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the mountains were provoked, and their slain became as dung in the midst of the road. And in all these things His anger was not turned away, but still His hand is high. The sin of the mighty and of the rulers made a way for the wrath moved by the Lord against the people. For this reason, first the 'Woe to your mighty ones and your rulers'; then, 'And the Lord was angered with wrath against His people,' clearly, the people too, in imitation of their leaders, having fallen into sins and being worthy to suffer the things from the anger and wrath of the Lord. Now, anger (thymos) is a boiling of the blood around the heart, named from the swelling formed, as it were, from the exhalation of the humors around the heart; but wrath (orgē) is a desire for retaliation. So the one has a sharp movement of passion, while the other signifies a more lasting and prolonged fulfillment on account of the pain. Regarding God, however, it is pious to accept that neither of these is said in a proper sense, but the expressions are metaphorical. For it is not a passion of God, nor an accident in His very substance; but this kind of action concerning us is called anger. And perhaps, painful discipline is wrath; while the reproof that causes turmoil in our thoughts is called anger. For He troubles with anger, not yet deeming those with whom God is angry worthy of reason (logos), according to what is said, 'In His anger He will trouble them'; but those being disciplined are deemed worthy of teaching in wrath, according to what is said, 'Then He will speak to them in His wrath.' For the one who is reproved for his sins has not yet been disciplined; but the one being disciplined already shows a certain proximity to knowledge. If, then, wrath disciplines, but anger reproves, wrath is more effective than anger. For this reason also Jeremiah says: 'Discipline us, O Lord, but in judgment and not in anger.' For he did not say 'and not in wrath,' except that the discipline from judgment is better than that from anger and wrath. For he who is disciplined in judgment, being enlightened by the word, will be benefited by the judgments of God, so as to do nothing without judgment, but to accomplish all things with sound judgment, so as also to have his thoughts judged, according to what is said: 'The thoughts of the just are judgments.' However, at the time of judgment, when He lays His hand upon the people, it is said that the mountains also will be provoked, the word showing that all creation joins in the vengeance upon sinners. For just as, in the case of the Egyptian plagues, war came upon them from every side (from the air, from the earth, from the water), so also now, when the Lord lays His hand upon the people, to strike them; the mountains also will be provoked, and the corpses of the people, lying like dung in the midst of the road on account of their dishonor, will be trampled down. Understand for me those who have fallen into sins, remaining in the affairs of this life and being trampled by opposing powers, of whom, because of their unrepentant heart, the word of the Lord says that His anger will not be turned away, but His hand will still remain high, that is, raised for vengeance (speaking of hand as the punishing power, according to Job: 'For the hand of the Lord has touched me'); and in this, the devil speaking of a hand at the time of punishment: 'But now, stretch out Your hand and touch his bones.' 5.182 Therefore He will raise a standard among the nations, those far and near, and He will whistle for them from the end of the earth. And behold, they come swiftly, lightly. According to the literal sense, the word will seem to prophesy the Roman power that came upon Jerusalem in the final siege. For at that time the military lists were filled, both from distant nations and from those nearby, from around Syria and Arabia, and other nations, as many as were situated near Judea, were recruited by the Romans. The standard, therefore, was raised among the nations, that is, the sign of the cross that was revealed. And the nations were called to the faith, but Jerusalem was given over to destruction. And so swiftly and lightly they came, having such

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παρωξύνθη τὰ ὄρη, καὶ ἐγενήθη τὰ θνησιμαῖα αὐτῶν ὡς κοπρία ἐν μέσῳ ὁδοῦ. Καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις οὐκ ἀπεστράφη ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἡ χεὶρ ὑψηλή. Ἡ τῶν ἰσχυόντων καὶ τῶν δυναστῶν ἁμαρτία ὁδὸν ἐποί ησε τῇ ὀργῇ τῇ κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ κινουμένῃ παρὰ Κυρίου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρότερον τὸ Οὐαὶ οἱ ἰσχύοντες ὑμῶν καὶ οἱ δυ νάσται· ἔπειτα· Καὶ ἐθυμώθη ὀργῇ Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, δηλονότι καὶ αὐτοῦ, κατὰ μίμησιν τῶν προεστώτων, ἐν ἁμαρτίαις γενομένου καὶ ἀξίου ὄντος παθεῖν τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἔστι δὲ θυμὸς ζέσις τοῦ περὶ καρδίαν αἵματος, παρὰ τὸ οἱονεὶ ἐξ ἀναθυμιάσεως τῶν χυμῶν, συνιστάμενον οἴδημα περὶ τὴν καρδίαν ὠνομασ μένος· ὀργὴ δέ ἐστιν ὄρεξις ἀντιλυπήσεως. Ὥστε τὸ μὲν ὀξεῖαν ἔχει τοῦ πάθους τὴν κίνησιν, τὸ δὲ μονιμωτέραν καὶ παρατεταμένην ἐμφαίνει τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ λύπῃ ἐκπλήρωσιν. Ἐπὶ μέντοι Θεοῦ οὐδέτερον αὐτῶν κυρίως λέγεσθαι εὐσεβές ἐστι παραδέξασθαι, ἀλλὰ τροπικαὶ αἱ φωναί. Οὐ γὰρ πάθος Θεοῦ, οὐδὲ αὐτῇ τῇ οὐσίᾳ αὐτοῦ συμβεβηκός· ἀλλ' ἡ περὶ ἡμᾶς τοιάδε ἐνέργεια θυμὸς προσηγόρευται. Καὶ τάχα, ἡ μὲν ἐπίπονος παίδευσις, ὀργή· ὁ δὲ ταραχὴν ἡμῶν ἐμποιῶν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἔλεγχος, θυμὸς προσηγόρευται. Ταράσσει μὲν γὰρ τῷ θυμῷ, μηδέπω λόγου ἀξιῶν τοὺς οἷς θυμοῦται ὁ Θεὸς, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Ἐν θυμῷ αὐτοῦ ταράξει αὐτούς· διδασκαλίας δὲ ἐν ὀργῇ οἱ παιδευόμενοι ἀξιοῦνται, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Τότε λαλήσει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐλεγχόμενος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἡμαρτημένοις, οὔπω πε παίδευται· ὁ δὲ παιδευόμενος, ἤδη ἐγγύτητά τινα πρὸς ἐπι στήμην ἐμφαίνει. Εἰ οὖν παιδεύει μὲν ὀργὴ, ἐλέγχει δὲ θυμὸς ἀνυσιμώτερον ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἱερε μίας· Παίδευσον ἡμᾶς, Κύριε, πλὴν ἐν κρίσει καὶ μὴ ἐν θυμῷ. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε καὶ μὴ ἐν ὀργῇ, πλὴν χρηστοτέρα ἡ παί δευσις, ἡ ἀπὸ κρίσεως, τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν κρίσει παιδευθεὶς, φωτιζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου, ὠφεληθήσεται ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν ἀκρίτως πράσσειν, ἀλλὰ πάντα κρίσει ὑγιεῖ ἐπιτελεῖν, ὥστε καὶ αὐτοὺς ἔχειν τοὺς λογισμοὺς κεκριμένους, κατὰ τὸ εἰ ρημένον· Λογισμοὶ δικαίων, κρίματα. Κατὰ μέντοι τὸν καιρὸν τῆς κρίσεως, ὅταν ἐπιβάλῃ τῷ λαῷ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ ὄρη παροξυνθήσεσθαι λέγεται, δεικνύντος τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις συνεπιτίθεται τῇ ἐκδικήσει τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. Ὡς γὰρ, ἐπὶ τῶν πληγῶν τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν, πανταχόθεν αὐτοῖς ὁ πόλεμος (ἀπὸ ἀέρος, ἀπὸ γῆς, ἀπὸ ὕδατος) οὕτω καὶ νῦν, ὅταν ἐπιβάλλῃ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν ὁ Κύριος, τοῦ πατάξαι αὐτόν· καὶ τὰ ὄρη πα ροξυνθήσεται, τὰ δὲ θνησιμαῖα τοῦ λαοῦ, ὡς κοπρία διὰ τὴν ἀτιμίαν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ὁδοῦ κείμενα, καταπατηθήσεται. Νόησόν μοι τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις γενομένους, ἐναπομείναντας τοῖς πράγμασι τοῦ βίου τούτου καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων καταπατουμένους, ὧν διὰ τὴν ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου φησὶν, οὐκ ἀποστραφήσεσθαι τὸν θυμὸν, ἀλλὰ ἔτι μένειν τὴν χεῖρα ὑψηλήν, τουτέστιν ἐπηρμένην εἰς ἐκδίκησιν (χεῖρα λέγων τὴν κολαστικὴν δύναμιν, κατὰ τὸν Ἰώβ· Χεὶρ γὰρ Κυρίου ἡ ἁψαμένη μού ἐστι)· καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τοῦ διαβόλου χεῖρα λέγοντος ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς κολάσεως· Οὐ μὴν δὲ, ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτοῦ. 5.182 Τοιγαροῦν ἀρεῖ σύσσημον ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, τοῖς μα κρὰν καὶ τοῖς ἐγγὺς, καὶ συριεῖ αὐτοὺς ἀπ' ἄκρου τῆς γῆς. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ταχὺ κούφως ἔρχονται. Κατὰ μὲν τὸ ῥητὸν, δόξει τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν δύναμιν τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ πολιορκίᾳ ἐπελθοῦσαν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὁ λόγος προφητεύειν. Ἐν ἐκείνῳ γὰρ οἱ στρατιωτικοὶ κατάλογοι συνε πληροῦντο, ἔν τε τῶν μακρὰν ἐθνῶν καὶ ἐκ τῶν σύνεγγυς, τῶν περὶ τὴν Συρίαν καὶ Ἀραβίαν, καὶ ἄλλα ἔθνη, ὅσα παρα κείμενα τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, ἐστρατολογεῖτο παρὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων. Τὸ μὲν οὖν σύσσημον ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἤρθη, τουτέστι τὸ ση μεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ ἀναδειχθέντος. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἔθνη ἐπὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐκλήθη, ἡ δὲ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῇ καταστροφῇ παρε δόθη. Οὕτω δὲ ταχὺ καὶ κούφως ἤρχοντο, τοσαύτην ἔχοντες