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he calls the height of knowledge, and stones of fire the most holy powers; for they have both preciousness and luminosity. But the divine Scripture often knows to call pious men holy stones as well. "For holy stones," it says, "are rolled upon the earth." But these are holy, but not fiery. But concerning the powers above, let us hear the divine David saying: "Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." None of these things befits the visible ruler of the Tyrians, even if some of the contentious, striving ten thousand times, should say that the stones of fire are the Jews, and the mingling of the Tyrians with them; for neither are Jews stones of fire. And if someone should name even the prophets among them stones of fire, not even so will the meaning stand; for the Tyrians had no fellowship with the prophets, living in impiety. But their commercial dealings they made with the lowly and humble of the Jews, whom no one in his right mind would dare to call stones of fire, who transgressed the divine law and made contracts with gentiles contrary to its decrees. But neither can this, "I placed you on the holy mountain of God," be seen to befit him. For he did not live in Jerusalem, that we should grant that these things are said about Mount Zion; and what follows clearly shows this. 15. For you walked, it says, blameless in your days; from the day you were created, until your iniquities were found in you. For such was the devil before the fall. But concerning men we have heard: "No one is clean from filth, not even if his life on earth is but one day." But this one, being incorporeal, was blameless in the beginning; but when he used his inclination for the worse, he walked in the diametrically opposite way. 10. For from the multitude of your commerce you filled your storehouses with lawlessness, and you sinned, and 81.1097 you were wounded. For not being content with the wisdom and authority given to you, but desiring greater things, you became full of lawlessness, and you received the wounds of sin. The prophet Isaiah says these things about him: "How has the morning star, that rises early, fallen from heaven? He who sends to all the nations has been crushed to the earth." For though he had all as his subjects, through the saving cross he was cast out of his tyranny. Then he recounts his former madness, and his exceeding arrogance: "But you said in your mind: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will place my throne above the stars of heaven, I will sit on a high mountain, upon the high mountains toward the north, I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'" But the mountains toward the north he calls the starting points of wickedness. For from the north, according to the prophet, evils will be kindled upon all who inhabit the earth. Thus having laid bare his pride, he also foretells his destruction: "But now you shall go down to Hades, to the foundations of the earth." This the divine Ezekiel is also taught by God to say. "For from the mountain," he says, "of God the overshadowing Cherub brought you down from the midst of the stones of fire." Then, therefore, the Cherub, deemed worthy to bear the divine glory, separated him from the holy powers, which indeed are also called fiery; but now those worthy of the divine indwelling through purity of soul, in whose hearts are the ascents of God, according to the divine prophet, have received authority to trample him with their feet. 17. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You became very proud, he says, seeing the good things supplied to you by me. "Your knowledge was corrupted with your beauty." You were stripped of all things, he says, having abandoned the rank given to you. "Because of the multitude of your sins I have cast you to the ground; before kings I have given you to be made a spectacle." Having used much wickedness, he says, you have fallen from the rank above, and you were cast down below, to be laughed at by those who keep the rank given to them and who know how to rule well the passions within themselves. 18. Because of the multitude of your sins, and the iniquities of your trade, you have profaned your sanctuary. Let those say

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καλεῖ τὸ ὕψος τῆς γνώσεως, λίθους δὲ πυρίνους τὰς ἁγιωτάτας δυνά μεις· καὶ τὸ τίμιον γὰρ καὶ τὸ φωτοειδὲς ἔχουσιν· οἶδεν δὲ πολλάκις ἡ θεία Γραφὴ καὶ τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς ἀνθρώπους λίθους ἁγίους καλεῖν. "Λίθοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἅγιοι κυλίονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Ἀλλ' οὗτοι ἅγιοι μὲν, οὐ πύρινοι δέ. Περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων ἀκούωμεν τοῦ θείου ∆αβὶδ λέγοντος· "Ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὑτοῦ πνεύματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὑ τοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα." Τούτων οὐδὲν τῷ ὁρωμένῳ ἄρ χοντι τῶν Τυρίων ἁρμόττει, κἂν μυριάκις τῶν ἐρι στικῶν τινες φιλονεικοῦντες εἴποιεν λίθους πυρίνους τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καὶ τῶν Τυρίων τὴν πρὸς τούτους ἐπιμιξίαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι λίθοι πύρινοι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς προφήτας λίθους πυρίνους τις ὀνομάσειεν, οὐδὲ οὕτω στήσει τὸ νόημα· οὐδεμίαν γὰρ εἶχον οἱ Τύριοι κοινωνίαν πρὸς τοὺς προφήτας, ἀσεβείᾳ συζῶντες· τὰς δὲ ἐμπορικὰς ἐπιμιξίας πρὸς τοὺς χαμαιζήλους τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ ταπεινοὺς ἐποιοῦντο, οὓς οὐκ ἄν τις εὖ φρονῶν τολμήσειε λί θους ὀνομάσαι πυρίνους, παραβαίνοντας τὸν θεῖον νόμον, καὶ παρὰ τὰ τούτῳ δοκοῦντα συμβόλαια πρὸς ἐθνικοὺς ποιουμένους. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τό· "Ἔθηκά σε ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ Θεοῦ," τούτῳ ἁρμόττον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις διῆγεν, ἵνα καὶ δῶμεν περὶ τοῦ Σιὼν ὄρους ταῦτα λέγεσθαι· καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα δὲ σαφῶς τοῦτο δείκνυσιν. ιεʹ. Ἐπορεύθης γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄμωμος ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις σου· ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἐκτίσθης σὺ, ἕως οὗ εὑρέθη τὰ ἀδικήματα ἐν σοί. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦν πρὸ τῆς ἐκπτώσεως ὁ διάβολος. Περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων ἠκούομεν· "Οὐδεὶς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου, οὐδ' ἂν μιᾶς ἡμέρας γένηται ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Οὗτος δὲ ἀσώματος ὢν ἄμωμος ἦν τὴν ἀρχήν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῇ ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἐχρήσατο ῥοπῇ, εἰς τὴν ἐκ δια μέτρου ἐναντίαν ὁδὸν ἐπορεύθη. ιʹ. Ἀπὸ γὰρ πλήθους τῆς περιδρομῆς σου ἔπλησας τὰ ταμιεῖά σου ἀνομίας, καὶ ἥμαρτες, καὶ 81.1097 ἐτραυματίσθης. Μὴ ἀρκεσθεὶς γὰρ τῇ δοθείσῃ σοι καὶ σοφίᾳ, καὶ ἐξουσίᾳ, μειζόνων δὲ ἐρασθεὶς, ἀνομίας μὲν πλήρης ἐγένου, τῆς δὲ ἁμαρτίας ἐδέξω τὰ τραύματα. Ταῦτα ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας περὶ αὐ τοῦ φησι· "Πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ ἑωσ φόρος ὁ πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων; συνετρίβη εἰς τὴν γῆν ὁ ἀποστέλλων πρὸς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη;" Ἅπαντας γὰρ ἔχων ὑπηκόους διὰ τοῦ σωτηρίου σταυροῦ τῆς τυ ραννίδος ἐξέπεσεν. Εἶτα τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ διηγεῖ ται μανίαν, καὶ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἀλαζονείαν· "Σὺ δὲ εἶπας ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ σου· Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι, ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καθιῶ ἐν ὄρει ὑψηλῷ ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὰ πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν, ἀναβήσομαι ἐπάνω τῶν νε φελῶν, ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ." Ὄρη δὲ τὰ πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν καλεῖ τὰς τῆς κακίας ἀφορμάς. Ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ γὰρ, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, ἐκκαυθήσεται τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν. Οὕτως αὐτοῦ γυμνώσας τὸν τῦφον προαγορεύει καὶ τὴν κατάλυσιν· "Νῦν δὲ εἰς ᾅδην καταβήσῃ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς." Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγειν διδάσκεται. "Ἀπὸ ὄρους γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦ Θεοῦ κατήγαγέ σε τὸ Χεροὺβ τὸ συσκιάζον ἐκ μέσου λίθων πυρίνων." Τότε μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν τὸ Χε ροὺβ, τὴν θείαν δόξαν ἀξιούμενον φέρειν, τῶν ἁγίων ἐχώρισε δυνάμεων, αἳ δὴ καὶ προσαγορεύονται πύρινοι· νῦν δὲ οἱ τῆς θείας ἐπιβάσεως ἄξιοι διὰ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς καθαρότητα, ὧν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναβάσεις, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον προφήτην, ἐξουσίαν ἔλαβον τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτὸν συμπατεῖν. ιζʹ. Ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία σου, ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει σου. Μέγα, φησὶν, ἐφρόνησας τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ σοι χορηγη θέντα θεασάμενος ἀγαθά. "∆ιεφθάρη ἡ ἐπιστήμη σου μετὰ τοῦ κάλλους σου." Πάντων, φησὶν, ἐγυ μνώθης, τὴν δοθεῖσάν σοι τάξιν καταλιπών. "∆ιὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἔῤῥιψά σε· ἐναντίον βασιλέων δέδωκά σε παραδειγματισθῆ ναι." Πολλῇ πονηρίᾳ, φησὶ, χρησάμενος, τῆς ἄνω μὲν ἐξέπεσας τάξεως, κάτω δὲ ἀπεῤῥίφης, εἰς τὸ γελᾶσθαι παρὰ τῶν τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς φυλαττόν των τάξιν, καὶ καλῶς βασιλεύειν τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐπι σταμένων παθῶν. ιηʹ. ∆ιὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σου, καὶ ἀδικιῶν τῆς ἐμπορίας σου, ἐβεβήλωσας τὸν ἁγιασμόν σου. Εἰπάτωσαν οἱ