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having: “He who says to Jerusalem: You shall be built, and I will lay the foundation of my holy house.” But when will this come to pass, except when all who have received the gospel through perfect faith and virtue “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone, into a holy temple in the Lord, into a dwelling place” of the Trinity? 2.312 In addition to what has been considered, each house of the devout is founded and a temple is built, according to the testimony of Christ who says: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come,” I and my Father, “and make our home with him.” 2.313 The hands of Christ's disciples prevail, doing what the gospel proclaims, after the Savior fulfilled the law and the prophets, from which time the house has been founded and the temple built, when the Holy Spirit came upon the most holy virgin Mary, the power of the Most High overshadowing her. For then truly were the words of the prophets of old fulfilled, the things foretold having come to pass. 2.314 For how will the hands of those who hear the words of the prophets not prevail, when he is born of the virgin whose name will be called “God with us”; for when the Lord is with us, then our hands prevail so that as we sing hymns we cry out: “The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our helper.” 2.315 For with him who supplants wickedness, that is, Jacob, taking hold, having acquired the extraordinary strength of God Almighty, let us cry out in victory: “God with us. Know, O nations, and be defeated; listen, to the end of the earth. For if you are strong, you will be defeated again, and whatever word you speak will not remain with you, because the Lord God is with us.” But when will these achievements be, except when our hands prevail, the house having been founded, and the temple built, according to all the interpretations that have been given of the prophetic saying under consideration. 2.316Zach. VIII, 10: Because before those days the wages of men will be of no benefit, and the wages of cattle do not exist, and for him who goes out and for him who comes in there will be no peace from the affliction; and I will send forth all men, each one against his neighbor. 2.317 Having foretold many things concerning the glorious restoration that was to come for the favored people and the raising of holy Jerusalem, with the holy house being founded upon it and the temple being built for the benefit and gladness of the people, whose hands prevail in the prophetic words, before the days of the promise, when the city was desolate, while those who had taken it captive were in power, the wages of men had no benefit at all, striving in vain and acting without effect. 2.318 In addition to the vain striving of men, the wages of cattle also do not exist, they neither strive nor carry burdens for any benefit, while the wages of men have benefit and those of cattle exist, when the house is founded and the temple is built; for then, then there being peace from affliction for him who goes out and comes in, I mean from the sweat and toil drawn up for the improvement and completion of their endeavors. 2.319 There being no peace at all from affliction for him who comes in and goes out, the labor of men and cattle being ineffective and useless, he said: the wages of rational mortal creatures will be in vain and those of cattle will not exist, so that men rise up, each against his neighbor, all stability and harmony having been put to flight by the beastliness and savagery that arose from anger and implacable enmity. 2.320 There is, for a higher meaning, that of men who seem to use reason, laboring and striving in vain, that the

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ἔχουσα· «Ὁ λέγων Ἰερουσαλήμ· Οἰκοδομηθήσει καὶ τὸν οἶκον τὸν ἅγιόν μου θεμελιώσω.» Πότε δὲ τοῦθ' ὑπάρξεται, ἢ ὅταν πάντες οἱ προσηκάμενοι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον διὰ τελείας πίστεως καὶ ἀρετῆς «ἐποικοδομηθῶσιν ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν, ὄντος ἀκρογωνιαίου αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον ἐν Κυρίῳ, εἰς κατοικητήριον» τῆς Τριάδος; 2.312 Πρὸς τοῖς τεθεωρημένοις, καὶ ἕκαστος τῶν θεοσεβῶν οἶκος θεμελιοῦται καὶ ναὸς οἰκοδομεῖται, κατὰ τὴν Χριστοῦ μαρτυρίαν φάσκοντος· «Ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ με, τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐμὸν τηρήσει, καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου ἀγαπήσει αὐτόν, καὶ ἐλευσόμεθα», ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου, «καὶ μονὴν παρ' αὐτῷ ποιησόμεθα.» 2.313 Κατισχύουσιν αἱ χεῖρες τῶν Χριστοῦ μαθητῶν, πραττόντων ἃ διαγορεύει τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, πληρώσαντος τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας, ἀφ' οὗ τεθεμελίωται ὁ οἶκος καὶ ὁ ναὸς ᾠκοδομήθη, ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγιωτάτην παρθένον Μαριάμ, τῆς τοῦ ὑψίστου δυνάμεως ἐπισκιασάσης αὐτήν. Τότε γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἐπληρώθησαν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν προφητῶν οἱ λόγοι, ἐκβάσεως τετυχηκότων τῶν προθεσπισθέντων. 2.314 Πῶς γὰρ ου᾿̣κ̣ ἰσχύουσιν αἱ χεῖρες τῶν ἀκουόντων τῶν προφητ̣ῶν τῶν̣ λόγων, ὅταν τεχθῇ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου οὗ τὸ ὄνομ̣α κ̣εκλήσεται «μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός»· ὅταν γὰρ μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Κύριος̣ γένηται, τὸ τηνικαῦτα αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν κατισχύουσιν ω῾̣ς ὑμνοῦντας ἀναβοῆσαι· «Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἀντιλήμπτωρ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ.» 2.315 Ἀντιλαβομένου γὰρ τοῦ πτερνίζοντος τὴν κακίαν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τοῦ Ἰακώβ, Θεοῦ παντοκράτορος ἰσχὺν ὑπερφυῆ κεκτημένοι, ἐπινικίως βοήσωμεν· «Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός. Γνῶτε, ἔθνη, καὶ ἡττᾶσθε, ἐπακούσατε ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἰσχύσητε, πάλιν ἡττηθήσεσθε, καὶ λόγον ὃν ἐὰν λαλήσητε, οὐ μὴ ἐμμείνῃ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὅτι μεθ' ἡμῶν Κύριος ὁ Θεός.» Πότε δὲ ταῦτ' ἔσται τὰ κατορθώματα, ἢ ὅτε κατισχύουσιν αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν, τοῦ οἴκου θεμελιωθέντος, καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ οἰκοδομηθέντος, κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἀποδοθείσας ἑρμηνείας τοῦ ἐκκειμένου προφητικοῦ ῥητοῦ. 2.316Zach. VIII, 10: ∆ιότι πρὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων ὁ μισθὸς τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἔσται εἰς ὄνησιν, καὶ ὁ μισθὸς τῶν κτηνῶν οὐχ ὑπάρχει, καὶ τῷ ἐκπορευομένῳ καὶ τῷ εἰσπορευομένῳ οὐκ ἔσται εἰρήνη ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως· καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ πάντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἕκαστον πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ. 2.317 Πολλὰ προαναφωνήσας περὶ τῆς ἐσομένης ἐνδόξου ἀποκαταστάσεως τῷ εὐεργετουμένῳ λαῷ καὶ τῆς ἐγέρσεως τῆς ἁγίας Ἰερουσαλήμ, θεμελιουμένου ἐπ' αὐτῆς τοῦ ἁγίου οἴκου καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ οἰκοδομουμένου ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ καὶ εὐθυμίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ, οὗ αἱ χεῖρες κατισχύουσιν ἐν τοῖς προφητικοῖς λόγοις, πρὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν τῆς ὑποσχέσεως, ὅτε ἠρήμωτο ἡ πόλις, κρατούντων τῶν αἰχμαλωτισάντων αὐτήν, οὐδαμῶς ὄνησιν εἶχεν ὁ μισθὸς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κενῶς σπουδαζόντων καὶ ἀν̣η̣ν̣ύτως πραττόντων. 2.318 Πρὸς τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κενοσπουδίᾳ, κα̣ὶ τῶν κτηνῶν ὁ μισθὸς οὐχ ὑπάρχει, οὐκ ἐπὶ συμφέρον τι ἤτοι σπουδαζόντων ἢ ἀχθοφορούντων, τοῦ μισθοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὄνησιν ἔχοντος καὶ τοῦ τῶν κτηνῶν ὑπάρχοντος, ὅταν ὁ οἶκος θεμελιῶται καὶ ὁ ναὸς οἰκοδομῆται· τότε γὰρ τότε καὶ τῷ ἐκπορευομένῳ καὶ εἰσπορευομένῳ οὔσης εἰρήνης ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως, φημὶ τοῦ ἱδρῶτος καὶ πόνου ἀναντλουμένων ὑπὲρ βελτιώσεως καὶ τέλους τῶν σπουδαζομένων. 2.319 Οὐδαμῶς οὔσης εἰρήνης ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως τῷ εἰσπορευομένῳ καὶ ἐκπορευομένῳ, ἀνηνύτου καὶ ἀνωφελοῦς οὔσης τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ κτηνῶν ἐργασίας, ἔφη· μάταιος ὁ μισθὸς τῶν λογικῶν θνητῶν ζῴων ἔσται καὶ ὁ τῶν κτηνῶν οὐχ ὑπάρξει, ὡς ἐπανίστασθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἕκαστον ἐπὶ τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, πάσης εὐσταθείας καὶ συμφωνίας πεφυγαδευμένης διὰ θηριωδίαν καὶ ἀγριότητα ὑπάρξασαν ἐκ θυμοῦ καὶ ἀσπόνδου ἔχθρας. 2.320 Ἔστι πρὸς ἀναγωγήν, ἀνθρώπων διὰ τὸ δοκεῖν λόγῳ χρᾶσθαι μάταια πονούντων καὶ σπουδαζόντων μὴ εἶναι τὸν