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thinking, from this point they say the things concerning the Assyrians are particular. And not many years after the present prophecy, as history has handed down, the Medes attacked the rule of the Assyrians. And Cyrus, the king of the Persians, was the first to subjugate these, who also released the captivity of the Jews, of whom he made mention by name in the following passages. And even now is shown to be true also the saying, "It shall not be inhabited for eternal time." But some say that he limits the desolation by time, as if it would be inhabited again after these things. And he says "Arabs," or those now called Saracens, who long ago for the sake of commerce pitched their tents even in Babylon itself; wherefore Symmachus says, "nor will an Arab pitch his tent there," referring to those from Arabia Felix, which borders Persia. But since shepherds graze upon many of the desert places, providing folds for their own flocks for themselves, he says that Babylon will not be useful even for this; and having become desolate of tame and rational animals, it will become a dwelling-place for demons and for beasts. For the demons delight in desert places. And because of the unfamiliarity of the beasts, the other translators have rendered it by putting the Hebrew word *siim*; and instead of "sirens," "ostriches." For the animal, being a lover of the desert, lodges in the most barre 2089 n sands. And instead of "onocentaurs," they again rendered it *siim*. And instead of "hedgehogs," "sirens." Perhaps on account of the deceitfulness of demons; such as myth has handed down the Sirens to be. But some have interpreted "Sirens" as birds that know how to speak well; or, they say, according to the Hebrew edition, the owl; and the wild asses, they say, he called onocentaurs; and "hedgehogs," the mice that as it were bristle with sharp spines; all these indicate desolation. Wherefore also he says the houses will be filled with sound, signifying the echo of uninhabited places. And he says the Medes, because of their wealth, disregard money, so that it is impossible for the Babylonians to buy off their capture from them; And the name "Medes," being interpreted, signifies "from a sufficient one." Therefore the one who is sufficient in all things to bring upon each what they deserve, he stirs up the Medes. Or perhaps since Madai is the founder of Media, which is interpreted "a measuring out," the Medes would be said to be brought to punish in measure those who have lived badly. For with whatever measure each one measures good or evil, he will receive that of reward or punishment. Following this, we should also understand the children of the Babylonians as the fruits and the offspring of their soul; such as those of the one called blessed by the Psalmist, in whom the wife is wisdom, whom, having sought her out, he took as a bride, the righteous one having become a lover of her beauty. And the sons are the offspring of mind and wisdom coming together. Such things he presents in the one hundred and thirty-sixth psalm, saying, "O daughter of Babylon, the wretched one;" of whom he has blessed the one who dashes her children against the rock, foreseeing at the same time that there would be no mercy from the Medes. But he does not bless one who in any way destroys a Babylonian child, but one who does not allow the infants and newborns to come to growth, lest they become worse, and who destroys by his own wisdom the offspring of the confused one, which is called Babylonian, dashing them against the rock; and the rock in this instance is Christ. And this would happen when wicked doctrines clash with the word of truth. And he says these things will come quickly. For even what is very long to us, is very short to God. Therefore a thousand years in His sight, it is said, are as yesterday, and as a watch in the night. And they say it came to pass not long after the prophecy. At the same time it inspires a more bitter anxiety for the Babylonians; but for the Israelites, on account of their captivity, consolation. And of Babylon the epithet was, as it were, "glorious." And they would say, "glorious Babylon." And it shows very clearly from what sort to what sort of state it will come. And the cause was the king of the Chaldeans, having made it a royal residence both strong and splendid; and he likens its interpretation to Sodom and Gomorrah. And Sodom is interpreted as, blindness, and barrenness, and standing silence, and likeness, and accusation and their foundation. But Gomorrah,

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νομίσαντες, ἐντεῦθεν ἰδιάζειν τὰ περὶ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων φασίν. Οὐ πολλοῖς δὲ ὕστερον χρόνοις τῆς παρούσης προφητείας, ὡς ἡ ἱστορία παρέδωκεν, ἐπέθεντο Μῆδοι τῇ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἀρχῇ. Πρῶτος δὲ τούτους Κῦρος ὁ Περσῶν ὑπέταξε βασιλεὺς, ὁ καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀνεὶς, οὗπερ ὀνομαστὶ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν. Εἰσέτι δὲ καὶ νῦν ἀληθὲς δείκνυται καὶ τὸ, Οὐ κατοικηθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς ὁρίζει χρόνῳ τὴν ἐρημίαν, ὡς μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκηθησομένης. Ἄραβας δέ φησιν, ἢ τοὺς νῦν καλουμένους Σαρακηνοὺς, οἳ πάλαι δι' ἐμπορίαν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐσκηνοποιοῦντο τῆς Βαβυλῶνος· διό φησι Σύμμαχος, οὐδὲ σκηνοποιήσει ἐκεῖ Ἄραψι τοὺς ἐκ τῆς ὁμόρου Πέρσαις εὐδαίμονος Ἀραβίας. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ πολλὰ τῶν ἐρήμων ἐπινέμονται τόπων ποιμένες, μάνδρας τοῖς ἑαυτῶν θρέμμασιν ἑαυτοῖς ποριζόμενοι, οὐδ' εἰς τοῦτο χρησίμην ἔσεσθαι τὴν Βαβυλῶνά φησιν· ἡμέρων δὲ καὶ λογικῶν ζώων ἔρημος γενομένη, δαίμοσιν ἐνδιαίτημα καὶ θηρίοις γενήσεται. Φιληδοῦσι γὰρ τοῖς ἐρήμοις τόποις οἱ δαίμονες. ∆ιά τε τῶν θηρίων τὸ ἄγνωστον, τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν θέντες λέξιν σιεῖν, οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν ἐκδεδώκασιν· ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ σειρῆνες, τοῦ στρουθοκαμήλους. Φιλέρημον γὰρ ὂν τὸ ζῶον, ταῖς ἀγονω 2089 τάταις ἐναυλίζεται ψάμμοις. Καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ὀνοκένταυροι, σιεῖν πάλιν ἐξέδωκαν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τῶν ἐχίνων, σειρῆνας. Τάχα που διὰ τὸ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπατηλόν· ὁποίας ὁ μῦθος τὰς Σειρῆνας παρέδωκεν. Τινὲς δὲ Σειρῆνας ἐξηγήσαντο, τὰ εὐστομεῖν εἰδότα πτηνά· ἢ κατά γε, φασὶ, τὴν Ἑβραίων ἔκδοσιν, τὴν γλαῦκα· τοὺς δέ γε τῶν ὄνων ἀγρίους, φασὶν, ὀνοκενταύρους ὠνόμασεν· ἐχίνους δὲ τοὺς ἀκάνθαις ὀξείαις οἱονεὶ φρίττοντας μύας· ἅπαντα τὴν ἐρημίαν δηλοῖ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἤχου φησὶ τὰς οἰκίας πλησθήσεσθαι, τὴν τῶν ἀοικήτων σημαίνων ἠχώ. Λέγει δὲ τοὺς Μήδους, διὰ τὸ πλουτεῖν, χρημάτων ὑπερορᾷν, ὡς ἄπορον εἶναι Βαβυλωνίοις παρὰ τούτων ἐξωνεῖσθαι τὴν ἅλωσιν· Τὸ δὲ Μήδων ὄνομα μεταλαμβανόμενον, σημαίνει ἀπὸ ἱκανοῦ. Οὐκοῦν ὁ ἱκανὸς ἐν πᾶσιν ἐπάγειν ἑκάστῳ τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν, οὗτος τοὺς Μήδους κινεῖ. Ἢ τάχα ἐπειδὴ ὁ Μαδαῒ κτίστης ἐστὶ τῆς Μηδίας, ὃς ἑρμηνεύεται ἐκμέτρησις, λέγοιντο οἱ Μῆδοι ἐπάγεσθαι εἰς τὸ κολάζειν ἐν μέτρῳ τοὺς κακῶς βεβιωκότας. Ὧ γὰρ μέτρῳ μετρεῖ ἕκαστος ἀγαθὰ ἢ κακὰ, τὰ τῆς ἀμοιβῆς ἢ κολάσεως ἀπολήψεται. Ὧ ἀκόλουθον καὶ τέκνα Βαβυλωνίων νοεῖν, τοὺς καρποὺς, καὶ τὰ γεννήματα τῆς ἐκείνων ψυχῆς· οἷα καὶ τὰ τοῦ μακαριζομένου παρὰ τῷ Ψαλμῳδῷ, ἐν ᾧ ἡ μὲν γυνὴ, ἡ σοφία ἐστὶν, ἣν ἐκζητήσας νύμφην ἠγάγετο, τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς ὁ δίκαιος γενόμενος ἐραστής. Υἱοὶ δὲ νοῦ καὶ σοφίας ἅμα συνελθόντων γεννήματα τοιαῦτα παρίστησιν ἐν ἑκατοστῷ τριακοστῷ ἕκτῳ ψαλμῷ λέγων, Θυγάτηρ Βαβυλῶνος ἡ ταλαίπωρος· ἧς τὸν τὰ τέκνα πρὸς τὴν πέτραν ἐδαφίζοντα μεμακάρικεν, προβλέπων ὁμοῦ μηδεμίαν ἀπὸ Μήδων ἐσομένην φειδώ. Οὐ μακαρίζει δὲ τὸν ὁπωσοῦν ἀνελόντα Βαβυλώνιον τέκνον, τὰ νήπια δὲ καὶ ἀρτιγενῆ ἐλθεῖν μὴ συγχωροῦντα πρὸς αὔξησιν, ὡς ἂν μὴ γένωνται χείρω, καὶ ἀναιροῦντα ἰδίᾳ σοφίᾳ τοῦ συγκεχυμένου τὰ γεννήματα, ὃς ὀνομάζεται Βαβυλώνιος, ταῦτα πρὸς τὴν πέτραν ἀράσσοντα· πέτρα δὲ κὰν τούτῳ Χριστός. Τοῦτο δ' ἂν γένοιτο τῶν φαύλων συγκρουομένων δογμάτων τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας. Ταχὺ δὲ ἥξειν ταῦτά φησι. Καὶ τὸ παρ' ἡμῖν γὰρ μακρότατον, βραχὺ λίαν ἐστὶ παρὰ Θεῷ. Χίλιά γ' οὖν ἔτη ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ χθὲς, εἴρηται, καὶ ὡς φυλακὴ ἐν νυκτί· Καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ φασὶ, τῆς προφητείας ἐγένετο. Ὁμοῦ δὲ τοῖς μὲν Βαβυλωνίοις πικροτέραν ἐμβάλλει φροντίδα· τοῖς δὲ Ἰσραηλίταις, διὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν παράκλησιν. Τῆς δὲ Βαβυλῶνος ὥσπερ ἐπώνυμον ἦν τὸ, ἔνδοξος. Καὶ ἔλεγον, ἡ ἔνδοξος Βαβυλών. Ἐναργῶς δὲ λίαν δείκνυσιν, ἐξ οἵας εἰς οἵαν ἥξει κατάστασιν. Αἴτιος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Χαλδαίων βασίλειον αὐτὴν ἰσχυρόν τε καὶ λαμπρὸν ποιησάμενος· ἀπεικάζει δὲ Σοδόμοις κοὶ Γομόῤῥᾳ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν αὐτῆς. Ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ Σόδομα, τύφλωσις, καὶ στείρωσις, καὶ ἑστῶσα σιωπὴ, καὶ ὁμοίωμα, καὶ ἔγκλησις καὶ θεμέλιος αὐτῶν. Γόμοῤῥα δὲ,