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which he also shows to be securely fortified and unconquerable, with similar words cries out thankfully: “Behold, a strong city and our salvation; he will place a wall and an outer wall.” For how is a city that has a wall and an outer wall not unconquerable, which is the Church, having a wall composed of the spiritual law and the anagogical contemplation, and an outer wall, outside the secure wall, the Scripture according to the literal and historical sense. 3.177 And further, according to another thought, the wall of the beautiful city is the faith concerning the Trinity and the Only-begotten Son of God, being the Word of God, both truth and the wisdom of God, the outer wall being, suitable to this understanding, the doctrine of the incarnation and the birth from the unwedded virgin Mary. 3.178 It is possible to say that the wall guarding the Church is its pious thoughts according to the dogmas of the truth, and the outer wall is the moral instructions and the observance of the commandments. 3.179 It may also be said in another way that the strong city is primarily walled by the scientific contemplation of intelligible and incorporeal things, having as an outer wall the knowledge of sensible things of the visible world and its parts and the divine providence that governs them. 3.180 The one who sits in this city and its related praiseworthy fortifications, being a prisoner of Christ, lives without fear, expecting consolation and comfort to be doubled in place of what afflicted him; for it was brought to the multitude that received benefit: “Instead of one day of your sojourning, I will repay you double,” with the comfort for past afflictions being doubled. 3.181 Take as a sensible image of the theory the things concerning the most courageous Job. For just as in his case all that had been previously taken from him was doubled, so those who have trained perfectly for piety “have promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come,” not the mortal life, which makes pitiful those who have hoped in it alone, but the one that can now exist for believers, according to what was said by the Savior: “He who believes in me has eternal life,” and again: “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” 3.182 He who has this life from now on would have it multiplied many times when that which is perfect comes and the truth is seen face to face. 3.183 And this too might be said more introductory; since death came upon all men through the transgression of the first man, the body was separated from the soul; and as is likely, it was afflicted at losing what it had been with for a long time, so as to endure a sojourning; in place of this, which lasted for one day, God repaid double by raising and returning to the soul its body, so that it not only received it back, but also in place of a corruptible and dishonorable and weak and soulish body, an incorruptible, strong and honorable, and this very thing, a spiritual body. 3.184 He who pays attention to the reading of the divinely inspired oracles will understand many other things concerning the double repayment by God to the one who has migrated for one day. 3.185 And this might also be said in a literal sense: the people, having migrated to enemies by the law of captivity, were not only redeemed, but also gained mastery over their captors; when this happened, those who had been ill-treated for a short time had double joy. 3.186Zach. IX, 13-14: Because I have bent you, Judah, for myself as a bow; I have filled Ephraim, and I will raise up your children, O Zion, against the children of the Greeks, and I will wield you as a warrior’s sword. And the Lord will be over them. 3.187 The Savior who arose from the tribe of Judah, the Father bent for himself as a bow, from which he releases the arrows that wound unto salvation. And see the difference: the destroying bow of Ephraim is called hostile because it is used by enemies. It is said, at any rate, in the seventy-seventh Psalm concerning hostile satanic powers and all

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ἣν καὶ δεικνὺς ὡς ἔστιν ἀσφαλῶς τετειχισμένη καὶ οὖσαν ἀκαταμάχητον, μετὰ τῶν παραπλησίων χαριστηρίως βοᾷ· «Ἰδοὺ πόλις ὀχυρὰ καὶ σωτήριον ἡμῶν· θήσει τεῖχος καὶ περίτειχος.» Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἀκαταμάχητος ἡ τεῖχος καὶ περίτειχον ἔχουσα πόλις, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἔχουσα μὲν τεῖχος συνιστάμενον ἐκ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου καὶ τῆς ἀνηγμένης θεωρίας, περίτειχος δέ, ἔξω τοῦ ἀσφαλοῦς τείχου̣ς, τὴν κατὰ ῥητὸν καὶ ἱστορίαν γραφήν. 3.177 Καὶ ἔτι κατὰ διάνοιαν ἄλλην τεῖχος τῆς καλλιπόλεώς ἐστιν ἡ περὶ τῆς Τριάδος πίστις καὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὄντος Θεοῦ Λόγου, ἀληθείας τε καὶ Θεοῦ σοφίας, ὄντος περιτείχου καταλλήλως ταύτῃ τῇ νοήσει τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως καὶ τοκετοῦ τοῦ ἐκ τῆς ἀπειρογάμου παρθένου Μαρίας. 3.178 ∆υνατὸν εἰπεῖν ὡς τεῖχος μὲν φρουροῦν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐστὶν τὰ εὐσεβῆ αὐτῆς φρονήματα κατὰ τὰ δόγματα τῆς ἀληθείας, περίτειχον δὲ τὰ ἠθικὰ παιδεύματα καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐντολῶν τήρησις. 3.179 Ῥηθείη καὶ ἑτέρως ὡς τειχίζεται μὲν προηγουμένως ἡ ἐχυρὰ πόλις ἐκ τῆς ἐπιστημονικῆς τῶν νοητῶν καὶ ἀσωμάτων θεωρίας, περίτειχος ἔχουσα τὴν περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν γνῶσιν τοῦ φαινομένου κόσμου καὶ τῶν μερῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς διοικούσης αὐτὰ θείας προνοίας. 3.180 Ὁ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πόλει καὶ τοῖς συγγένεσιν αὐτῇ ἐπαινετοῖς ὀχυρώμασιν καθήμενος, Χριστοῦ δέσμιος ὤν, ἀφόβως διάγει προσδοκῶν διπλασιάζεσθαι ἀνθ' ὧν ἐθλίβη παράκλησιν καὶ παραμυθίαν· ἐπενήνεκται γὰρ πρὸς τὴν εὐεργετηθεῖσαν πληθύν· «Ἀντὶ μιᾶς ἡμέρας παροικεσίας σου, διπλᾶ ἀνταποδώσω σοι», διπλασιαζομένης τῆς παραμυθίας τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑπάρξασι θλιβηροῖς. 3.181 Αἰσθητὴν εἰκόνα τῆς θεωρίας τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἀνδρειώτατον Ἰὼβ λαβέ. Ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ἐδιπλασιάσθη τὰ ἀφαιρεθέντα αὐτοῦ πάντα πρότερον, οὕτως οἱ γυμνασάμενοι τελείως πρὸς εὐσέβειαν «ἐπαγγελίαν ἔχουσιν ζωῆς τῆς νῦν καὶ τῆς μελλούσης», οὐ τῆς ἐπικήρου ζωῆς, τῆς ἐλεεινοὺς ποιούσης τοὺς ἐπὶ μόνην αὐτὴν ἠλπικότας, ἀλλὰ τῆς νῦν ὑπαρχθῆναι δυναμένης τοῖς πιστεύουσιν, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· «Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον», καὶ πάλιν· «Αὕτη δ' ἐστὶν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκουσίν σε τὸν ἀληθινὸν Θεόν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν.» 3.182 Ὁ ταύτην τὴν ζωὴν ἀπεντεῦθεν ἔχων πολυπλασιαζομένην αὐτὴν σχοίη ὅταν τὸ τέλειον ἔλθῃ καὶ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον ὀφθῇ ἡ ἀλήθεια. 3.183 Εἰσαγωγικώτερον δὲ καὶ τόδε ῥηθείη· τοῦ θανάτου εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους διεληλυθότος τῇ παραβάσει τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου, διελύθη ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ σῶμα· ὡς εἰκὸς δὲ ἐθλίβετο τὸ πολλῷ χρόνῳ συνὸν ἀποβαλοῦσα, ὡς παροικεσίαν ὑπομεῖναι· ἀντὶ ταύτης ἐπὶ μίαν ἡμέραν ὑπαρξάσης, διπλᾶ ὁ Θεὸς ἀνταπέδωκεν ἐγείρας καὶ ἀποδοὺς τῇ ψυχῇ τὸ σῶμα αὐτῆς, ὡς μὴ ἀπειληφέναι μόνον αὐτό, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντὶ φθαρτοῦ καὶ ἀτίμου καὶ ἀσθενοῦς καὶ ψυχικοῦ σώματος, ἄφθαρτον, ἰσχυρόν τε καὶ ἐπίτιμον, καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο σῶμα πνευματικόν. 3.184 Ὁ προσέχων τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῶν θεοπνεύστων λογίων καὶ ἕτερα πλεῖστα νοήσει εἰς τὸ διπλᾶ ἀνταποδίδοσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ μίαν ἡμέραν μετοικισθέντι. 3.185 Πρὸς ῥητὸν καὶ τόδε ῥηθείη· μετοικισθεὶς ὁ λαὸς εἰς ἐχθροὺς αἰχμαλωσίας νόμῳ οὐ μόνον ἐλυτρώθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κρατησάντων ἐκυρίευσεν· οὗ συμβάντος δ̣π̣ῆν θυμηδίαν ἔσχον οἱ πρὸς ὀλίγον κακωθέντες. 3.186Zach. IX, 13-14: ∆ιότι ἐνέτεινά σε, Ἰούδα, ἐμαυτῷ τόξον· ἔπλησα τὸν Ἐφράιμ καὶ ἐπεγερῶ τὰ τέκνα σου, Σιών, ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα Ἑλλήνων καὶ ψηλαφήσω σε ὡς ῥομφαίαν μαχητοῦ. Καὶ ἔσται Κύριος ἐπ' αὐτούς. 3.187 Τὸν ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα ἀνατείλαντα Σωτῆρα, τόξον ἑαυτῷ ἐνέτεινεν ὁ Πατήρ, ἀφ' οὗ ἀπολύει τὰ εἰς σωτηρίαν τιτρώσκοντα βέλη. Καὶ ὅρα γε τὴν διαφοράν· τὸ ὀλοθρευόμενον τόξον τοῦ Ἐφράιμ πολέμιον ὠνόμασται τῷ πολεμίους αὐτῷ χρᾶσθαι. Εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν ἑβδομηκοστῷ καὶ ἑβδόμῳ Ψαλμῷ περὶ πολεμίων σατανικῶν δυνάμεων καὶ πάντων