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measure and state. By which Babylon will likewise be 2092 overthrown. For God, being a benefactor to those who are overthrown, overthrows blindness like a physician. And the overthrow of blindness is the beginning of sight. And he overthrows barrenness, driving away anguish, bestowing the fruits of works of righteousness, and a settled silence, that he may put a word in the heart to glorify God. And measure and state, that he might take down the measure of wickedness within it and its confusion, so that those who are in sedition and in the state contrary to peace may be improved by measuring virtue against wickedness. Everyone who holds to fate, and supposes that the motion of the stars is compulsory for all things, insofar as he himself turns his hearers away from piety, calls the affairs of the Babylonians glorious. For these things are confusing to the mind, taking away Providence and what is in our power, and are worthy to be synonymous with Babylon. For astrology has become the invention of the Chaldeans. The Lord overthrows this, and demons dwell there when God has departed from it, whether you wish to call it a city or a soul, in which being overthrown a good shepherd does not lodge the flock, which is also filled with sound, having in it no clear or articulate word, but an indistinct noise of passions, which evil powers charm by a modulation of voice, enchanting, either by voice or by some other means, producing pleasure for a prey and working forgetfulness of one's own country. And an echo is a voice reflected from opposing bodies, returning again to the one who sent it forth, which in a desert is indeed unhindered. But in inhabited places, by the echoing voices from different directions, and by the air being broken by passing vessels or bodies, it is accustomed to be broken; of which the night, being free, is more full of echoes. Such also is he whose hearing is itching; he turns away from the truth, and turning to myths, he does not endure sound doctrine, nor the rebuke for reproofs, but rejoices only in what flatters. And the demons that work the passions in us are said to dance, at one time taking on the character of one passion, like a dancer, and at another of another, passing from one to another as in the movement of limbs; for they leap within us, dancing in us. But the name of the onocentaurs, being composite, indicates some strange demon, at one time causing us to look at human things, and at another drawing us to beastly passions. And these, they say, Aquila named hairy ones, indicating a shaggy and darkened demon. And the hedgehog, another demon, hard to catch and crafty. 2093 CHAPTER 14. 127. 9And the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel. And they shall rest upon their land, and the native shall be added to them, and shall be added to the house of Jacob, and the nations shall take them, and shall bring them into their place, and they shall inherit, and they shall be multiplied upon the land of God for menservants and maidservants9, etc. Having said what difficult things Babylon will suffer, he adds what concerns the Jews, speaking of the favorable recall under Cyrus. And instead of "the native," the others rendered "the proselyte." Not simply a proselyte, some say, but because he is devoted to agriculture. Properly, then, "the native" denotes the native, and the aboriginal. But the aboriginals of the Babylonians who went up with them were to be proselytes near Judea. Therefore, each interpretation comes to the same thing. For he says that the Jews will come to such a degree of prosperity that those who before captured them would go up with them to Judea. On the one hand, having a relationship with them, and on the other, having partaken of their piety as in a long stay, and the former idolaters became menservants and maidservants of God. And he says that nations, escorting the Jews, will bring them into their own land. Which indeed happened when Cyrus commanded, when Jesus and Zerubbabel led those who went up. And of Xerxes after him, when sending Ezra with many letters, he commanded the nations in between to escort him and those with him favorably. And of Nehemiah after these things to Judea

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μέτρον καὶ στάσις. Οἷς ἡ Βαβυλὼν ὁμοίως κα 2092 ταστραφήσεται. Θεὸς γὰρ εὐεργετῶν τοὺς καταστρεφομένους, ὡς ἰατρὸς καταστρέφει τυφλότητα. Καταστροφὴ δὲ τυφλότητος, ὁράσεως ἀρχή. Καὶ καταστρέφει στείρωσιν, τὴν ἀγωνίαν ἐλαύνων, γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης ἔργων δωρούμενος, καὶ σιωπὴν ἑστῶσαν, ἵνα λόγον ἐμβάλῃ καρδίας πρὸς τὸ δοξάζειν τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ μέτρον καὶ στάσιν, ἵνα τῆς κακίας τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ τὴν ταραχὴν καθέλῃ, ὡς ἂν οἱ στασιάζοντες, καὶ ἐν τῇ καταστάσει τῇ ἐναντίᾳ τῆς εἰρήνης ὄντες βελτιωθῶσιν ἀντιμετροῦντες ἀρετὴν τῇ κακίᾳ. Πᾶς δὲ πρεσβεύων εἱμαρμένην, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄστρων κίνησιν ἀναγκαστικὴν εἶναι πάντων ὑποτιθέμενος, ὅσον ἐπ' αὐτὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀφιστῶν τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ἔνδοξα καλεῖ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων τὰ πράγματα. Συγχυτικὰ γὰρ ταῦτα διανοίας, ἀναιροῦντα τὴν Πρόνοιαν, καὶ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, ἄξιά τε τὸ εἶναι Βαβυλῶνος ὁμώνυμα. Χαλδαίων γὰρ ἀστρολογία γέγονε εὕρημα. Ταύτην καταστρέφει Κύριος, καὶ ἐνοικίζονται δαίμονες ἀποστάντος αὐτῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἴτε πόλιν αὐτὴν, εἴτε ψυχὴν ἐθέλοις εἰπεῖν, ἐν ᾗ κατεστραμμένῃ ποιμὴν ἀγαθὸς οὐκ ἐναυλίζει τὴν ποίμνην, ἥτις καὶ ἤχου πληροῦται μηδὲν ἐν αὐτῇ τρανὸν ἢ διηρθρωμένον ἔχουσα ῥῆμα, παθῶν δὲ θόρυβον ἄσημον, ἣν κατεπάδουσι πονηραὶ δυνάμεις ἐγκλίσει φωνῆς ὑποθέλγουσαι, ἢ διὰ φωνῆς, ἢ δι' ἄλλου τρόπου τινὸς ἡδονὴν ἐμποιοῦσαι πρὸς θήραμα καὶ λήθην τῆς ἰδίας πατρίδος ἀπεργαζόμεναι. Ἠχὼ δέ ἐστιν ἀνακλωμένη φωνὴ ἀπὸ σωμάτων ἀντιτύπων, ἐπανιοῦσά τε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν ταύτην προέμενον, ὅπερ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ μέν ἐστιν ἀκώλυτον. Ἐν οἰκουμένοις δὲ τόποις ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλοθεν ἄλλων ἀντηχούσων φωνῶν, τῶν τε παραφερομένων σκευῶν ἢ σωμάτων διακοπέντος τοῦ ἀέρος, εἴωθε παραθραύεσθαι· ὧν ἡ νὺξ ἀπηλλαγμένη μᾶλλον ἠχώδης ἐστίν. Τοιοῦτος καὶ ὁ κνηθόμενος τὴν ἀκοὴν, ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποστρέφει· ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς μύθους τραπεὶς, εὐτόνου μὲν μὴ ἀνεχόμενος λόγου, μηδὲ τῆς ἐπ' ἐλέγχοις ἐπιτιμήσεως, χαίρων δὲ μόνῳ τῷ κολακεύοντι. Ὀρχεῖσθαι δὲ λέγεται τὰ ἐνεργοῦντα ἐν ἡμῖν τὰ πάθη δαιμόνια, ἄλλοτε ἄλλου πάθους ὥσπερ ὀρχηστοῦ ὑποδυόμενα πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρου πρὸς ἕτερον, ὡς ἐν κινήσει μελῶν μεταβαίνοντα· κατασκιρτᾷ γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐγχορεύοντα. Τὸ δὲ τῶν ὀνοκενταύρων ὄνομα σύνθετον, ἐμφαίνει τινὰ καὶ ἀλλόκοτον δαίμονα, νῦν μὲν ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἀνθρώπινα ποιοῦντος ὁρᾷν· νῦν δὲ πρὸς τὰ κτηνώδη παρασύροντος πάθη. Τούτους δὲ, φασὶ, τριχιῶντας Ἀκύλας ὠνόμασε, δηλῶν κάθυλον καὶ ἐσκοτισμένον δαίμονα. Ὁ δὲ ἐχῖνος, δαιμόνιον ἕτερον δύσληπτον καὶ πανοῦργον. 2093 ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ι∆ʹ. ακζʹ. 9Καὶ ἐλεήσει Κύριος τὸν Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἐκλέξεται ἔτι τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ ἀναπαύσονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁ γειώρας προστεθήσεται πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ προστεθήσεται πρὸς τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ, καὶ λήψονται αὐτοὺς ἔθνη, καὶ εἰσάξουσιν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῶν, καὶ κατακληρονομήσουσι, καὶ πληθυνθήσονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς δούλους καὶ δούλασ9, κ.τ.λ. Εἰπὼν ἃ πείσεται Βαβυλὼν δυσχερῆ, τὰ περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπιφέρει, χρηστὰ τὴν ἐπὶ Κύρου λέγων ἀνάκλησιν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ὁ γειώρας, ἐξέδωκαν οἱ λοιποὶ ὁ προσήλυτος. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ προσήλυτος, φασί τινες, ἀλλ' ὅτι γεωργίᾳ προσκείμενος. Κυρίως μὲν οὖν ὁ γειώρας δηλοῖ τὸν ἰθαγενῆ, καὶ αὐτόχθονα. Συνανιόντες δὲ Βαβυλωνίων αὐτόχθονες ἤμελλον εἶναι παρ' Ἰουδαίαν προσήλυτοι. Φέρει τοίνυν εἰς ταυτὸν ἑκατέρα διάνοια. Εὐπραξίας γὰρ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἥξειν Ἰουδαίους φησὶν, ὡς τοὺς πρὶν αὐτοὺς ἑλόντας συναναβῆναι εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν αὐτοῖς. Τοῦτο μὲν συγγένειαν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐσχηκότας, τοῦτο δὲ τῆς αὐτῶν θεοσεβείας ὡς ἐν χρονίῳ μετειληφότας διατριβῇ, καὶ τοὺς πρὶν εἰδωλολάτρας δούλους καὶ δούλας γενέσθαι Θεοῦ. Ἔθνη δέ φησι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους προπέμποντα πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν εἰσοίσουσι γῆν. Ὃ δὴ Κύρου προστάξαντος γέγονεν, ἡνίκα τῶν ἀναβάντων Ἰησοῦς καὶ Ζωροβαβὲλ ἡγήσαντο. Καὶ Ξέρξου τοῦ μετ' αὐτὸν, ἡνίκα τὸν Ἔσδραν μετὰ πολλῶν πέμπων ἐπιστολῶν, παραπέμπειν, αὐτὸν δεξιῶς καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ, τοῖς ἐν μέσῳ προσέταξεν ἔθνεσιν. Καὶ Νεεμίου μετὰ ταῦτα πρὸς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν