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and that about which the Savior said, "I came to cast fire upon the earth, would that it were already kindled," so that every harmful growth which is a thorn and a thistle and a tare might be consumed by it. 3.96 For it will be for Tyre's good to be tried by being consumed thus by fire, according to what was said by the Savior, "Everyone will be salted with fire." And it is also beneficial that all her power be brought down to the sea, in which both the silver stored up as dust, and the gold gathered, being like the mud of the streets, happen to be. 3.97 When her exceedingly proud power has been dragged down to the sea, and she herself has been consumed by fire, the remaining first substance will be inherited by the Lord, being his creation; for thus all the nations will become his inheritance, having turned away from all superstition and polytheistic error. 3.98 Let all that has been said about Tyre be understood also about Sidon; for as the wickedness and impiety are the same, so also are the repentance and turning to God. Sidon has a great closeness to Tyre in the matter of worshiping idols. 3.99 Zach. IX, 5-8: Ashkelon shall see and shall be afraid, and Gaza and shall be in great anguish, and Ekron, for she was shamed of her hope. And a king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And foreigners shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will destroy the pride of foreigners. And I will take away their blood from their mouth and their abominations from between their teeth, and these also shall be left for our God, and they shall be as a chiliarch in Judah and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will set up a bulwark for my house, that no one may pass through or return, and no one driving them out shall come upon them any more, for now I have seen with my eyes. 3.100 Having seen the grim events that befell the Tyrians, Ashkelon was seized with fear, terrified lest she might ever fall into the same things, and Gaza felt great anguish, but Ekron also endured shame, her hope having been shattered. 3.101 And what is the reason for Gaza being in great anguish, other than that her king perished, and for Ashkelon being afraid, other than that its inhabitants had endured grievous things? You will understand similarly also concerning Ekron and Ashdod and simply the foreigners. 3.102 Such being the things pertaining to the literal meaning, we must consider the things pertaining to the anagogical interpretation. Ashkelon, being as one weighed on account of its value and being well-founded, taking up a contemplative mind, will see, no longer being blinded by the worst pleasure and the other passions, so as to receive piety, so as to be numbered among those who possess this virtue, concerning whom the proverbial oracle about wisdom and her father says: "He will guard the way of those who are pious toward him." Urging all people to come to this praiseworthy state, the present prophet, or rather the Word in him, urges, saying: "Let all flesh be pious before the face of the Lord" almighty. 3.103 But since not only grim things had happened to Tyre, but the present prophecy had also previously rendered the change for the better, upon seeing these things Ashkelon had perfect piety, which is represented by, "The fear of the Lord has surpassed all things," and by, "There is no want for those who fear the Lord," being filled with all useful things, "not lacking any good thing, those who seek the Lord." 3.104 Following Ashkelon, which was afraid from having perceptively looked upon the praiseworthy change of Tyre, Gaza also will be in great anguish, just as the one lamenting on account of repentance, saying: "Every night I will wash my bed, with my tears I will drench my couch." But when will the anguished state come upon Gaza, other than when, knowing herself, she knows her present, innate strength, which is from the divine

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κἀκείνου περὶ οὗ ὁ Σωτὴρ εἶπεν· «Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, εἴθε ἤδη ἀνήφθη», ἵνα καταναλωθῇ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πᾶν βλάστημα βλαβερὸν ὃ ἄκανθα καὶ τρίβολος καὶ ζιζάνιον ὑπάρχει. 3.96 Πρὸς καλοῦ γὰρ τῇ Τύρῳ ἔσται πειραθῆναι τοῦ οὕτω ὑπὸ πυρὸς ἀναλωθῆναι, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· «Πᾶς πυρὶ ἁλισθήσεται.» Ἐπωφελὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς καταχθῆναι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τὸ θησαυρισθὲν ἀργύριον ὡς χοῦς, καὶ τὸ συναχθὲν χρυσίον ὁμοιούμενον πηλῷ ὁδῶν τυγχάνουσιν. 3.97 Κατασπασθείσης εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς ὑπεραύχου δυνάμεως αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτῆς ὑπὸ πυρὸς καταναλωθείσης, τὸ ὑπολειπόμενον πρῶτον ὑποκείμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου κληρονομηθήσεται, ὂν αὐτοῦ ποίημα· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη πάντα κληρονομία αὐτοῦ γενήσεται, ἀποστραφέντα πᾶσαν δεισιδαιμονίαν καὶ πολύθεον πλάνην. 3.98 Πάντα τὰ εἰρημένα περὶ τῆς Τύρου ἐκλαμβανέσθω καὶ περὶ τῆς Σιδῶνος· ὡς γὰρ κακία καὶ ἀσέβεια ἡ αὐτή, καὶ μετάνοια καὶ ἐπιστροφὴ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἡ αὐτή. Πολλὴν ἐγγύτητα ἡ Σιδὼν πρὸς τὴν Τύρον ἔχει κατὰ τὸ εἴδωλα θεραπεύειν. 3.99 Zach. IX, 5-8: Ὄψεται Ἀσκαλὼν καὶ φοβηθήσεται, καὶ Γάζα καὶ ὀδυνηθήσεται σφόδρα, καὶ Ἀκκαρών, ὅτι ᾐσχύνθη ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἀπολεῖται βασιλεὺς ἀπὸ Γάζης, καὶ Ἀσκαλὼν οὐ μὴ κατοικηθῇ. Καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἀλλογενεῖς ἐν Ἀζώτῳ, καὶ καθελῶ ὕβριν ἀλλοφύλων. Καὶ ἐξαρῶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ἐκ στόματος αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν ἐκ μέσου ὀδόντων αὐτῶν, καὶ ὑπολειφθήσονται καὶ οὗτοι τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἔσονται ὡς χιλίαρχος ἐν Ἰούδᾳ καὶ Ἀκκαρὼνὡς Ἰεβουσαῖος. Καὶ ὑποστήσομαι τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἀνάστεμα τοῦ μὴ διαπορεύεσθαι μηδὲ ἀνακάμπτειν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς οὐκέτι ἐξελαύνων, διότι νῦν ἑόρακα ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου. 3.100 Τὰ συμβάντα σκυθρωπὰ τοῖς Τυρίοις θεασαμένη ἡ Ἀσκαλὼν φόβον ἔσχεν, δεδιττομένη μή ποτε τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὑποπέσῃ, καὶ Γάζα σφόδρα ὀδύνην ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ Ἀκκαρὼν αἰσχύνην ὑπέμεινεν, διαπεσούσης τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτῆς. 3.101 Τί δὲ τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ σφόδρα τὴν Γάζαν ὠδυνῆσθαι, ἢ τὸ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς ἀπολέσθαι, καὶ τοῦ πεφοβῆσθαι τὴν Ἀσκαλῶνα, ἢ τὸ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας αὐτὴν ἀνιαρὰ ὑπομεμενηκέναι; Παραπλησίως ἐκδέξει καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἀκκαρὼ καὶ Ἀζώτου καὶἁπαξαπλῶς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. 3.102 Οὕτως τῶν πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν ἐχόντων, θεωρητέον τὰ πρὸς ἀνηγμένην ἀπόδοσιν. Ἡ Ἀσκαλών, ἐσταθμισμένη τις οὖσα διὰ τὸ τίμιον καὶ εὖ τεθεμελιῶσθαι, νοῦν σκοπητικὸν ἀναλαβοῦσα, ὄψεται, οὐ τυφλώττουσα ἔτι ἐκ χειρίστης ἡδονῆς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παθῶν, ὡς εὐλάβειαν ἀναλαβεῖν, ὡς ἀριθμηθῆναι τοῖς ταύτην τὴν ἀρετὴν κεκτημένοις, περὶ ὧν τὸ παροιμιῶδες θέσπισμα περὶ τῆς σοφίας φησὶν καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς· «Ὁδὸν εὐλαβουμένων αὐτὸν διαφυλάξει.» Εἰς ταύτην τὴν ἐπαινετὴν κατάστασιν ἰέναι προτρέπων πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὁ ἐκκείμενος προφήτης, μᾶλλον δ' ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ λόγος, προτρέπει, φάσκων· «Εὐλαβείσθω πᾶσα σὰρξ ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου» παντοκράτορος. 3.103 Ἐπείδη δὲ μὴ μόνα σκυθρωπὰ συμβεβηκέναι τῷ Τύρῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ βελτίω ἀλλοίωσιν προαποδε´̣δωκεν ἡ ἐκκειμένη προφητεία, ταῦτα θεασαμένη ἡ Ἀσκαλὼν εὐλάβειαν τελείαν ἔσχεν τὴν παρισταμένην ἐκ τοῦ· «Φόβος Κυρίου πάντα ὑπερέβαλεν», καὶ τοῦ· «Οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστέρημα τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν Κύριον», πληρωθεῖσιν πάντων ὠφελίμων, «οὐκ ἐλαττουμένων παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ τῶν ἐκζητούντων τὸν Κύριον». 3.104 Ἑπομένως τῇ Ἀσκαλῶνι, φοβηθείσῃ ἐκ τοῦ διορατικῶς ἐπιβεβληκέναι τῇ ἐπαινετῇ ἀλλοιώσει τῆς Τύρου, καὶ ἡ Γάζα σφοδρῶς ὀδυνηθήσεται, ὡσαύτως τῷ διὰ μετάνοιαν ὀλοφυρομένῳ λέγοντι· «Λούσω καθ' ἑκάστην νύκτα τὴν κλίνην μου, ἐν δάκρυσίν μου τὴν στρωμνήν μου βρέξω.» Πότε δὲ ὑπάρξεται ἡ ὀδυνηρὰ κατάστασις τῇ Γάζῃ, ἢ ὅταν γνοῦσα ἑαυτὴν γνῷ τὴν προσοῦσαν, τὴν σύμφυτον ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς, τὴν ἐκ θείου