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edible and gladdening fruit and its own produce the good earth, heaven having given its dew. But we shall understand what this dew is, when we know who is the heaven that gives it, being perhaps none other than the man who bears “the image of the heavenly one,” having “his citizenship in heaven.” Concerning all those who have been formed according to the heavenly Savior, it is said in the plural in the eighteenth Psalm: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.” 2.340 Concerning these it is also written in the great song in Deuteronomy: “Rejoice, O heavens, with him,” that is, with the Savior. For how would they not rejoice and exult with him, having been formed according to him, according to the teaching of the holy Apostle Paul, where on the one hand he writes concerning those who faithfully and genuinely worship God: “Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”; and on the other: “Let us bear the image of the heavenly one.” 2.341 Those who have so excelled in moral and intellectual virtue, “perfected in the same mind and in the same judgment,” must be called one heaven in harmony, giving spiritual dew. But each of such men also gives his own dew, similarly to the hierophant Moses who says: “May my teaching be awaited as the rain, and may my words come down as the dew.” 2.342 Nevertheless, even if it is given by the interpreted heavens, it is yet primarily supplied by the Lord of the heavens, according to the divine voice of Isaiah, which runs thus: “The dead shall rise, and those in the tombs shall be raised, and those on the earth shall rejoice; for the dew from you will be a healing for them.” 2.343 And since those on the earth who receive it rejoice over the intelligible dew which is healing, it must be said that the rising dead and those coming forth from the tombs will also share in it, especially then when that which is perfect has come, by which one encounters the truth face to face, and seeing in part and through a mirror will have ceased, that which is to be seen most fully having prevailed. 2.344 Concerning the dew thus rendered, you will also take the blessing of Isaac to Jacob, beginning from this point: “From the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth.” 2.345 All the things that belonged to the people redeemed from Babylon were given, God having caused them to inherit. 2.346 And since it is said in a passive sense that God will cause the remnant of the people to inherit all things, that is, the fruit of the vine, and the produce of the earth, and the dew of heaven, it must be taken in both ways, actively and passively. 2.347 Actively, thus: Israel is called the portion and inheritance of God, for no other reason than for its inherent virtues, both practiced and contemplated by choice and willingly. The same understanding also holds for this: “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance,” all men being inherited by the Savior through pious faith and works of virtue. 2.348 But if a passive sense should be signified by the supine verb “will inherit,” the understanding will be this: God will give as an inheritance all the aforementioned things, giving them by way of inheritance to the remnants of his people, and these are they who according to the prophet Isaiah say: “If the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.” And after other things: “If the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand which is by the seashore, the remnant will be saved.” Taking up these prophetic voices, the Apostle adds to them, saying thus: “And at the present time a remnant has come into being according to the election of grace, not from works, since grace is no longer grace.” 2.349 Having clarified the proposed saying as much as we are able, let us set forth what follows. 2.350Zach. VIII, 13-15: And

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ἐδώδιμον καὶ εὐφραίνοντα καρπὸν καὶ τὰ γενήματα ἑαυτῆς ἡ ἀγαθὴ γῆ, τοῦ οὐρανοῦ δεδωκότος τὴν δρόσον αὐτοῦ. Νοήσομεν δὲ τίς ἡ δρόσος αὕτη, γνόντες τίς ὁ διδοὺς αὐτὴν οὐρανός, οὐχ ἕτερος ὢν τάχα τοῦ φοροῦντος ἀνθρώπου «τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου», ἔχοντος «ἐν οὐρανῷ τὸ πολίτευμα». Περὶ πάντων τῶν μεμορφωμένων κατὰ τὸν ἐπουράνιον Σωτῆρα, πληθυντικῶς λέγεται ἐν ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ Ψαλμῷ· «Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ, ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα.» 2.340 Περὶ τούτων καὶ ἐν ᾠδῇ μεγάλῃ ἐν ∆ευτερονομίῳ γέγραπται· «Εὐφράνθητε, οἱ οὐρανοί, ἅμα αὐτῷ», τῷ Σωτῆρι δηλονότι. Πῶς γὰρ οὐχ ἅμα αὐτῷ γεγήθασιν καὶ ἀγαλλιῶνται, μορφωθέντες κατ' αὐτόν, κατὰ τὴν παίδευσιν τοῦ ἱεροῦ Ἀποστόλου Παύλου, ὅπου μὲν γράφοντος περὶ τω῀̣ν πιστῶς καὶ γνησίως θεοσεβούντων· «Οὓς προέγνω και`̣ π̣ρ̣οώρισεν συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ»· ὅπου δέ· «Φορέσωμεν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου.» 2.341 Τοὺς οὕτω διαπρέψαντας ἐν ἠθικῇ ἀρετῇ καὶ διανοητικῇ, «κατηρτισμένους τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ», ἕνα οὐρανὸν κατὰ συμφωνίαν ῥητέον, διδόντα πνευματικὴν δρόσον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕκαστος τῶν τοιούτων δίδωσιν τὴν ἰδίαν δρόσον, παραπλησίως τῷ λέγοντι ἱεροφάντῃ Μωϋσεῖ· «Προσδοκάσθω ὡς ὑετὸς ἀπόφθεγμά μου, καὶ καταβήτω ὡς δρόσος τὰ ῥήματά μου.» 2.342 Ὅμως εἰ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἑρμηνευθέντων οὐρανῶν δίδοται, ἀλλ' οὖν ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου τῶν οὐρανῶν προηγουμένως χορηγεῖται, κατὰ τὴν Ἠσαίου θείαν φωνὴν ὧδε ἔχουσαν· «Ἀναστήσονται οἱ νεκροί, καὶ ἐγερθήσονται οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις, καὶ εὐφρανθήσονται οἱ ἐν τῇ γῇ· ἡ γὰρ δρόσος ἡ παρὰ σοῦ ἴαμα αὐτοῖς ἔσται.» 2.343 Καὶ ἐπεὶ περὶ τῆς νοητῆς δρόσου ἰατικῆς οὔσης εὐφραίνονται οἱ ἐν τῇ γῇ τυχόντες αὐτῆς, καὶ τοὺς ἀνισταμένους νεκροὺς καὶ ἐκ τῶν μνημείων ἐξερχομένους μεθέξειν αὐτῆς ῥητέον, τότε μάλιστα ὅτε ἐλθόντος τοῦ τελείου καθ' ὃ προσβάλλει τις πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καὶ δι' ἐσόπτρου θεωρεῖν πεπαύσεται, ἐπικρατήσαντος τοῦ πληρέστατα θεωρηθησομένου. 2.344 Περὶ τῆς οὕτως ἀποδοθείσης δρόσου ἐκλήμψει καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ πρὸς τὸν Ἰακὼβ εὐλογίαν, ἔνθεν ἀρχομένην· «Ἀπὸτῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ τῆς πιότητος τῆς γῆς.» 2.345 Τὰ ὑπάρξαντα πάντα τῷ λυτρωθέντι λαῷ ἀπὸ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος, Θεοῦ κατακληρονομήσαντος, ἐδόθη. 2.346 Καὶ ἐπεὶ παθητικῶς τὸ κατακληρονομήσειν τὸν Θεὸν τοῖς καταλοίποις τοῦ λαοῦ πάντα εἴρηται, δηλαδὴ τὸν τῆς ἀμπέλου καρπόν, καὶ τῆς γῆς τὰ γενήματα, καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν δρόσον, ἀμφοτέρως αὐτὸ ἐκλημπτέον, ἐνεργητικῶς τε καὶ παθητικῶς. 2.347 Ἐνεργητικῶς μὲν οὕτως· εἴρηται μέρις καὶ κληρονομία Θεοῦ ὁ Ἰσραήλ, οὐ δι' ἀλλό τι ἢ διὰ προσούσας ἀρετάς, προαιρετικῶς καὶ ἑκουσίως πραχθείσας τε καὶ θεωρηθείσας. Τῆς αὐτῆς ἔχεται νοήσεως καὶ τό· «Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου», πάντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων κληρονομουμένων τῇ εὐσεβεῖ πίστει καὶ ἔργοις ἀρετῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος. 2.348 Εἰ δὲ πάθος σημαίνοιτο ὑπὸ τοῦ ὑπτίου ῥήματος τοῦ κληρονομήσει, νόησις ἔσται τοιαύτη· ὁ Θεὸς κληρονομήσει τὰ προειρημένα πάντα, διδοὺς αὐτὰ κληρονομίας τρόπῳ τοῖς καταλοίποις τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, οὗτοι δ' εἰσὶν οἱ κατὰ τὸν προφήτην Ἠσαίαν λέγοντες· «Εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν, καὶ ὡς Γόμορρα ὡμοιώθημεν.» Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «Ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος ἡ παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα σωθήσεται.» Ταύτας τὰς προφητικὰς φωνὰς παραλαβών, ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἐπιφέρει αὐταῖς λέγων οὕτω· «Καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος γέγονεν, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἐπεὶ ἡ χάρις οὐκέτι γίνεται χάρις.» 2.349 Σαφηνισθέντος ὡς οἷόν τε ἡμῖν τοῦ προκειμένου ῥητοῦ, τὰ ἑξῆς ἐκθώμεθα. 2.350Zach. VIII, 13-15: Καὶ