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of evils <is> the incarnation of our God and savior. And the first herald of this was the divine John the Baptist. Therefore, the prophetic word foretells the things concerning him; for the three blessed evangelists also taught us this, and the most divine Mark made this the preface of his writing. And the divine John himself, when asked by the Pharisees if he were the Christ, said: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said”; I am not God the Word but a voice, for I proclaim the incarnate God the Word. And it calls the nations impassable, not yet having received the prophetic track. 4Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and all the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways into plains. Through these things he declared the ease of the preaching; for because of this it filled the whole world in a short time. And valleys being filled and mountains and hills being made low should be understood literally as a smooth road and one freed from difficulties, but allegorically, the valleys are the souls of the unbelievers lying somewhere in the depths and not having a lofty mindset, while the mountains and hills are the demons worshiped on the mountains and hills, whose error the incarnation of our savior extinguished. And one would not be wrong in saying that this was said also about the Jews; for being formerly conspicuous and admired on account of the divine |148 a| care which they enjoyed, now they have been humbled, having become destitute of it. The word therefore declares that the humble nations will be exalted, but the proud-minded Jews will be humbled. For what follows also declares this: 5And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. And the confirmation of what has been said: Because the Lord has spoken. For he who spoke these things, he says, is true. But I greatly admire those who think the prophet prophesied these things concerning the return from Babylon; for they should have understood that the prophetic word clearly foretold that the salvation of God would be manifest to all people, but that recall was not made manifest to all, whereas the saving cross and the Lord's passions reached the very ends of the world. 6The voice of one saying: Cry. Such a voice, he says, was brought forth, commanding me to cry. And I said: What shall I cry? Then he says what was commanded: All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass; 7the grass withered, and the flower fell, because the spirit of the Lord blew upon it; truly the people are like grass; 8the grass withered, and the flower fell. Having prophesied the salvation of all nations, he also foretells the fruitlessness of the Jews. For by nature, he says, the race of men is like grass, and subsequent glory and power are like the flower of grass. And just as when the grass withers the flower falls off, so when death comes upon men, both power and prominence are extinguished. And this happens through the divine will, as if some wind blew upon it. More truly, however, these things apply to the people formerly called, who withered for not having the moisture of faith, and lost the grace that bloomed upon them. And lest anyone should suppose that the God of all chose this people in ignorance, he added: But the word of the Lord remains forever. From the beginning, he says, he both foreknew and foretold these things, but nevertheless, knowing this disobedience of theirs, he proceeds, exhorting them to salvation; for he knew those among them who would receive the saving proclamation. 9Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good news to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good news to Jerusalem; lift it up, do not be afraid. Here the prophetic word rouses the apostolic choir. For which reason, having formed the exhortation in the singular, he has shifted to the plural and says: Lift it up, do not be afraid. Thus also the Lord Christ said to them: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul.” And again

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κακῶν <ἡ> τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησις. Ταύτης δὲ κῆρυξ ἐγένετο πρῶτος ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής. Τὰ κα τ ' αὐτὸν τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς προαγορεύει λόγος· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ οἱ τρεῖς μακάριοι ἐδίδαξαν εὐα γγελισταί, ὁ δὲ θειότατος Μᾶρκος καὶ προοίμιον τοῦτο τῆς συγγραφῆς ἐποιήσατο. Καὶ αὐτὸς δέ γε ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἰωάννης ἐρωτηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Φαρισαίων, εἰ αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ Χριστός, ἔφη· «Ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης»· οὔκ εἰμι θεὸς λόγος ἀλλὰ φωνή, ἐγὼ γὰρ κηρύττω τὸν ἐνανθρωπήσαντα θεὸν λόγον. Ἄβατον δὲ καλεῖ τὰ ἔθνη τὸ προφητικὸν ἴχνος οὐδέπω δεξάμενα. 4Πᾶσα φάραγξ πληρωθήσεται, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσεται· καὶ ἔσται πάντα τὰ σκολιὰ εἰς εὐθεῖαν καὶ αἱ τραχεῖαι εἰς πεδία. Τὴν εὐκολίαν τοῦ κηρύγματος διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσεν· διὰ ταύτην γὰρ ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ πᾶσαν τοῦτο τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπλήρωσεν. Φάραγγας δὲ πληρουμένας καὶ ὄρη καὶ βουνοὺς ταπεινουμένους κατὰ μὲν τὸ ῥητὸν νοητέον τὴν λείαν ὁδὸν καὶ δυσκολίας ἀπηλ λαγμένην, κατὰ δὲ διάνοιαν φάραγγες μέν εἰσιν αἱ τῶν ἀπίστων ψυχαὶ εἰς βάθος που κείμεναι καὶ μετάρσιον οὐκ ἔχουσαι φρόνημα, ὄρη δὲ καὶ βουνοὶ οἱ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι καὶ τοῖς βουνοῖς θεραπευόμενοι δαίμονες ὧν τὴν πλάνην ἡ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἔσβεσεν ἐνανθρώπησις. Οὐκ ἂν δέ τις ἁμάρτοι καὶ περὶ Ἰουδαίων τοῦτο εἰρῆσθαι φήσας· περι φανεῖς γὰρ ὄντες καὶ περίβλεπτοι πάλαι διὰ τὴν θείαν |148 a| κηδεμονίαν ἧς ἀπήλαυον, νῦν ἐταπεινώθησαν ἔρημοι ταύτης γενόμενοι. ∆ηλοῖ τοίνυν ὁ λόγος ὅτι τὰ μὲν ταπεινὰ ἔθνη ὑψωθήσεται, οἱ μέγα δὲ φρονοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι ταπεινω θήσονται. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· 5Καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ. Καὶ ἡ βεβαίωσις τῶν εἰρημ ένων · Ὅτι κύριος ἐλάλησεν. Ἀψευδὴς γάρ φησιν ὁ ταῦτα φθεγξάμενος. Ἐγὼ δὲ λίαν ἄγαμαι τοὺς οἰομένους ταῦτα περὶ τῆς ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανόδου τὸν προφήτην θεσπίσαι· ἔδει γὰρ αὐτοὺς συνιδεῖν ὅτι σ αφ ῶς ὁ προφητικὸς προηγόρευσε λόγος πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις δῆλον ἔσεσθαι τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ σωτήριον, ἐκείνη δὲ ἡ ἀνάκλησις οὐ πᾶσιν ἐγένετο δήλη, ὁ δὲ σωτήριος σταυρὸς καὶ τὰ δεσποτικὰ πάθη καὶ αὐτὰς ἔφθασε τὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐσχατιάς. 6Φωνὴ λέγοντος· Βόησον. Τοιαύτη τίς φησιν ἠνέχθη φωνή, βόησόν μοι παρεγγυῶςα. Καὶ εἶπον· Τί βοήσω; Εἶτα λέγει τὸ προσταχθέν· Πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου· 7ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν, ὅτι πνεῦμα κυρίου ἔπνευσεν εἰς αὐτόν· ἀληθῶς ὅμοιος χόρτῳ ὁ λαός· 8ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ ἐξέπεσε τὸ ἄνθος. Τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων προθεσπίσας τὴν σωτηρίαν προμηνύει καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἀκαρπίαν. Φύσει μὲν γάρ φησι χόρτῳ ἔοικε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος, ἄνθει δὲ χόρτου ἡ ἐπιγινομένη δόξα καὶ δυναστεία. Καὶ καθάπερ τοῦ χόρτου ξηραινομένου τὸ ἄνθος ἐκρεῖ, οὕτω τοῦ θανάτου τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπιόντος καὶ ἡ δυναστεία καὶ ἡ περιφάνεια σβέννυται. Γίνεται δὲ τοῦτο διὰ τοῦ θείου θελήματος καθάπερ τινὸς προσβαλόντος πνεύματος. Ἀληθέ στερον μέντοι ταῦτα ἁρμόττει τῷ χρηματίσαντι πάλαι λαῷ, ὃς ἐξηράνθη μὲν οὐκ ἔχων τὴν νοτίδα τῆς πίστεως, τὴν ἐπανθοῦσαν δὲ ἀπώλεσε χάριν. Καὶ ἵνα μή τις ὑπολάβῃ ἀγνοίᾳ τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν τοῦτον ἐκλέξασθαι τὸν λαόν, ἐπήγαγεν· Τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἄνωθέν φησι ταῦτα καὶ προέγνω καὶ προηγόρευσεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ταύτην αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπείθειαν εἰδὼς ἐπιβαίνει προτ ρέπων εἰς σωτηρίαν· ᾔδει γὰρ τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ σωτήριον κήρυγμα δεξαμένους. 9Ἐπ' ὄρους ὑψηλοῦ ἀνάβηθι ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος τὴν Σιών, ὕψωσον τῇ ἰσχύι τὴν φωνήν σου ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὑψώσατε μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ἐνταῦθα χορὸν ὁ προφητικὸς διεγείρει λόγος. Οὗ δὴ χάριν ἑνικῶς σχηματίσας τὴν παρακέλευσιν εἰς τὸν πληθυντικὸν μεταβέβηκε καί φησιν· Ὑψώσατε μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Οὕτως αὐτοῖς <καὶ> ὁ δεσπότης ἔλεγε Χριστός· «Μὴ φοβεῖσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτενόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυνα μένων ἀποκτεῖναι.» Καὶ πάλιν