74

an army gathered from the more northern and eastern parts; and with him was a multitude of islanders, who inhabited the west; and he took to himself also Egyptians, and Libyans, and Ethiopians, who were allotted to inhabit the southernmost part. These things the prophetic word foretold. 81.737 37. And I will strike them with terror before their enemies, who seek their soul; and I will bring upon them the fierceness of my anger, says the Lord, and I will send my sword after them, until it consumes them. Again he called the Babylonians his sword; for through them he exacted judgment on these as well. 38. And I will set my throne in Elam, and I will destroy from there king and princes, says the Lord. The phrase, "I will set my throne," instead of, there I will judge, and I will pronounce the sentence, as if using the enemies as certain executioners. And he has his throne there even now, as this city has also been converted to piety; so that according to this word also the prophecy is true. 39. And it shall be in the last days, I will bring back the captivity of Elam, says the Lord. I consider that through this, and through the others, in which he promised the restoration, the good Lord promises freedom not only from the sensible captivity, but also from the spiritual one; for he takes greater care of souls; for it is for this reason that he also applies chastisements to bodies. He foretells, therefore, the destruction of the devil, and the cessation of impiety, and the freedom of men made captive by sin. And having obtained this, let us praise its giver, and let us love the free life, and let us loathe the former slavery; so that we may also stand with confidence before the Master's tribunal, by the grace and loving-kindness of the just judge, with whom to the Father, with the all-holy Spirit, belongs glory and magnificence, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. VOLUME I. CHAPTER 50. Having prophesied the things that would happen to the other nations, he now foretells the destruction of Babylon. 2. Declare among the nations, and make it heard, and raise a standard; make 81.740 it heard, and do not hide it; say, Babylon is taken. Since the king of the Babylonians, having destroyed the other kingdoms, forced them to be under his own dominion, he commands that its destruction be announced to the nations. "Bel is confounded." It was an idol greatly honored by the Babylonians; and some call it Zeus, others Kronos. And he says it was confounded: first, because it was not able to help those who worshiped it, then because it was completely deprived of those who honored it. "The undismayed, the delicate one." And he has shown their power, and their luxurious living. "Merodach is delivered up." And they named the first who reigned over the Babylonians Merodach. Here, then, he means either the last one, under whom the destruction of the kingdom occurred, or the first one, who transferred the kingdom from Nineveh to Babylon. And one might take the phrase "was delivered up" as referring to the second, and also to the first; but as to the second, the kingdom itself; and he says that all her idols were confounded, and their weakness became clear. And as the nation that marched from the north against Babylon he means the Medes. And these, he says, both made their land desolate and plundered it. At this time, he says,

74

στρατιὰν ἀπὸ τῶν βορειο τέρων καὶ ἑῴων συνειλεγμένην μερῶν· συνῆν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ νησιωτῶν πλῆθος, ὃ τὴν ἑσπέραν ᾤκει· καὶ προσέλαβε δὲ ἐπ' αὐτὸν, καὶ Αἰγυπτίους, καὶ Λίβυας, καὶ Αἰθίοπας, οἳ τὸ νοτιώτερον οἰκεῖν ἔλαχον τμῆμα. Ταῦτα ὁ προφητικὸς προεθέσπισε λόγος. 81.737 λζʹ. Καὶ πτοήσω αὐτοὺς ἐναντίον τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὑτῶν, τῶν ζητούντων τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐπάξω ἐπ' αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ θυμοῦ μου, φησὶ Κύριος, καὶ ἐπαποστελῶ ὀπίσω αὐτῶν τὴν μάχαιράν μου, ἕως οὗ ἀναλώσῃ αὐτούς. Πάλιν μάχαιραν αὑτοῦ τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους ἐκάλεσε· δι' αὐτῶν γὰρ καὶ τούτους εἰσεπράξατο δίκας. ληʹ. Καὶ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου ἐν Αἰλὰμ, καὶ ἀπολῶ ἐκεῖθεν βασιλέα καὶ μεγιστᾶνας, φησὶ Κύριος. Τὸ, "θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου," ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐκεῖ δικάσω, καὶ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξοίσω, οἷόν τισι δημίοις κε χρημένος τοῖς πολεμίοις. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ νῦν ἐκεῖ τὸν θρόνον, εἰς εὐσέβειαν καὶ ταύτης μεταβληθείσης τῆς πόλεως· ὥστε καὶ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον ἀληθὴς ἡ πρόῤῥησις. λθʹ. Καὶ ἔσται ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν, ἐπι στρέψω τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Αἰλὰμ, λέγει Κύριος. Ἡγοῦμαι καὶ διὰ ταύτην, καὶ διὰ τὰς ἄλλας, αἷς τὴν ἀνάκλησιν ἐπηγγείλατο, μὴ μόνης τῆς αἰσθητῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ὑπισχνεῖσθαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τὸν ἀγα θὸν ∆εσπότην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς νοητῆς· πλείονα γὰρ ποιεῖται τῶν ψυχῶν ἐπιμέλειαν· διὰ γάρ τοι τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς σώμασι τὰς παιδείας προσφέρει. Προλέγει τοίνυν τὴν τοῦ διαβόλου κατάλυσιν, καὶ ἀσεβείας τὴν παῦλαν, καὶ τὴν τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρ τίας γεγενημένων ἀνθρώπων ἐλευθερίαν. Ἧς τε τυχηκότες τὸν ταύτης χορηγὸν ἀνυμνήσωμεν, καὶ τὴν ἐλευθέραν ζωὴν ἀγαπήσωμεν, καὶ τὴν προτέραν βδελυξώμεθα δουλείαν· ἵνα καὶ σὺν παῤῥησίᾳ τῷ ∆εσποτικῷ βήματι παραστῶμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλ ανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα πρέπει καὶ μεγα λοπρέπεια, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ Ι. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Νʹ. Τὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσι συμβησόμενα προθεσπίσας, τῆς Βαβυλῶνος λοιπὸν προλέγει τὸν ὄλεθρον. βʹ. Ἀναγγείλατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἀκου στὸν ποιήσατε, καὶ ἐπάρατε σημεῖον· ἀκου 81.740 τίσατε, καὶ μὴ κρύψητε· εἴπατε, Ἑάλω Βαβυλών. Ἐπειδὴ τὰς ἄλλας βασιλείας καταλύσας τῶν Βαβυ λωνίων ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὑπὸ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τελεῖν δυνα στείαν ἠνάγκασε, μηνυθῆναι κελεύει τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν ταύτης κατάλυσιν. "Κατῃσχύνθη Βήλ." Εἴδωλον ἦν σφόδρα παρὰ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων τιμώμενον· καὶ τινὲς μὲν ∆ία τοῦτο καλοῦσι, τινὲς δὲ Κρόνον. Λέγει δὲ καταισχυνθῆναι· πρῶτον μὲν ὡς ἐπαρκέσαι τοῖς προσκυνοῦσιν οὐ δυνηθέντα, ἔπειτα ὡς τῶν τιμών των παντελῶς στερηθέντα. "Ἡ ἀπτόητος, ἡ τρυ φερά." Καὶ τὸ δυνατὸν αὐτῶν δεδήλωκε, καὶ τὸ ἁβροδίαιτον. "Παρεδόθη Μαιρωδάχ." Καὶ τὸν πρῶτον Βαβυλωνίων βασιλεύσαντα Μαιρωδὰχ ὠνό μασαν. Ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ἢ τὸν τελευταῖον λέγει, ἐφ' οὗ γέγονεν ἡ τῆς βασιλείας κατάλυσις, ἢ τὸν πρῶτον, ὃς ἀπὸ τῆς Νινευῒ εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα τὴν βασιλείαν μετέθηκε. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ δευτέρου λάβοι τις ἂν, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ πρώτου, τὸ "παρεδόθη·" ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτήν· λέγει δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πάντα καταισχυνθῆναι, καὶ γενέσθαι δήλην αὐτῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Ἔθνος δὲ ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ κατὰ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος στρατεῦσαν τοὺς Μήδους λέγει. Οὗτοι δὲ, φησὶ, καὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν ἀπέφηναν ἔρημον, καὶ αὐτὴν ἐξεπόρθησαν. Κατὰ τοῦτον, φησὶ, τὸν καιρὸν