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the just judgment of the rulers. But if someone says these things were spoken concerning Hezekiah or concerning Josiah or concerning Zerubbabel, he misses the truth. For Hezekiah had already been king, but Zerubbabel was not even a king but a leader of the people and a general, and Josiah was a king and a pious king, but his achievements surpass those of the one prophesied. One must understand <therefore> the king to be the Lord Christ, and the rulers to be the holy apostles and those after them who have received leadership of the churches. Concerning these, the blessed David also said: "Instead of your fathers, sons were born to you; you shall make them rulers over all the earth." 2And a man will be hiding his words and will be hidden as from a great rushing water. The writing of the holy gospels bears witness to these things; for he spoke to the crowds in parables, but at home he explained the parables to the |139 b| apostles. And he will appear in Zion as a glorious, rushing river in a thirsty land. And of these things I find the testimony in the divine gospels, for the Savior himself said: "He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water, leaping up to eternal life." This water waters the whole thirsty world, but especially Zion, "which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the church." 3And they will no longer be trusting in men, but will give their ears to hear, 4and the heart of the weak will attend to understanding, and the stammering tongues will quickly learn to speak peace. The account has made clear the change in affairs. For Ahaz, being besieged by the Syrians, called the Assyrians for an alliance; and those after him, fleeing the Assyrians, took refuge with the Egyptians. But those who have believed in the Savior await his decisive influence and bring their ears to his teachings; and the formerly stammering tongues speak clearly and things that produce divine peace, for they no longer hymn gods but God. 5And they shall no longer say to the fool, "Rule," and your servants shall no longer say, "Be silent." But Symmachus has rendered this thus: "The senseless one will no longer be called ruler, nor will a savior be spoken of deceitfully." According to the Seventy, however, the prophecy indicates the cessation of the foolish teaching of the Pharisees and scribes and the pride of those who served them; for one of them struck the Lord on the cheek, and others said to the most divine Paul: "Do you revile God's high priest?" 6For the fool will speak foolish things, and his heart will devise vain things, to practice lawlessness and to speak error against the Lord, to scatter hungry souls and to make thirsty souls empty. It is characteristic of foolish teachers to lead their disciples astray and to waste away with famine those who are in need of divine food. 7For the counsel of the wicked will devise lawless things, to destroy the humble with unjust words and to scatter the words of the poor in judgment. Here he reproves the injustice of those who judge. 8But the pious have devised prudent things, and this counsel abides. For the fruits of piety are permanent, but those of impiety are "like the chaff, which the wind blows from the face of the earth." 9Rich women, arise and hear my voice; daughters, in hope hear my words. He calls the cities women; he named them daughters not as being this but as about to be so through faith; for this is why he added: in hope. 10For days of a year make remembrance in pain with hope. Through "a year" he has indicated all manner of benefactions: the turns of the seasons, the changes of the airs, the fall of rains, the various winds, the fruits produced from the earth through these. And he exhorts them to be in pain and to hope at the same time; to be in pain on account of their sins, but to hope and wait for the God of all. The vintage is consumed, it has ceased and will no longer come. He calls the abundance of good things a vintage; he says you will no longer be in your former prosperity. This he also indicates

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τῶν ἀρχόντων τὸ δίκαιον κρίμα . Εἰ δέ τις ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ Ἐζεκίου ἢ περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσίου ἢ περὶ τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ εἰρῆσθαι λέγει, δια μαρτάνει τῆς ἀληθείας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἐζεκίας ἤδη βεβασιλεύκει, ὁ δὲ Ζοροβάβελ οὐδὲ βασιλεὺς ἦν ἀλλὰ δη μαγωγὸς καὶ στρατη γός, ὁ δὲ Ἰωσίας βασιλεὺς μὲν ἦν καὶ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεύς, ὑπερβαίνει δὲ τοῦ προφητευομένου τὰ κατορθώματα. Νοητέον <οὖν> βασιλέα μὲν τὸν δεσπότην Χριστόν, ἄρχοντας δὲ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀπο στόλους καὶ τοὺς μετ' ἐκείνους τὴν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἡγεμονίαν παρειληφότας. Περὶ τούτων καὶ ὁ μακάρι ος ἔφη ∆αυίδ · «Ἀντὶ τῶν πατέρων σου ἐγεννή θησάν σοι υἱοί· καταστήσεις αὐτοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν». 2Καὶ ἔσται ἄνθρωπος κρύπτων τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ καὶ κρυβήσεται ὡς ἀφ' ὕδατος φερομένου πολλοῦ. Μαρτυρεῖ τούτοις τῶν ἱερῶν εὐαγγελίων ἡ συγγραφή· ἐν παραβολαῖς γὰρ ἐλάλει τοῖς ὄχλοις, οἴκοι δὲ τὰς παραβολὰς τοῖς |139 b| ἀποστόλοις ἡρμήνευεν. Καὶ φανήσεται ἐν Σιὼν ὡς ποταμὸς φερόμενος ἔνδοξος ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ. Καὶ τούτων εὑρίσκω ἐν τοῖς θείοις εὐαγγελίοις τὴν μαρτυρίαν, αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔλεγεν ὁ σωτήρ· «Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.» Τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ διψῶσαν ἅπασαν ἄρδει τὴν οἰκουμένην, διαφερόντως δὲ τὴν Σιών, «ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος, στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἐκκλησίας». 3Καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσονται πεποιθότες ἐπ' ἀνθρώποις ἀλλὰ τὰ ὦτα δώσουσιν ἀκούειν, 4καὶ ἡ καρδία τῶν ἀσθενούντων προσέξει τοῦ νοεῖν, καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αἱ ψελλίζουσαι ταχὺ μαθήσονται λαλεῖν εἰρήνην. Τὴν μεταβολὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ὁ λόγος δεδήλωκεν. Ὁ γὰρ Ἄχαζ ὑπὸ τῶν Σύρων πολιορκούμενος τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους εἰς συμμαχίαν ἐκάλεσεν· οἱ δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνον τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους φεύγοντες πρὸς Αἰγυπτίους κατέφυγον. Οἱ δὲ τῷ σωτῆρι πεπιστευκότες τὴν αὐτοῦ ῥοπὴν ἀναμένουσι καὶ ταῖς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαις τὰ ὦτα προσφέρουσιν· καὶ αἱ πάλαι ψελλίζουσαι γλῶσσαι τρανὰ λαλοῦσι καὶ τὰ τῆς θείας εἰρήνης ποιητικά, οὐκέτι γὰρ θεοὺς ἀλλὰ θεὸν ὑμνοῦσιν. 5Καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ εἴπωσι τῷ μωρῷ ἄρχειν, καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ εἴπωσιν οἱ ὑπηρέται σου· Σίγα. Τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως τέθεικεν· «Οὐ κληθήσεται ἔτι ὁ ἄφρων ἄρχων οὐδὲ δολίῳ ῥηθήσεται σωτήρ.» Κατὰ μέντοι τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα δηλοῖ ἡ πρόρρησις τῆς ἀνοήτου τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ γραμμα τέων διδασκαλίας τὴν παῦλαν καὶ τῶν ἐκείνοις διακονούντων τὸν τῦφον· εἷς γὰρ ἐκείνων τὸν κύριον ἐπὶ κόρρης ἐπάταξε, καὶ τῷ θειοτάτῳ ἄλλοι ἔλεγον Παύλῳ· «Τὸν ἀρχιερέα τοῦ θεοῦ λοιδορεῖς.» 6Ὁ γὰρ μωρὸς μωρὰ λαλήσει, καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ μάταια νοήσει τοῦ συντελεῖν ἄνομα καὶ λαλεῖν πρὸς κύριον πλάνησιν τοῦ διασπεῖραι ψυχὰς πεινώσας καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς διψώσας κενὰς ποιῆσαι. Ἴδιον τῶν ἀνοήτων διδασκάλων τοὺς μαθητευομένους πλανᾶν καὶ λιμῷ κατα τήκειν τοὺς τῆς θείας δεομένους τροφῆς. 7Ἡ γὰρ βουλὴ τῶν πονηρῶν ἄνομα βουλεύσεται, κατα φθεῖραι ταπεινοὺς ἐν λόγοις ἀδίκοις καὶ διασκεδάσαι λόγους πενήτων ἐν κρίσει. Ἐνταῦθα τῶν κρινόντων ἐ λέ γχ ει τὸ ἄδικον. 8Οἱ δὲ εὐσεβεῖς συνετὰ ἐβουλεύσαντο, καὶ αὕτη ἡ βουλὴ μένει. Μόνιμοι γὰρ οἱ τῆς εὐσεβείας καρποί, οἱ δὲ τῆς ἀσεβείας «ὡς ὁ χνοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς». 9Γυναῖκες πλούσιαι ἀνάστητε καὶ ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς μου· θυγατέρες ἐν ἐλπίδι εἰσακούσατέ μου τοὺς λόγους. Γυναῖκας τὰς πόλεις καλεῖ· ταύτας καὶ θυγατέρας ὠνόμασεν οὐχ ὡς τοῦτο οὔσας ἀλλ' ὡς ἐσομένας διὰ τῆς πίστεως· διὰ γάρ τοι τοῦτο προσέθηκεν· ἐν ἐλπίδι. 10Ἡμερῶν ἐνιαυτοῦ μνείαν ποιήσασθε ἐν ὀδύνῃ μετ' ἐλπίδος. ∆ιὰ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τὰς παντ οδαπὰς εὐεργεσίας δεδήλωκε· τὰς τῶν ὡρῶν τροπάς, τὰς τῶν ἀέρων μεταβολάς, τῶν ὑετῶν τὴν φοράν , τοὺς διαφόρους ἀνέμους, τοὺς διὰ τούτων ἀπὸ γῆς φυομένους καρπούς. Καὶ παρεγγυᾷ ὀδυνᾶσθαι κατὰ ταὐτὸν καὶ ἐλπίζειν· ὀδυνᾶσθαι μὲν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, ἐλπίζειν δὲ καὶ προσμένειν τῷ θεῷ τῶν ὅλων. Ἀνήλωται ὁ τρυγητός, πέπαυται καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ ἔλθῃ. Τρυγητὸν καλεῖ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀφθονίαν· οὐ κέτι φησὶν ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ ἔσεσθε εὐπραξίᾳ. Τοῦτο δηλοῖ καὶ