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is shown by these things. For he speaks especially of the earth, which he would curse. But what was said would be true also for all. For he cursed the whole nature of man, saying, "You are earth, and to earth you will return." And having drowned the world of the impious with water; and also Judea for its drunken violence against him, saying, "Behold, your house is left to you desolate." And being abandoned by him, it was consumed by war and fire. But his divine nature is shown by this: With the breath of his lips to destroy the impious. For he rebuked the unclean spirits. And as far as the human was concerned, the voice was formed by mouth and lips. But by the ineffable power of the Spirit, the race of demons was crushed, so that they cried out, saying: "What have we to do with you, Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the time? We know who you are, the Holy One of God." But also, he says, righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins. And truth the wrapping of his sides. And according to Symmachus, And righteousness will be the girdle 2045 of his loins. And faith the girdle of his flanks. For to him the entire dignity of things in the world is nothing. And instead of a royal girdle, both golden and jeweled, he says that he has been girded with righteousness and truth. And these things also show the divinity of the Word, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, according to the divine Apostle. And the Savior also says: "I am the light," the truth and the life. Which indeed bound him from the root of Jesse in the manner of a girdle, signifying in a royal and military fashion the stature of the Word against the unseen and invisible enemies. And it is likely that through this the evangelical proclamation is signified, according to, "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth." For the law was also a teacher of righteousness, but it did not remain forever, a more perfect one having been introduced in its place. And it was also a type of truth; but Christ said, I am the truth. Having thus, as it were, pictured the one prophesied, he next describes his accomplishments, showing how dispositions that are rapacious and beastly, having put off such a way of life, will be mingled with their opposites. And together with the newborn in the Church, like a bull and a calf, they will be fed, partaking of the same nourishment from the divine Words. And seeing royal men and those in authority associating with the poor and the common people in the Church, you would say that the present saying is fulfilled. And you would not be wrong in saying that by the beasts the gentiles are signified, each characterized by a different kind of irrationality. And by the tame and clean animals the Israelites, who became tamer through the teaching of the law, the Word signifying that one flock would be formed from both, of wild and tame, of holy and unholy, under the chief shepherd of all who knows how to pasture, as the prophet says, in good pasture and in a rich place. And he calls a calf, the new people of believers who are infants in Christ. And perhaps a bull, Israel, as being advanced in age; that is, the former being those being introduced to the faith, the latter being those excelling in virtue and knowledge. According to, "The Lord has blessed the small with the great." And David also says: "Old men with younger men, let them praise the name of the Lord. For John also, showing the ages in Christ, writes to little children and to fathers and to young men; And a little child, he says, shall lead them. The "shall lead," is said instead of "shall gather." And this, along with the others, can be seen in the churches, that most 2048 of the leaders, on account of simplicity of soul and guilelessness, are no different from infants. Nevertheless, they are leaders of those gathered together from every race. And he says, both the ox and the bear will feed together, and their young will be together. For where the children of farmers and wild men, of poor and rich, of wicked and good come together in the Church. And perhaps by "children" he means the unanimity and like-mindedness in faith of those mentioned. But the lion, carnivorous by nature, being fed with the straw of a grass-eating animal

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τούτων παρίσταται. Γῆν γὰρ λέγει μάλιστα μὲν, ἢν ἂν καταρᾶσαι. Τὸ ἀληθὲς δ' ἂν εἴη καὶ ἐπὶ πάσης τὸ εἰρημένον. Κατηράσατο γὰρ σύμπασαν τὴν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν εἰπών· "Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ." Καὶ κόσμον ἀσεβῶν ὕδατι καταπνίξας· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἐπὶ τῇ κατ' αὐτοῦ παροινίᾳ λέγων, "Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος." Ἐγκαταλειφθεῖσα δὲ παρ' αὐτοῦ πολέμῳ καὶ πυρὶ δεδαπάνηται. Τὴν δὲ θείαν αὐτοῦ φύσιν πρὸς τοῦτο παρίστησι τὸ, Ἐν πνεύματι τὰ χειλέων ἀνελεῖν ἀσεβῆ. Ἐπετίμα γὰρ τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις πνεύμασι. Καὶ ὅσον μὲν ἧκεν εἰς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, ἡ διὰ στόματος καὶ χειλέων ἀπεκτυπεῖτο φωνή. Τῇ δὲ ἀῤῥήτῳ δυνάμει τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸ τῶν δαιμονίων συνεθραύετο γένος, ὡς βοῶντας λέγειν· "Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοὶ, Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἦλθες πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς. Οἴδαμέν σε, τίς εἶ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ." Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔσται, φησὶν, δικαιοσύνη ἐζωσμένος τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἀλήθεια εἰλημμένος τὰς πλευράς. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Καὶ ἔσται δικαιοσύνη περίζωμα 2045 τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἡ πίστις περίζωμα τῶν λαγόνων αὐτοῦ. Ἀξίωμα γὰρ αὐτῷ τῶν ἐν κόσμῳ τὸ σύμπαν οὐδέν. Ἀντὶ βασιλικῆς δὲ ζώνης χρυσῆς τε καὶ διαλίθου, τὴν δικαιοσύνην φησὶν ἐξῶσθαι καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ταῦτα τὴν τοῦ λόγου θεότητα, ὃς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον. Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ δέ φησιν· "Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς" ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή. Ἃ δὴ τὸν ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ ζώνης περιέσφιγγον τρόπον, βασιλικῷ τε καὶ στρατικῷ σχήματι τὸ κατὰ τῶν ἀφανῶν καὶ ἀοράτων πολεμίων παράστημα τοῦ λόγου σημαίνοντος. Εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν διὰ τούτου σημαίνεσθαι κήρυγμα, κατὰ τὸ, "Ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου δικαιοσύνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ὁ νόμος σου ἀλήθεια." Ἦν μὲν γὰρ καὶ ὁ νόμος δικαιοσύνης διδάσκαλος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔμεινεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τῆς τελειοτέρας ἀντεισηγμένης. Ἦν δὲ καὶ τύπος ἀληθείας· ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια. ∆ιὰ τοσούτων ὥσπερ εἰκονογραφήσας τὸν προφητευόμενον, ἑξῆς αὐτοῦ διαγράφει τὰ κατορθώματα, δηλῶν ὡς τὰ ἤθη τὰ ἁρπακτικά τε καὶ θηριώδη τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀποθέμενα τρόπον, τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀνακραθήσεται. Ὁμοῦ τε τοῖς ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ νεογνοῖς ὥσπερ ταῦρος καὶ μόσχος βοσκηθήσονται, τῆς αὐτῆς ἐκ τῶν θείων Λόγων μεταληψόμενοι τροφῆς. Καὶ βασιλικοὺς δὲ ἄνδρας καὶ ἐν ἀρχαῖς ὁρῶν πένησι καὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ συναναστρεφομένους, εἴποις ἂν τὸ παρὸν πληροῦσθαι ῥητόν. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἁμάρτοις διὰ μὲν τῶν θηρίων τοὺς ἐθνικοὺς λέγων σημαίνεσθαι, ἄλλου κατ' ἄλλο τῆς ἀλογίας εἴδους χαρακτηριζομένους. ∆ιὰ δὲ τῶν ἡμέρων ζώων καὶ καθαρῶν τοὺς Ἰσραηλίτας, οἳ τῇ τοῦ νόμου διδασκαλίᾳ γεγόνασιν ἡμερώτεροι, σημαίνοντος τοῦ λόγου μίαν ἐξ ἀμφοῖν συστήσεσθαι ποίμνην ἀγρίων τε καὶ ἡμέρων, ἱερῶν τε καὶ ἀνιέρων ὑπὸ τῷ πάντων ἀρχιποίμενι τῷ νέμειν εἰδότι, καθά φησιν ὁ προφήτης, ἐν νομῇ ἀγαθῇ καὶ ἐν τόπῳ πίονι. Καλεῖ δὲ μοσχάριον, τὸν νέον τῶν πιστευσάντων λαὸν τὸν ἐν Χριστῷ νηπιάζοντα. Ταῦρον δὲ τάχα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς ἡλικίᾳ προήκοντα· ἤγουν τὸ μὲν τοὺς εἰσαγομένους τῇ πίστει, τὸ δὲ τοὺς ὑπερκειμένους ἀρετῇ τε καὶ γνώσει. Κατὰ τὸ, "Εὐλόγησεν, Κύριος, τοὺς μικροὺς μετὰ τῶν μεγάλων." Φησὶ δὲ καὶ ∆αβίδ· "Πρεσβύται μετὰ νεωτέρων αἰνεσάτωσαν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. Τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ γὰρ ἡλικίας καὶ Ἰωάννης ἐμφαίνων γράφει παιδίοις καὶ πατράσι καὶ νεανίσκοις· Καὶ παιδίον, φησὶ, νήπιον ἄξει. Τὸ ἄξει, ἀντὶ τοῦ συνάξει λέλεκται. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐν ἐκκλησίαις ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, τοὺς 2048 πλείστους τῶν προεστώτων δι' ἀπλότητα ψυχῆς καὶ ἀκακίαν οὐδὲν νηπίων διαφέροντας. Ὅμως δ' οὖν ἡγουμένους τῶν ἀπὸ παντὸς γένους κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ συναγομένων. Καὶ βοῦς δὲ φησὶ, καὶ ἄρκτος ὁμοῦ βοσκηθήσονται, καὶ ἅμα ἔσται τὰ παιδία αὐτῶν. Γεωργικῶν γὰρ ἀνδρῶν καὶ ἀγρίων, πενήτων τε καὶ πλουσίων, πονηρῶν τε καὶ ἀγαθῶν ὅπου παῖδες ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ συνέρχονται. Ἴσως δὲ παῖδάς φησιν, τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων ὁμοψυχίαν τε καὶ ὁμοπιστίαν. Σαρκοβόρος δὲ τὴν φύσιν λέων ἀχύροις τρεφόμενος ποηφάγου ζώου