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of thoughts, lest they themselves also perish. Just as if someone among many fallen bodies should find one that is warm, and still breathing, and cooling down, then should be able to do such a thing and labor so much as to drive the enemies away from that one, all but bringing him to life, it would be a wonder. So it has also happened in your case, he says. From their midst I raised you up; finding you breathing from the path of the enemies, and I prevented those who were urged on to strike, when you had no hope of salvation. *From afar the Lord appeared to him; I have loved you with an everlasting love. These things the prophet says, that is, God showed me through a vision the things spoken long ago, and from of old; how out of love He led the people through the desolate wilderness; and He said to me now, That love I have loved him with eternally; that is, to the end; and for this reason I do not allow him to be destroyed; but I save the people who are in exile. *Therefore I have drawn you to compassion. That is, because of that love He counted him worthy of the present grace, having delivered him from the Babylonians. And the phrase 'I have drawn you' is to show that He snatched away one who was strongly held. And the phrase, 'to compassion,' means, 'I have clothed him with grace.' Not for a season, as you do, even if you do ten thousand things, do I love you. Pitying and having mercy, not rendering what is according to desert. *For I will build you, and you shall be built. That is, I give you back your ancient form again, with no one being able to resist. He speaks proofs of much security and of deep peace, and the words themselves are persuasive, or perhaps, desirable. *Plant plantings, and give praise, for it is a day of consolation for one making a defense in the mountains of Ephraim. Stand, and let us go up to Zion to the Lord our God. The meaning of the Greek is this, that when you have returned you will enjoy the fruitfulness of the land, having taken possession of the land; for this is what it indicates: 'In the mountains of Ephraim,' meaning the whole land from the part, in order to say: With haste you will return to the temple, hymning God. But the Hebrew has it thus: And they will plant and eat the fruit. For there will be a day in which the watchmen 64.973 of the vineyards will cry out: Arise and let us go up to Zion. But the same meaning is preserved; for by the benefit of each one, it shows the abundant piety. That you have planted. See how everywhere He mixes their repentance and turning back with the good things. *Rejoice, and be glad, and neigh, at the head of the nations. That is, cry out in the presence of the nations, fearing them not at all, on account of my alliance. *Behold, I am bringing them from the land of the North, and I will gather them from the end of the earth in the feast of Pascha. That is, as in the feast of Pascha, so I will make them all return eagerly. Then he states both the feast and the time. You see that it came to pass in the feast of Pascha, at the time when they also were grieved, or perhaps, were able, to depart from Egypt then. This time is not simply that of both entries. But you who have been initiated know of what this was a type. A second time then they return. And you shall bear children. Thus also the lame, their bodies then having been healed, will be fathers. In weeping For since it was likely that they, knowing both the length and the hardship of the journey, would be dizzy with fear, he reasonably removes this fear also, saying that you will come not as fugitives, nor in turmoil, but with honor and consolation and fitting rest; and yet what reasoning will be able to discover this, that when the city was captured, and the masters subdued, the slaves were going to be released with honor by the masters who had subdued them, to their own home? Because I became. See a necessary reason for their salvation, one not allowing them to be puffed up with pride. For I save them not because of achievements, but because of a natural disposition. This shows that he will also save all. For no father will overlook a firstborn child, and one being saved by a father would not have cause to be high-minded. Hear a word. The one who has sinned the most, the one

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λογισμῶν μὴ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀπολέσθαι. Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἐν πολλοῖς πτώμασιν εὕροι τινὰ ζέοντα, καὶ ἔτι ἐμπνέοντα, καὶ ἀναψύχοντα ἀποψύχοντα, εἶτα δυνηθείη ποιῆσαι τοιοῦτον πονῆσαι τοσοῦτον, καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀποσοβῆσαι ἀπ' ἐκείνου, μόνον μονονοὺ καὶ ἐπὶ ζωὴν αὐτὸν ἀγαγεῖν, θαύματος ἂν εἴη. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ σοῦ γέγονε, φησίν. Ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν διανέστησά σε· ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ πολεμίων ἐμπνέοντά σε εὑρὼν, καὶ παρωρμησαμένους παῖσαι διεκώλυσα, οὐκ ἔχοντα σωτηρίας ἐλπίδα. *Πόῤῥωθεν Κύριος ὤφθη αὐτῷ· ἀγάπησιν αἰωνίαν ἠγάπησά σε. Ταῦτα ὁ προφήτης λέγει, τουτέστιν, ὑπέδειξέ μοι δι' ὀπτασίας Θεὸς τὰ πάλαι λεγόμενα, καὶ ἐξ αἰῶνος· ὅπως ὑπὸ ἀγάπης ἐν τῇ πανερήμῳ τὸν λαὸν διήγαγε· καὶ ἔφη μοι νῦν, Ἐκείνην τὴν ἀγάπην αἰωνίως ἠγάπησα αὐτόν· τουτέστιν διὰ τέλους· καὶ ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς αἰτίας οὐκ ἐῶ αὐτὸν διαφθαρῆναι· σώζω δὲ τὸν εἰς ἀποικίαν λαόν. *∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἵλκυσά σε εἰς οἰκτείρημα. Τουτέστι, δι' ἐκείνην τὴν ἀγάπην ἠξίωσεν αὐτὸν τῆς νῦν χάριτος, ἀπαλλάξας αὐτὸν τῶν Βαβυλωνίων. Τὸ δὲ εἵλκυσά σε, ἵνα δείξῃ ὡς ἰσχυρῶς κατεχόμενον ἐξέσπασε. Τὸ δὲ, εἰς οἰκτείρημα, Ἐνέδυσα αὐτὸν χάριν, ἔχει. Οὐ πρὸς καιρὸν, καθάπερ σὺ, κἂν μυρία ποιήσῃς, ἐγὼ φιλῶ σε. Οἰκτείρων καὶ ἐλεῶν, οὐχὶ τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων. *Ὅτι οἰκοδομήσω σε, καὶ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ. Τουτέστι, πάλιν σοι τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀποδίδωμι σχῆμα, οὐδενὸς δυναμένου ἀντιστῆναι. Ἀδείας πολλῆς, καὶ βαθείας εἰρήνης τεκμήρια λέγει, καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ῥήματα πιθανά ἴσ. ποθεινά. *Φυτεύσατε φυτείας, καὶ αἰνέσατε, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἡμέρα παρακλήσεως ἀπολογουμένου ἐν ὄρεσιν Ἐφραίμ. Στῆτε, καὶ ἀναβῶμεν εἰς Σιὼν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν. Ἡ μὲν ἔννοια τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ ἐστιν αὕτη, ὅτι Ἐπανελθόντες ἀπολαύσετε τῆς εὐφορίας τῆς γῆς, καὶ τὴν γῆν κατεσχηκότες· τοῦτο γὰρ μηνύει τό· Ἐν ὄρεσιν Ἐφραὶμ, ἀπὸ τοῦ μερικοῦ τὴν πᾶσαν γῆν, ἵνα εἴπῃ· Μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐπανελεύσεσθε εἰς τὸν ναὸν ὑμνοῦντες τὸν Θεόν. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος οὕτως ἔχει· Καὶ φυτεύσουσι καὶ φάγονται τὸν καρπόν. Ἔσται γὰρ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐν ᾗ κεκράξονται οἱ φυλάσ 64.973 σοντες τοὺς ἀμπελῶνας· Ἀνάστητε καὶ ἀνέλθωμεν εἰς Σιών. Σώζεται δὲ ἡ αὐτὴ ἔννοια· τῇ γὰρ ἑκάστου ὠφελείᾳ τὴν περιττὴν εὐσέβειαν δείκνυσι. Ὅτι ἐφυτεύσατε. Ὅρα πανταχοῦ πῶς ἀναμίγνυσι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τὴν μετάνοιαν ἐπιστροφὴν αὐτῶν. *Ἀγαλλίασθε, καὶ εὐφραίνεσθε, καὶ χρεμετίσατε, ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν ἐθνῶν. Τουτέστιν, ἐνώπιον τῶν ἐθνῶν βοήσατε, μηδὲν αὐτοὺς δεδοικότες, διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν συμμαχίαν. *Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἄγω αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ γῆς Βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ συνάξω αὐτοὺς ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς ἐν ἑορτῇ Φασέκ. Τουτέστιν, ὡς ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ τοῦ Φασὲκ, οὕτως ἅπαντας ἐπανελθεῖν προθύμως ποιήσω. Εἶτα καὶ τὴν ἑορτὴν λέγει καὶ τὸν καιρόν. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι ἐξέβη ἐν ἑορτῇ Φασὲκ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν, καθ' ὃν, καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου τότε ἐξελθεῖν ἐλυπήθησαν ἴσ. ἐδυνήθησαν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὗτος ὁ καιρὸς ἑκατέρας ἐστὶ τῆς εἰσόδου. Ἀλλ' ἴστε οἱ μεμυημένοι, τίνος τύπος τοῦτο ἦν. ∆εύτερον τότε ἐπανέρχονται. Καὶ τεκνοποιήσῃ. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἀνάπηροι τότε θεραπευθέντες τὰ σώματα, πατέρες ἔσονται. Ἐν κλαυθμῷ Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς εἰδότας, καὶ τὸ μῆκος, καὶ τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν τῆς ὁδοῦ ἰλιγγιᾷν, εἰκότως καὶ τοῦτον ἀναιρεῖ τὸν φόβον λέγων, ὅτι Οὐ φεύγοντες ἥξετε, οὐ δὲ θορυβούμενοι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τιμῆς καὶ παρακλήσεως καὶ ἀνέσεως τῆς προσηκούσης, καίτοι ποῖος τοῦτο λογισμὸς εὑρεῖν δυνήσεται, ὅτι τῆς πόλεως ἁλούσης, καὶ τῶν δεσποτῶν χειρωθέντων, οἱ δοῦλοι παρὰ τῶν δεσποτῶν τῶν χειρωσαμένων μετὰ τιμῆς ἔμελλον ἀπολύεσθαι πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν; Ὅτι ἐγενόμην. Ὅρα αἰτίαν ἀναγκαίαν τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἀφιεῖσαν αὐτοὺς τυφωθῆναι. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ κατορθωμάτων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ διαθέσεως τῆς φυσικῆς αὐτοὺς σώζω. Τοῦτο δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ πάντας σώσει. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ πατὴρ περιόψεται παῖδα πρωτότοκον, καὶ παρὰ πατέρος σωζόμενος οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι μέγα φρονεῖν. Ἀκούσατε λόγον. Ὁ μάλιστα ἡμαρτηκὼς, ὁ