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and Moses interpreted the poison of asps to be incurable, saying: “Our enemies are senseless; for their vine is of the vine of Sodom,” and after a little: “Their wine is the fury of dragons, and the incurable poison of asps”? 3.88 She who has partaken of this drink is overlooked in her drunkenness by God the guardian, so as to no longer find a foothold, as invisible enemies press on, ravaging like powerful foes. And what will follow this turmoil, but that her strongholds, which she considered safe and unshakable, will weaken to such an extent as to be shaken like fig-trees with their early figs, by which shaking her fruit will fall into the mouth of the one eating. 3.89 For the opposing enemy gaped and opened his mouth so as to be ready to receive for devouring those falling from the strongholds, which were shown to be easily shaken because of their great weakness by the trophy-bearing, all-sovereign King, who has given authority to tread upon the opposing phalanx, according to that which was said in the Gospel by the Savior to his disciples: “I have given you authority to tread” among other things “upon all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall harm you,” that is, injure. 3.90 That “to fall into the mouth of the one eating” signifies “to be defeated,” is testified from many scriptures, and especially from this: “Israel is a wandering sheep, lions have driven him out; first the king of Assyria devoured him, and afterward the king of Babylon his bones.” Yet even if the opposing powers, compared to lions for their ferocity, have prevailed, yet they will pay the penalty, when Israel, who was swallowed by them, is freed, who was allegorically called a sheep, so that the prophet cries out in victory: “Israel is holy to the Lord, the first of his fruits; all who eat him will offend, evil will come upon them, says the Lord.” 3.91 The word mocks the one who is drunk and overlooked, adding: “Draw for yourself water for the siege, strengthen your strongholds” which you considered to be unconquerable. For if at one time the sophisms seemed irrefutable and the contentious arguments indestructible, yet when the truth has appeared, they will be destroyed so as in no way to be lifted up any longer against the knowledge of God. 3.92 In a similar way, it will seize fortresses and enclosures supposedly built to be indestructible by those who advocate for idolatry and polytheistic error; and these, in an allegorical manner, are named Tyrians, being translated in the Greek tongue into “distress” and “those who distress”. 3.93 And since all evil ones are such on their own account, with no one wicked being evil by substance, Tyre also becomes God's inheritance with all those about whom it was said by the Father to the Savior: “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance.” Tyre also, being one of all the inherited nations, will be subjected so as henceforth to repent, having seen the wondrous powers of Jesus. 3.94 For if formerly she boasted, building strongholds, and treasuring up silver like dust, and gathering gold like the mud of the streets, her power was dragged down into the tempest of human life, which is allegorically called the sea, with the treasured silver not having helped her, being compared, for its abundance or worthlessness, to the dust of the earth, nor the gathered gold contributing to her security, like the mud of the streets; for even if the advocates of impiety contrive and devise countless things, their endeavors will be given over to destruction. 3.95 For how will the wealth of those who are mad against the truth not be compared to dust, “of those who bear the image of the man of dust,” and the gold which they have heaped up likewise being cheapened, similarly to the mud of the streets? For those who travel the impious teachings tread on mud, so as to suffer countless slips. Nevertheless, even if Tyre, resisting for a long time, travels in opposition, she will be tried by a punishing fire, after which

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καὶ ἰὸν ἀσπίδων ἀνίατον εἶναι ἡρμήνευσεν Μωϋσῆς φάσκων· «Οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν ἀνόητοι· ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν», καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Θυμὸς δρακόντων ὁ οἶνος αὐτῶν καὶ ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ἀνίατος»; 3.88 Τούτου τοῦ πόματος ἡ μεταλαβοῦσα εἰς μέθην παρορᾶται ὑπὸ τοῦ κηδεμόνος Θεοῦ, ὡς μηκέτι στάσιν εὑρίσκειν, ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν ἐπικειμένων, πορθούντων πολεμίων ἰσχυρῶν δίκην. Τί δ' ἕψεται τούτῳ τῷ κλόνῳ, ἢ τὰ ὀχυρώματα αὐτῆς, ἃ ἀσφαλῆ καὶ ἀσάλευτα ἡγεῖτο, εἰς τοσοῦτον ἀσθενήσειν ὡς δίκην συκῶν σκοποὺς ἐχουσῶν κινηθήσεσθαι, ἐφ' ᾧ κλόνῳ εἰς στόμα ἔσθοντος τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς πεσεῖν. 3.89 Ἔχανεν γὰρ καὶ ἤνοιξεν τὸ στόμα ὁ ἀντικείμενος πολέμιος ὡς ἑτοίμως δέχεσθαι εἰς τὸ φαγεῖν τοὺς ἀποπίπτοντας ἀπὸ τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων, εὐσαλεύτων διὰ πολλὴν ἀσθένειαν ἀποδειχθέντων ὑπὸ τοῦ τροπαιούχου παμβασιλέως, δεδωκότος ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν τὴν ἐναντίαν φάλαγγα, κατὰ τὸ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰρημένον τοῖς γνωρίμοις· «Ἔδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν» πρὸς ἑτέροις καὶ «ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ἀδικήσει», τοῦτ' ἔστι βλάψει. 3.90 Ὅτι δὲ τὸ πεσεῖν εἰς στόμα ἔσθοντος τὸ ἡττηθῆναι σημαίνει, ἐκ πολλῶν γραφῶν μαρτυρεῖται, καὶ μάλιστα ἐκ τοῦ· «Πρόβατον πλανώμενον Ἰσραήλ, λέοντες ἐξῶσαν αὐτόν· ὁ πρῶτος κατέφαγεν αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς Ἀσσούρ, καὶ ὕστερον τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος.» Ὁμῶς δὲ εἰ καὶ ἴσχυσαν αἱ λέουσιν παραβαλλόμεναι δι' ἀγριότητα ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις, ἀλλ' ὑφέξουσιν δίκην, ἐλευθερουμένου τοῦ καταποθέντος ὑπ' αὐτῶν Ἰσραήλ, ἀλληγορικῶς προβάτου ῥηθέντος, ὡς τὸν προφήτην ἐπινικίως βοᾶν· «Ἅγιος Ἰσραὴλ τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀρχὴ γενημάτων αὐτοῦ· πάντες οἱ ἔσθοντες αὐτὸν πλημμελήσουσιν, κακὰ ἥξει ἐπ' αὐτούς, φησὶν Κύριος.» 3.91 Ἐπικερτομεῖ κατὰ τῆς μεθυσθείσης καὶ παρεωραμένης ὁ λόγος, ἐπιφέρων· «Ὕδωρ περιοχῆς ἐπίσπασαι σεαυτῇ, κατακράτησον τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων σου» ὧν ἥγου ἀκαταμαχήτων τυγχάνειν. Εἰ γὰρ καί ποτ' ἐδόκει ἄλυτα τὰ σοφίσματα εἶναι καὶ ἀκαθαίρετοι οἱ ἐριστικοὶ λόγοι, ἀλλά γε φανείσης τῆς ἀληθείας καθαιρεθήσονται ὡς μηδαμῶς ἔτι ἐπαίρεσθαι κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. 3.92 Παραπλησίως ἐκλήμψει φρούρια καὶ ἕρκη δῆθεν ἀκαθαίρετα οἰκοδομῆσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν συναγορευόντων τῇ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ καὶ πολυθέῳ πλάνῃ· οὗτοι δὲ ἀλληγορίας τρόπῳ Τύριοι ὀνομάζονται, μεταλαμβανόμενοι Ἑλλήνων φωνῇ εἰς «συνοχὴν» καὶ «συνέχοντας». 3.93 Καὶ ἐπεὶ πάντες οἱ κακοὶ παρ' ἑαυτούς εἰσι τοιοῦτοι, οὐδενὸς μοχθηροῦ κατ' οὐσίαν ὄντος φαύλου, γίνεται Θεοῦ κληρονομία καὶ ἡ Τύρος μετὰ πάντων τῶν περὶ ὧν εἴρηται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῷ Σωτῆρι· «Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου.» Πάντων τῶν κληρονομουμένων ἐθνῶν οὖσα καὶ ἡ Τύρος, ὑποταγήσεται ὡς λοιπὸν μετανοῆσαι θεασαμένην τὰς Ἰησοῦ τεραστίους δυνάμεις. 3.94 Εἰ γὰρ πρότερον ἠλαζονεύετο οἰκοδομοῦσα ὀχυρώματα, θησαυρίζουσά τε ἀργύριον ὡς χοῦν, καὶ συνάγουσα χρυσίον ὡς πηλὸν ὁδῶν, κατεσπάσθη ἡ δύναμις αὐτῆς εἰς τὴν τοῦ βίου τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζάλην, θάλασσαν ἀλληγορικῶς ὀνομαζομένην, οὐκ ὠφελησάντων αὐτὴν τοῦ θησαυρισθέντος ἀργυρίου, διὰ πλῆθος ἢ τὸ εὐτελὲς τῷ χνῷ τῆς γῆς παραβαλλομένου, οὐδὲ τοῦ συναχθέντος χρυσίου πηλοῦ ὁδῶν δίκην συμβαλλομένου πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν αὐτῆς· κἂν γὰρ μυρία σοφιστεύωσιν καὶ περινοῶσιν οἱ τῆς ἀσεβείας συνήγοροι, ἀπωλείᾳ παραδοθήσεται τὰ σπουδαζόμενα. 3.95 Πῶς γὰρ οὐ χῷ παραβληθήσεται ὁ πλοῦτος τῶν ἐμμανέντων κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, «τῶν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ φερόντων», ὡσαύτως εὐτελιζομένου καὶ τοῦ χρυσίου οὗ συνηγίοχαν παραπλησίως πηλῷ ὁδῶν; Οἱ γὰρ ὁδεύοντες τὰς δυσσεβεῖς διδασκαλίας πηλὸν πατοῦσιν, ὡς ὀλίσθους μυρίους ὑφίστασθαι. Ὅμως κἂν ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀντιτείνουσα ἡ Τύρος ἀντικειμένως ὁδεύῃ, πειραθήσεται πυρὸς κολαστικοῦ, μεθ' ὃ