ δίκαιος πίνει τὸ ζῶν ὕδωρ, καὶ ὕστερον δὲ πίεται ἀφθονώτερον, ἡνίκα ἂν πολιτογραφηθῇ ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν δι' ἐσόπτρου καὶ ἐν αἰνίγ ματι πίνει, διὰ τὴν κατὰ βραχὺ κατάληψιν τῶν θείων θεωρημάτων· τότε δὲ ὁμοῦ πλημμυροῦντα τὸν ποταμὸν ὑποδέξεται, πᾶσαν δι' εὐφροσύνης ἐπικλύ ζειν δυνάμενον τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τίς δ' ἂν εἴη ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἢ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐκ τῆς πίστεως τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότων ἐγγινόμενον τοῖς ἀξίοις; Ὁ γὰρ πιστεύων, φησὶν, εἰς ἐμὲ, πο ταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσι· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐάν τις πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δίδωμι, γενή σεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ ποταμὸς εὐφραίνει πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἤτοι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τῶν τὸ πολίτευμα ἐχόντων ἐν οὐρανοῖς· ἢ πᾶσαν τὴν νοη τὴν κτίσιν ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπερκοσμίων δυνάμεων μέχρι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν πόλιν χρὴ νοεῖν εὐφραινομέ νην ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιῤῥοῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Ὁρί ζονται γάρ τινες πόλιν εἶναι σύστημα ἱδρυμένον, κατὰ νόμον διοικούμενον. Ἐφαρμόζει δὲ καὶ τῇ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῇ ἐπουρανίῳ πόλει ὁ ἀποδοθεὶς ὅρος τῆς πόλεως. Σύστημα γὰρ κἀκεῖ τῶν πρωτοτόκων, τῶν ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς· καὶ ἱδρυμένον τοῦτο διὰ τὸ ἀμετακίνητον τῆς διαγωγῆς τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ κατὰ νόμον τὸν οὐράνιον διοικούμενον. Τὴν τοίνυν διάταξιν ἐκείνης τῆς πολιτείας, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν διακόσμησιν καταμαθεῖν, οὐδεμιᾶς ἐστιν ἀνθρωπίνης 29.424 φύσεως. Ἐκεῖνα γάρ ἐστιν, Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν, οὔτε οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώ που ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν· πλὴν ὅτι μυριάδες ἀγγέλων ἐκεῖ, καὶ παν ήγυρις ἁγίων, καὶ Ἐκκλησία πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμ μένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Περὶ ἐκείνης φησὶν ὁ ∆αβίδ· ∆ε δοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐκείνῃ τῇ πόλει διὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου ἐπαγγέλλεται ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι Θήσω σε ἀγαλλίαμα αἰώνιον, εὐφροσύ νην γενεῶν γενεαῖς· καὶ οὐκ ἔσται σύντριμμα οὐδὲ ταλαιπωρία ἐν