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showing he says, Wonderful below, wonderful above. For not men only, but also angels sing hymns to the things that have happened, and for the good deeds toward men they give thanks; which indeed they also did from the beginning, having formed a choir upon the earth. Either therefore he says this, that angels also sing, or he wishes to represent its greatness. For whenever Scripture wishes to say something great, it brings into the midst the distances of these elements; as when it says; According to the height of the heaven from the earth. And again; As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our iniquities from us. Here therefore he is astonished at what has happened, how great, how immense; for the substance lower than all he has placed higher than all. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise. Another, Out of the mouth of infants you have founded strength. Another; You have established power. What he says is something like this, that from this you have especially shown your strength, having moved your invincible power, and having made the lisping tongue clear for that doxology. For the hymn-singing of the children which happened in the temple, this he now proclaims beforehand. And why indeed, having passed over the other miracles, the resurrection of the dead, the cleansing of lepers, the casting out of demons, does he mention the miracle of the children? Because those things had also happened before this, even if not in this way, yet nevertheless they had happened, and had some commonality, even if not in manner. For a dead man was raised in the time of Elisha, and a leper was cleansed and a demon was driven out in the time of David, when Saul was possessed by a demon; but a choir of suckling children then uttered for the first time. So that, therefore, the Jew might not be shameless, saying that these things were said concerning the things in the Old [Testament], he chose a sign happening then for the first and only time. And otherwise also, the things that were happening were a type of the apostles; for these also, being very much like infants, and more speechless than their own fish, caught the whole world in their net. But that this is especially the power of God, see the prophet in the Old [Testament] saying this concerning his Father. For conversing with Moses, he says; Who has made the dumb 55.109 and deaf, the seeing and the blind? And again; Giving clear tongues to the speechless. And again; The Lord gives me a tongue of instruction, to know when it is necessary to speak a word. And in the beginning he says; Come, let us go down and confuse their tongues. Therefore, the proof is great and strong. For in the case of the others, even if irrationally, nevertheless they shamelessly suspected some trickery; but here they had nothing to say, with nature itself contending naked on its own behalf. For this very reason he did not simply say, Of babes, lest someone should think he means the innocent and the more simple; but he added, And sucklings, characterizing their age by the addition of their nourishment. For he does not simply say, Of babes, but, of those at the breast, of those who have never partaken of solid food. Therefore this is not the only wonderful thing, that they uttered a voice, and an articulate voice, but that it was also full of countless good things. For what the apostles did not yet know, these things the children were singing in hymns. From this he also hints at something else, that those who approach the doctrines must become children in mind. For unless someone receives the kingdom of heaven as a little child, he says, he cannot enter into it. Because of your enemies. He also states the reason for which this miracle happened; for the other things did not happen because of the enemies, but so that those who came might enjoy a good deed, and others might be taught. But this happened not for this reason only, but so that the enemies might also be silenced; whom another [translator], indicating them more accurately, says; Because of those who bind you. For they were the ones who bound him as he was being led to the cross. To destroy the enemy and the avenger. Another; So as to stop an enemy, and one who punishes himself, here speaking of the Jewish people. For they drove out Christ as an enemy, but they pretended to be avenging the father

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δεικνὺς λέγει, Θαυμαστὸν κάτω, θαυμαστὸν ἄνω. Οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγγελοι ὑμνοῦσι τὰ γεγενημένα, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους εὐεργεσιῶν χάριτας ὁμολογοῦσιν· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐποίησαν ἐκ προοιμίων, χορὸν στήσαντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἢ τοίνυν τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι καὶ ἄγγελοι ᾄδουσιν, ἢ τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ παραστῆσαι βούλεται. Ὅταν γάρ τι μέγα λέγειν ἐθέλῃ ἡ Γραφὴ, τὰ διαστήματα τῶν στοιχείων τούτων εἰς μέσον ἄγει· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ πάλιν· Καθ' ὅσον ἀπέχουσιν ἀνατολαὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, ἐμάκρυνεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν. Ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ἐκπλήττεται τὰ γεγενημένα, πῶς μεγάλα. πῶς ὑπέρογκα· τὴν γὰρ οὐσίαν τὴν πάντων κατωτέραν ἀνωτέρω πάντων ἔταξεν. Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον. Ἄλλος, Ἐκ στόματος βρεφῶν ἐθεμελίωσας κράτος. Ἄλλος· Συνεστήσω ἰσχύν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι Τὴν ἰσχύν σου ἐντεῦθεν μάλιστα ἔδειξας, τὴν δύναμιν τὴν ἄμαχον κινήσας, καὶ τὴν ψελλίζουσαν γλῶτταν πρὸς τὴν δοξολογίαν ἐκείνην τρανώσας. Τῶν γὰρ παιδίων τὴν ὑμνολογίαν τὴν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ γενομένην, ταύτην προαναφωνεῖ νῦν. Καὶ τί δήποτε τὰ ἄλλα παραδραμὼν θαύματα, νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν, λεπρῶν κάθαρσιν, δαιμόνων δίωξιν, τοῦ τῶν παίδων μέμνηται θαύματος; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνα μὲν καὶ πρὸ τούτου γέγονε, κἂν μὴ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὅμως γέγονε, καὶ εἶχέ τινα κοινωνίαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ τρόπον. Καὶ γὰρ νεκρὸς ἠγέρθη ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἐλισσαίου, καὶ λεπρὸς ἐκαθαρίσθη καὶ δαίμων ἠλάθη ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ὅτε ὁ Σαοὺλ ἐδαιμόνα· χορὸς δὲ παιδίων θηλαζόντων τότε πρῶτον ἐφθέγξατο. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ ἀναισχυντῇ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, λέγων περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι, ἐπελέξατο σημεῖον τότε πρῶτον καὶ μόνον γινόμενον. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ τύπος ἦν τῶν ἀποστόλων τὰ γινόμενα· καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι νήπιοι σφόδρα ὄντες, καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων αὐτῶν ἀφωνότεροι, τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν ἐσαγήνευσαν. Ὅτι δὲ τοῦτο δύναμις Θεοῦ μάλιστά ἐστιν, ὅρα καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ τοῦτο περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ λέγοντα τὸν προφήτην. Τῷ γὰρ Μωϋσεῖ διαλεγόμενος, φησί· Τίς ἐποίησε δύσκωφον 55.109 καὶ κωφὸν, βλέποντα καὶ τυφλόν; Καὶ πάλιν· ∆ιδοὺς γλώσσας τρανὰς μογιλάλοις. Καὶ πάλιν· Κύριος δίδωσί μοι γλῶσσαν παιδείας, τοῦ γνῶναι ἡνίκα δεῖ εἰπεῖν λόγον. Καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ δέ φησιν· ∆εῦτε, καταβάντες συγχέωμεν αὐτῶν τὰς γλώσσας. Μεγάλη τοίνυν καὶ ἰσχυρὰ ἡ ἀπόδειξις. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων, εἰ καὶ παραλόγως, ὅμως ὑπώπτευόν τινα εἶναι ἀναισχυντοῦντες· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν εἶχον εἰπεῖν, αὐτῆς καθ' ἑαυτὴν τῆς φύσεως γυμνῆς ἀγωνιζομένης. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Νηπίων, ἵνα μή τις τοὺς ἀκάκους αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους λέγειν νομίσῃ· ἀλλ' ἐπήγαγε, Καὶ θηλαζόντων, τῇ προσθήκῃ τῆς τραπέζης τὴν ἡλικίαν χαρακτηρίζων. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς γάρ φησι, Νηπίων, ἀλλὰ, τῶν ὑπομαζίων, τῶν μηδέποτε στερεᾶς τροφῆς μεταλαβόντων. Οὐ τοίνυν τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι φωνὴν ἀφῆκαν, καὶ φωνὴν τετρανωμένην, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μυρίων γέμουσαν ἀγαθῶν. Ἅπερ γὰρ οἱ ἀπόστολοι οὐδέπω ᾔδεσαν, ταῦτα τὰ παιδία ὕμνουν. Ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ ἕτερόν τι αἰνίττεται, τὸ δεῖν τοῖς δόγμασι προσιόντας παιδία γίνεσθαι τῇ διανοίᾳ. Ἂν γὰρ μή τις δέξηται τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν ὡς παιδίον, φησὶν, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς αὐτήν. Ἕνεκεν τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου. Λέγει καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δι' ἢν τοῦτο γέγονε τὸ θαῦμα· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα οὐ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἕνεκεν ἐγίνετο, ἀλλ' ὥστε προσιόντας ἀπολαύειν εὐεργεσίας, καὶ ἑτέρους παιδεύεσθαι. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο γέγονε μόνον, ἀλλ' ὥστε καὶ ἐπιστομισθῆναι τοὺς ἐχθρούς· οὓς καὶ ἕτερος, ἀκριβέστερον αὐτοὺς δηλῶν, φησί· ∆ιὰ τοὺς ἐνδεσμοῦντάς σε. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἦσαν δήσαντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀγόμενον. Τοῦ καταλῦσαι ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐκδικητήν. Ἄλλος· Ὥστε παῦσαι ἐχθρὸν, καὶ τιμωροῦντα ἑαυτῷ, τὸν λαὸν τὸν Ἰουδαϊκὸν ἐνταῦθα λέγων. Ἤλαυνον μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἐχθρὸν τὸν Χριστὸν, προσεποιοῦντο δὲ τὸν πατέρα ἐκδικοῦντες