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spares the word, so that the chorus of the persecuted, fortified by hope in God, will despise the attacking waves. For, he says, having the God of all as a strong enclosure, we do not perceive afflictions of every kind. 3. "Therefore we will not be afraid when the earth is shaken, and the mountains are moved into the hearts of the seas." The divine Isaiah also foretold some such things: "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough way into smooth roads." And he calls the hollow and lowly nations, which are deprived of height, a valley; which he prophesied would be filled by the teaching word. But mountains and hills he named the precincts of demons; and he foretold that their various and deceitful activities would be brought low and would completely disappear. Therefore, here also the prophetic word shows those who have believed in the Savior crying out, that we will receive no storm of fear in the soul, seeing the earth being shaken, and the demons being driven out into the abyss, trying to stir up the people energized by them. 80.1201 But the word also foretells at the same time, that the long-prevailing impiety of the demons, which imitates the height of the mountains and has held sway over most of the inhabited world, will be gone, as if sent down to some abyss. 4. "Their waters roared and were troubled; the mountains were shaken by his strength." And the history of the Acts also teaches us how, as the holy apostles were traveling throughout the inhabited world, the cities were filled with storm and tumult. For in Ephesus Demetrius stirred up the whole city; and in Lystra and Derbe this very thing happened; and again in Philippi, and Thessalonica, and Athens, and Corinth, the spirits of deceit were stirring up these waves. Some, being energized by these, cried out against the holy apostles, "These who have turned the world upside down are here also." These things the blessed Habakkuk also foretold: "For you rode, he says, your horses into the sea, stirring up many waters." Indeed, he called the holy apostles horses, as having become a divine chariot. For riding upon them the Master scattered the many and various doctrines of impiety, like so many waters. Therefore, the prophetic word also says here that the waters received a storm, and the mountains endured shakings, as the evangelical proclamation was being carried across. But here he called the host of demons mountains, because of the mass of their arrogance and the height of their pride; and waters the minds of men, which like waters are easily carried hither and thither, and are stirred up by the spirits of deceit. 5. "The streams of the river make glad the city of God." But here he called the evangelical proclamation a river; and the city, the polity of the pious, which is watered by the streams of the river for fruitfulness. The three have interpreted this more clearly: The divisions of the river make glad the city of God. For just as the spring of paradise was divided into four rivers, so this river of God had 80.1204 countless and innumerable channels, running through all the tribes of men. For one ran to the Indians, another to the Spaniards; and one took Egypt, another Greece; and some were entrusted to water Judea, others Syria and Cilicia, and others were put in charge of the cultivation of other nations. And the blessed Habakkuk also prophesied this: "For the earth, he says, will be split by rivers," instead of, the earth will be distributed by channels, receiving the streams of the great river. For he called its divisions rivers. "The Most High has sanctified his tabernacle." What he called a city, this he named a tabernacle. "For I will dwell, he says, in them, and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, says the Lord Almighty." Therefore, he said that the same are both watered and sanctified

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φει τῷ λόγῳ, ὅπως ὁ τῶν διωκομένων χορὸς τῇ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίδι πεφραγμένος, τῶν προσβαλλόντων καταφρονήσει κυμάτων. Περίβολον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὀχυρὸν ἔχοντες τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν, τῶν παντοδαπῶν οὐκ αἰσθανόμεθα θλίψεων. γʹ. "∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ φοβηθησόμεθα ἐν τῷ ταράσσε σθαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ μετατίθεσθαι ὄρη ἐν καρδίαις θα λασσῶν." Τοιαῦτά τινα καὶ ὁ θεῖος προηγόρευσεν Ἡσαΐας· "Πᾶσα φάραγξ πληρωθήσεται, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσεται· καὶ ἔσται τὰ σκο λιὰ εἰς εὐθεῖαν, καὶ ἡ τραχεῖα εἰς ὁδοὺς λείας." Καὶ φάραγγα μὲν καλεῖ τὰ κοῖλα καὶ ταπεινὰ ἔθνη, τὰ τοῦ ὕψους ἐστερημένα· ἃ τῷ διδασκαλικῷ πληρωθήσεσθαι προεθέσπισε λόγῳ. Ὄρη δὲ καὶ βου νοὺς ὠνόμασε τὰ τῶν δαιμόνων τεμένη· καὶ τὰς παν τοδαπὰς ἐκείνων καὶ ἀπατηλὰς ἐνεργείας ταπεινω θήσεσθαι, καὶ ἀφανεῖς ἔσεσθαι παντελῶς προ ηγόρευσε. Τοιγάρτοι κἀνταῦθα ὁ προφητικὸς δείκνυσι λόγος τοὺς τῷ Σωτῆρι πεπιστευκότας βοῶντας, ὡς Οὐδεμίαν δέους ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ δεξόμεθα ζάλην, τὴν γῆν ὁρῶντες ταραττομένην, καὶ τοὺς ἐξελαυνομένους εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον δαίμονας, κυκᾷν πειρωμένους τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐνεργουμένους ἀνθρώπους. Προλέγει 80.1201 δὲ κατὰ ταὐτὸν ὁ λόγος, ὅτι φροῦδος ἔσται καθάπερ τινὶ παραπεμφθεῖσα βυθῷ ἡ πάλαι κρατήσασα τῶν δαιμόνων ἀσέβεια, ἡ τῶν ὀρῶν μιμουμένη τὸ ὕψος, καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐσχηκυῖα τὸ κρά τος. δʹ. "Ἤχησαν καὶ ἐταράχθησαν τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῶν· ἐταράχθησαν τὰ ὄρη ἐν τῇ κραταιότητι αὐτοῦ." ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἡ τῶν Πράξεων ἱστορία, ὅπως τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων τὴν οἰκουμένην περινοστούν των, ζάλης ἐμπίπλαντο καὶ θορύβου αἱ πόλεις. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ∆ημήτριος πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν ἐκύκησεν· καὶ ἐν Λύστροις καὶ ∆έρβῃ ταὐτὸ τοῦτο γεγένηται· καὶ πάλιν ἐν Φιλιππησίοις, καὶ Θεσσαλονίκῃ, καὶ Ἀθήναις, καὶ Κορίνθῳ, τῶν τῆς ἀπάτης πνευμάτων ταῦτα διεγειρόντων τὰ κύματα. Ὑπὸ τούτων τινὲς ἐνεργούμενοι κατὰ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐβόων ἀποστόλων, "Οἱ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀναστατώ σαντες, οὗτοι καὶ ἐνθάδε πάρεισι." Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ μακάριος προηγόρευσεν Ἀββακούμ· "Ἐπεβίβασας γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς θάλασσαν τοὺς ἵππους σου ταράσσοντας ὕδατα πολλά." Ἵππους δὴ προσ ηγόρευσεν ὡς ὄχημα θεῖον γεγενημένους τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους. Ἐπ' αὐτῶν γὰρ ἐποχούμενος ὁ ∆εσπότης, τὰ πολλὰ καὶ διάφορα τῆς ἀσεβείας δόγ ματα, οἷά τινα ὕδατα διεσκέδασε. Λέγει τοίνυν κἀνταῦθα ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος, ὡς καὶ τὰ ὕδατα ζά λην ἐδέξατο, καὶ τὰ ὄρη κλόνους ὑπέμεινε, τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ διαπορθμευομένου κηρύγματος. Ἐν ταῦθα δὲ ὄρη τὸ τῶν δαιμόνων προσηγόρευσε στί φος, διὰ τὸν τῆς ἀλαζονείας ὄγκον, καὶ τοῦ τύφου τὸ ὑψηλόν· ὕδατα δὲ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γνώμας, τὰς δίκην ὑδάτων τῇδε κἀκεῖσε φερομένας ῥᾳδίως, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς ἀπάτης κυκωμένας πνευμάτων. εʹ. "Τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ." Ποταμὸν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν προσηγόρευσε κήρυγμα· πόλιν δὲ, τῶν εὐσεβῶν πολίτευμα, τὸ τοῖς τοῦ ποταμοῦ ῥεύμασιν εἰς καρπογονίαν ἀρδόμενον. Τοῦτο σαφέστερον οἱ τρεῖς ἡρμηνεύκασιν· Τοῦ ποταμοῦ αἱ διαιρέσεις εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ παραδείσου πηγὴ εἰς τέσσαρας ποταμοὺς δι ηρέθη· οὕτως οὗτος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ποταμὸς μυρίας ἔσχε 80.1204 καὶ ἀριθμοῦ κρείττους διώρυγας, εἰς πάντα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ φῦλα διαδραμούσας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔδραμε πρὸς Ἰνδοὺς, ὁ δὲ πρὸς Ἱσπανούς· καὶ ὁ μὲν τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ὁ δὲ τὴν Ἑλλάδα κατέλαβε· καὶ ἕτεροι μὲν τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἐπιστεύθησαν ἄρδειν, ἕτε ροι δὲ Συρίαν καὶ Κιλικίαν, ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλων ἐθνῶν τὴν γεωργίαν ἐνεχειρίσθησαν. Καὶ τοῦτο δέ γε ὁ μακάριος προεθέσπισεν Ἀββακούμ· "Ποτα μῶν γὰρ, φησὶ, ῥαγήσεται γῆ," ἀντὶ τοῦ, διανεμηθή σεται κατὰ διωρυγὰς ἡ γῆ, τοῦ μεγάλου ποταμοῦ δεχομένη τὰ ῥεῖθρα. Τὰς γὰρ τούτου διαιρέσεις ὠνό μασε ποταμούς. "Ἡγίασε τὸ σκήνωμα αὑτοῦ ὁ Ὕψιστος." Ἣν ἐκάλεσε πόλιν, ταύτην ὠνόμασε σκή νωμα. "Ἐνοικήσω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεὸς, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μοι λαὸς, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ." Τοὺς αὐτοὺς τοίνυν ἔφη καὶ ἄρδεσθαι καὶ ἁγιάζε