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seed, and their own people in Jeru 195 salem; which things must be understood worthily of the apostolic spirit, teaching us the things concerning the Jerusalem above, and of Zion the heavenly mountain. Sec. 10. Be glad, you thirsty wilderness, let the wilderness rejoice, and let it blossom as a lily; and the deserts of the Jordan will blossom and rejoice; and the glory of Lebanon was given to it, and the honor of Carmel; and my people will see the glory of the Lord, and the majesty of God. Be strong, you weak hands, and you feeble knees; comfort, you fainthearted in mind; be strong, do not fear; behold, our God repays judgment and will repay; he himself will come and save us; then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will hear; then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will be clear, because water has broken out in the wilderness, and a ravine in a thirsty land; and the waterless place will become marshes, and in the thirsty land there will be a spring of water. He foretells that at the presence of God the paradoxical healings will take place. Clearly, then, here also Christ of God has been honored with the title of God; at whose presence the aforementioned cures were accomplished physically upon those who were suffering, but even more wonderfully they are still at work now through faith in him, as the entire race of men is being freed from the passions of the soul. And 'water broke out in the wilderness' at the presence of Christ 'and a ravine in a thirsty land,' as the drinkable and life-giving word gushed forth in the once desolate and 196 thirsty land, the church from the Gentiles, in which, being formerly waterless and thirsty, a spring of the words of Jesus, of living water leaping up to eternal life, suddenly rained down; watered by which spring, the once-wilderness is said to blossom like a lily, and is commanded to rejoice and be glad; and the cause of the joy and gladness is also stated, since he says 'the glory of Lebanon was given to it,' that is, of Jerusalem; concerning which it was said in the earlier prophecies that Lebanon also will fall with the lofty ones; and when it had fallen, the glory formerly existing in it was given to the now-evangelized wilderness, that is, to the church from the Gentiles, along with the former honor of the so-called Carmel, clearly that of the former people. These things clearly received their fulfillment in deeds after the presence of Christ, in accordance with both the prophecy at hand and the voice of our Savior himself, which says that 'the kingdom of God will be taken away, and will be given to a nation producing its fruits.' Sec. 17. A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.' 'Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low;' 'and all the crooked shall be made straight and the rough way into plains;' 'and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God, for the Lord has spoken.' The forerunner of our Savior, John, to those who asked him who he was, says, 'I am a voice of one crying in 197 the wilderness,' and what follows. For this reason, therefore, we have set forth the chapter among the testimonies concerning Christ, believing John to be a symbol of the apostolic preaching; for such is the voice crying in the wilderness, being somewhat obscure and inarticulate to those just being initiated; but in the former wilderness, the church from the Gentiles, such a voice having come to be exhorts to prepare the way of the Lord, and what follows; which things he who cares for the knowledge of them will know by investigating at his leisure. Sec. 18. Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem. Lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold, your God.' The Lord, the Lord comes with strength; and his arm with authority. Behold, his reward is with him; and his work is before him. As a shepherd he will tend his flock, and with his arm he will gather the lambs, and he will comfort those with young. And these things we believe are said concerning the coming of the Word of God, and perhaps even more concerning the second,

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σπέρμα, καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἱερου 195 σαλήμ· ἃ καὶ ἀξίως τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ πνεύματος ἐκλημπτέον, διδάσκοντος ἡμᾶς τὰ περὶ τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τοῦ Σιὼν ἐπουρανίου ὄρους. Ψ. Ιʹ. Εὐφράνθητι ἔρημος διψῶσα, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος, καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον· καὶ ἐξανθήσει καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεται ἔρημα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου· καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου ἐδόθη αὐτῇ, καὶ ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ Καρμήλου· καὶ ὁ λαός μου ὄψεται τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου, καὶ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἰσχύσατε χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι, καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα· παρακαλέσατε ὀλιγόψυχοι τῇ διανοίᾳ· ἰσχύσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε· ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν κρίσιν ἀνταποδίδωσιν καὶ ἀνταποδώσει· αὐτὸς ἥξει καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς· τότε ἀνοιχθήσονται ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν, καὶ ὦτα κωφῶν ἀκούσονται· τότε ἀλεῖται ὡς ἔλαφος χωλὸς, καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογιλάλων, ὅτι ἐρράγη ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὕδωρ, καὶ φάραγξ ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ· καὶ ἡ ἄνυδρος ἔσται εἰς ἔλη, καὶ εἰς τὴν διψῶσαν γῆν πηγὴ ὑδάτων ἔσται. Ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ παρουσίᾳ τὰς παραδόξους ἰάσεις ἔσεσθαι προαγορεύει. Σαφῶς οὖν καὶ ἐνθάδε τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσηγορίᾳ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τετίμηται· οὗ ἐπὶ τῇ παρουσίᾳ καὶ σωματικῶς μὲν αἱ προειρημέναι θεραπεῖαι ἐπὶ τῶν πασχόντων ἀπετελέσθησαν, θαυμασιώτερον δ' ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐνεργοῦνται διὰ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως, παντὸς ἁπαξάπλως τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους τῶν κατὰ ψυχὴν παθῶν ἀπαλλαττομένου. Ἐρράγη δὲ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τῇ Χριστοῦ παρουσίᾳ καὶ φάραγξ ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ, τοῦ ποτίμου καὶ ζωτικοῦ λόγου ἀναβλύσαντος ἐν τῇ πάλαι ἐρήμῳ καὶ 196 διψώσῃ γῇ, τῇ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἐν ᾗ πρότερον οὔσῃ ἀνύδρῳ καὶ διψαλέᾳ ἀθρόως πηγὴ τοῦ τῶν Ἰησοῦ λόγων ὕδατος ζῶντος ἀλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἀνώμβρησεν· ὑφ' ἧς πηγῆς ποτιζομένη ἀνθήσειν ὡς κρίνον λέγεται ἡ ποτὲ ἔρημος, εὐφραίνεσθαί τε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶν προστάττεται· καὶ ἡ αἰτία δὲ τῆς εὐφροσύνης καὶ τῆς ἀγαλλιάσεως ἐπιλέγεται, ἐπείπερ φησὶν ἐδόθη αὐτῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου, τοῦτ' ἔστι τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ· περὶ ἧς ἐν ταῖς ἀνωτέραις προφητείαις ἐλέγετο, ὡς ὅτι καὶ ὁ Λίβανος σὺν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς πεσεῖται· οὗ πεσόντος ἡ πρότερον ὑπάρχουσα ἐν αὐτῷ δόξα τῇ νῦν εὐαγγελιζομένῃ ἐρήμῳ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῇ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἐδόθη σὺν τῇ τιμῇ τῇ προτέρᾳ τοῦ λεγομένου Καρμήλου, δῆλον δ' ὅτι τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ σαφῶς μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν ἔργοις τέλος εἴληφεν ἀκολούθως τῇ τε μετὰ χεῖρας προφητείᾳ, καὶ τῇ φασκούσῃ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν φωνῇ, ὡς ἄρα ἀρθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ δοθήσεται ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς. Ψ. ΙΖʹ. Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου· εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ· πᾶσα φάραγξ πληρωθήσεται, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσεται· καὶ ἔσται πάντα τὰ σκολιὰ εἰς εὐθεῖαν καὶ ἡ τραχεῖα εἰς πεδία· καὶ ὀφθήσεται ἡ δόξα Κυρίου, καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησεν. Ὁ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πρόδρομος Ἰωάννης τοῖς ἐπερωτῶσιν αὐτὸν ὅστις εἴη, φησίν, ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν 197 τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τούτου δὴ οὖν χάριν ἐξεθέμεθα τὸ κεφάλαιον ἐν τοῖς περὶ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρίοις, σύμβολον εἶναι νομίζοντες Ἰωάννην τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ κηρύγματος· τοιαύτη γάρ τοί ἐστιν ἡ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ βοῶσα φωνὴ, ἄσημός τις οὖσα, καὶ ἀδιάρθρωτος τοῖς ἄρτι στοιχειουμένοις· ἐν τῇ πάλαι δὲ ἐρήμῳ, τῇ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἡ τοιαύτη γενομένη φωνὴ ἑτοιμάζειν παρακελεύεται τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ἅπερ ἐπὶ σχολῆς ᾧ μέλει τῆς τούτων γνώσεως ἐρευνήσας εἴσεται. Ψ. ΙΗʹ. Ἐπ' ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἀνάβηθι ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Σιὼν, ὕψωσον τῇ ἰσχύϊ τὴν φωνήν σου ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Ἱερουσαλήμ· ὑψώσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε· εἶπον ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰούδα, ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν, Κύριος Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται· καὶ ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ μετὰ κυρίας· ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ· ὡς ποιμὴν ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ βραχίονι αὐτοῦ συνάξει ἄρνας, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας παρακαλέσει. Καὶ ταῦτα νομίζομεν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ παρουσίας λέγεσθαι, καὶ τάχα γε μᾶλλον περὶ τῆς δευτέρας,