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of the construction the people and [having heard] and learned the cause might cease from their wickedness. [If they had heard] and repented, the flood would not have been brought on. And that this came about for the sake of [long-suffer]ing and of calling people to repent[ance], Peter, the chief of the apostles, in [his] own epistle inscribes concerning the Savior: "in which h[e also we]nt and preached to the sp[irits] in pris[on], who were once disobedient when the long-suffering of God [was waiting] in the days of N[oah while] the ark [was being prepar]ed". And from this let us observe that he sa[id that] many s]ins occur "o]n the earth"; but God does not bring on ... sin ... for the sake of a certain long-suffering he does this, [giving] a pl]ace for re[pen]tance. [Th]us also after a transgression he has give[n] a prevent[ive] law [and after t]he admonitions he brings forth reproofs, [threatening]. And in the [...]s you will find this. Israel, being the Lord's portion a[nd the s]on of God, was transg[ressing] his commands, although Go[d] did everything for [them]. For what does he say in Isaiah? "A vine[yar]d c[ame to be for my b]elọved on a horn in a rich place", by "hor[n" me]aning the k[ingdom], and by "rich" "place" signifying the instruction through the [la]w and the pr[ophet]s. "And I planted a Sore[k] vine", which is cho[ice; f]or in addition to being a "royal" "priesthood", he planted the people to [be] a choice vineya[rd]. "And I built a tower" for [flee]ing 187 from the attacking enemies; and the instructive word of this is the tower, guarding at the same time and beating back the enemies' assault. Having buil<t> it, he hears: "If the spirit of the ruler [r]ises up against you, do not leave your place". And he made a wall an[d put] a hedge around it, which things signify the saf[et]y from the ạngels. And yet it remained in the same fruitlessness, although so many things had been done; therefore he says: "What more shall I do for my vineyard that I have not done for it?" I have done all things without fail, wherefore, since they cannot say what must be done, I will say, "I will tẹll y[ou] what I will do to my vineyard"; I will take away what I have given to it, "I will tear down its wall, and it will be for trampling, and I will remove its hẹdge, and it will be for plundering". For it is useful to take this help away from those who have received it from angels unprofitably; [so that see]ing in what evils they are, they might desire to return, [w]hẹrefore he also re[bukes] them, saying: "And I will command the clouds not to rain r[ain u]p̣on it", which signify the prophets and the ministers of the sp[iri]tual rain, concerning whom it is said: "Let the clouds showe[r down] righteousness". For he did not use this rain pro[perly], bẹaring thorns ị[nstead of] gṛapes; wherefore the destr[uction] o[f] Ịsra[el ha]ppened, since it did not accep[t] so great a benefit. Tḥụs ... the flood was brought on, since none of the pẹopḷe wished to be benefited in their [own] reạdiness. ... will be [the] universal consummation, subsist[ing] in a scarcity of virtue, just as the S[avior a]lso s]ays: "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find [f]aith on th[e ea]rth?" ῃιι, 7-9. But Noah e[ntere]d, and his sons and his wife and [the w]ives of his sons with him, into the ark [because o]f the water of the flood. And of the birds and of [th]e clean aṇimals and of the unclean animals [and] of all the creeping things on the earth, two by two they entered t[o N]ọah into 188 the ark, male and female, as God had commanded him. It is ev[ide]nt that, when certain signs of the flood had occurred and appeared to Noah, such as the dampness of the earth or things of a sim[il]ạr nature, Noah entered into the ark, not much [tim]ẹ having passed. And the things previously observed concerning the sons having entered with Noah and the wives of the sons with his wife have been said before; for it was not fitting, with so great a punishment coming upon all, for them to perform the rites of marriage; wherefore for a time, so that they might be at leisure from these things, he separated the

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κατασκευάσματος οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἀ[κούσαν]τές τε καὶ μαθόντες τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ παύσωνται τῆς κακίας. [Εἰ ἤκου]σαν μετανοήσαντες, οὐκ ἐπήγετο ὁ κατακλυσμός. Ὅτι δὲ μ[ακροθυ]μ̣ίας χάριν καὶ τοῦ ἐκκαλέσασθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ μετάν[οιαν το]ῦτο γεγένηται, Πέτρος ὁ πρόκριτος τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν τῇ [κατ' α]ὐτὸν ἐπιστολῇ χαράττει περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· "6Ἐν ᾧ κ[αὶ το]ῖ[ς] ἐν φυλα[κῇ πν]εύμασιν πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν, ἀπειθήσασί[ν πο]τε ὅτε [ἀπεξεδέ]χετο ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία ἐν ἡμεραῖς Ν[ῶε κα]τασκευα[ζομένη]ς κιβωτοῦ"6. Καὶ ἐκ τούτου σκοπῶμεν ὅτι εἶπ[εν ὅτι] πολλαὶ ἁ]μαρτίαι "6ἐ]πὶ τῆς γῆς"6 γίνονται· μὴ ἐπάγῃ δὲ ὁ Θεὸς α·[····] ἁμα[ρτ··· ···] διά τινα μακροθυμίαν τοῦτο ποιεῖ τόπον μ̣[ε]τανοίας [διδούς. Ο]ὕτω καὶ μετὰ παράβασιν νόμον δέδωκ[εν] κωλυτικ[ὸν καὶ μετὰ τ]ὰς νουθεσίας προσάγει ἐλέγχους ἀπε[ιλῶν]. Καὶ ἐν τοῖ[ς ··· ··· ·]·ος τοῦτο εὑρήσεις. Ὁ Ἰσραὴλ μερὶς Κυρίου κα[ὶ υἱ]ὸς Θεοῦ ὑπ[άρχων τ]ὰς αὐτοῦ προστάξεις παρέβαινεν, καίτοι Θεο[ῦ] πάντα εἰς [αὐτοὺ]ς ποιοῦντος. Τί γάρ φησιν ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ; "6Ἀμπ[ελὼ]ν̣ ε᾿̣γεν[ήθη τῷ ἠ]γα̣πημένῳ ἐν κέρατι ἐν τόπῳ πίονι"6, "6κέρα[τι"6 μὲν] τὴν βα[σιλείαν] λέγων, "6πίονι"6 δὲ "6τόπῳ"6 σημαίνων τὴν διὰ [νό]μου καὶ πρ[οφητῶ]ν παίδευσιν. "6Καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἄμπελον Σωρή[κ"6], ὅ ἐστιν ἐκλε[κτή· ἐ]πι`̣ γὰρ τῷ "6βασίλειον"6 εἶναι "6ἱεράτευμα"6 καὶ ἐκλεκτὴν ἄμπελο[ν εἶν]αι ἐφύτευσεν τὸν λαόν. "6Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησα πύργον"6 ἐπὶ τῷ κα[ταφε]υ´̣γειν 187 τοὺς ἐπερχομένους ἐχθρούς· λόγος δὲ τούτου παιδευτικὸς ὁ πύργος, φρουρῶν ἅμα καὶ ἐκ̣παίων ἐχθρῶν ἔφοδον. Οἰκο<δο>μήσας ἀκούει· "6Ἐὰν πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξουσιάζον̣-τος [ἀ]νάβῃ ἐπὶ σέ, τόπον σου μὴ ἀφῇς"6. Θριγκόν τε ἐποίησεν κα[ὶ φρ]αγμὸν περιέθηκεν, ἃ δηλοῖ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγ̣γέλων ἀσφάλ[ει]αν. Καὶ ὁμῶς ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἀκαρπίᾳ, τοσούτων γεγενημένων, διέμεινεν· διό φησιν· "6Τί ἔτι ποιήσω τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησα αὐτῷ;"6 πάντα πεποίηκα ἀνελλιπῶς, διόπερ, ἐπεὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν εἰπεῖν ὃ δεῖ γενέσθαι, ἐγὼ ἐρῶ, "6ἀπαγγε̣λ̣ῶ ὑ[μ]ι῀̣ν τί ποιήσω τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου"6· ἀφελῶ ἃ δέδωκα αὐτῷ, "6καθελῶ τὸν τοῖχον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσται εἰς καταπάτημα, καὶ τὸν φρα̣γμὸν ἀφελῶ καὶ ἔσται εἰς διαρπαγήν"6. Χρήσιμον γὰρ τῶν ἀνωφελῆ τὴν ἀπ' ἀγγέλων δεξαμένων βοήθειαν ταύτην προσαφελεῖν· [ἵνα ὁρῶ]ντες οἷ κακῶν εἰσιν ποθήσωσιν ἐπιστρέψαι, [δ]ι̣όπερ καὶ ἐ[λέγ]χει λέγων· "6Καὶ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τὸ μὴ βρέξαι ε̣[ἰς] α̣ὐτὸν <ὑετόν>"6, αἵτινες τοὺς προφήτας δηλοῦσιν καὶ τ̣οὺς δια- κόνους τ[οῦ πνε]υματικοῦ ὑετοῦ, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "6Αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσ[αν] δικαιοσύνην"6. Τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ ὑετῷ οὐ δεόν[τως] ἐχρήσατο α᾿̣[ντὶ] σ̣ταφυλῆς ἀκάνθας ἐνεγκών· διόπερ ἐξώ[λεια] το[ῦ] ᾿Ι̣σρα[ὴλ γέ]γονεν τοσαύτην ὠφελίαν μὴ δεξαμέ[νου]. Οὑ´̣τως̣ ει[·····] ὁ κατακλυσμὸς ἐπήχθη, μηδὲν τῶν ἀν̣θρώπω̣ν ἐν τῇ ἑαυ[τῶν] π̣ροθυμίᾳ ὠφεληθῆναι θελησάντων. ∆̣····η̣τ̣οι ἔσται [ἡ τοῦ] καθόλου συντέλεια σπάνει ἀρετῆς ὑφισταμέ[νη], καθὰ καὶ ὁ Σ[ωτήρ φ]ησιν· "6Ἄρα ἐλθὼν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εὑρήσει τὴν [π]ίστιν ἐπὶ τ[ῆς γ]ῆς;"6 ῃιι, 7-9. Εἰσῆ[λθ]εν δὲ Νῶε καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ [αἱ γ]υναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν [διὰ τ]ὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ. Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πετεινῶν καὶ ἀπὸ [τ]ῶν κτηνῶν τῶν̣ καθαρῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν κτηνῶν τῶν μὴ καθαρῶν [καὶ] ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς δύο δύο εἰσῆλθον π[ρὸς Ν]ω῀̣ε εἰς 188 τὴν κιβωτὸν ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ κατὰ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός. ∆ῆ[λό]ν ἐστιν ὅτι, σημείων τινῶν τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ ὑπαρξάντων καὶ φανέν̣των τῷ Νῶε οἷον τῆς ὑγρᾶς τῆς γῆς ἢ τῶν ὁμο[ιο]τ̣ρόπων, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν ὁ Νῶε, οὐ πολλοῦ διαγεγονότος̣ [χρό]νου. Τὰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ μετὰ τοῦ Νῶε τοὺς υἱοὺς καὶ μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς τὰς γυναῖκας τῶν υἱῶν εἰσεληλυθέναι παρατηρηθέντα πρότερον εἴρηται· οὐ γὰρ ἥρμοζεν, τοσαύτης κολάσεως ἐπὶ πάντας ἐλθούσης, αὐτοὺς τὰ τῶν γάμων ἐπιτελεῖν· διόπερ πρὸς καιρόν, ἵν' ἀπὸ τούτων σχολάσωσιν, διεῖλεν τὰς