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heretics are raised up with the boast of sophistic arguments against the truth, or bring on persecutions and afflictions, it is fitting to be courageous. For with a hidden hand the Lord will war against Amalek from generation to generation, as it is written. CHAPTER 18. 1-7. 9Woe to the land of winged ships, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. The one sending hostages by sea, and papyrus letters upon the water. For swift messengers will go to a nation on high, and to a strange and difficult people9, etc. The rulers of the Jews in Rome say to Paul as he was teaching about Christ: "We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you." And a little later: "For as concerning this sect, it is known to us," that everywhere it is spoken against; as those in Judea had written everywhere not to accept the preaching about Christ. But instead of "hostages," Aquila rendered it "elders," and Symmachus rendered it "apostles." Therefore the prophet laments these and their land, whose wickedness reached even as far as the Ethiopians. Wherefore also according to Symmachus it is said: Woe to the land, the winged sound that is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. For the sound of those who wrote ran through even to the borders of Ethiopia and to the ends of the earth, as if through some flying ships. And the apostles carrying the papyrus letters everywhere on earth not only traveling through, but also sailing. And until now they call "apostles" those who carry letters around in a circuit from the rulers. But instead of "swift messengers will go," the others say, "go," as the beginning of a command spoken by the Savior Christ to the disciples, whom he sent against the apostles of the Jews. And in agreement with the present things Christ says to them: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And, "Go, make disciples of all nations"; and he suggests to them that which is well-equipped and light, making their journey very easy for them; take nothing for the journey; and, acquire no gold, nor silver, nor copper, no bag, no two tunics, no staff, no sandals. And he commands to go to a nation on high and strange, and to a difficult people. For they were sent to the foreigners among the nations who held nothing certain, but were carried about by every wind of polytheistic error, and were hostile toward them. And they passed through to the ends of the earth, which the phrase, "who is beyond him?" signifies; instead of which Symmachus says, "after whom there is no one beyond." And this nation was without hope, according to the Apostle who said, having no hope 2133 and without God in the world. In accordance with which, the prophet, going on, will say, and the despairing among men will be filled with gladness; which was a nation also trodden down by the devil. And encouraging them he says, now the rivers of the land will be inhabited at your journey. By "rivers" meaning the multitude of those turning to God, just as by their "lands," the Churches. For as above he compared the unbelievers to the waves of a troubled sea; so now the believers to sweet rivers moving steadily, concerning which he says elsewhere: "The rivers have lifted up, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices." And, "The rivers will clap their hands together." Who previously being uninhabited, were strangers to God, and their land was a desert of piety; which land, and the rivers, your preaching will cause to be inhabited. And the sign of the cross will thus be manifest to all, as if raised on a mountain. and as the sound of a trumpet, your preaching would seem to be reaching into the hearing of all. Then he teaches how it will be able to be inhabited peacefully. For God supplies safety to His own city, so that it is fittingly said of her: "Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God," and, "The rushings of the river make glad the city of God." In which there will be not just any light, but one like the midday sun. And it will be harmless to those who see, he says. For with it there will also come to be a cloud of dew. And the light is the Word of God, who illumines the Church. And the cloud of dew is the Holy Spirit, overshadowing those who are not able to contain the height of the Only-Begotten

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αἱρετικοὶ σοφιστικῶν λόγων κόμπῳ κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐγείρωνται ἢ διωγμοὺς, καὶ θλίψεις ἐπάγωσι, προσήκει θαῤῥεῖν. Χειρὶ γὰρ κρυφαίᾳ πολεμήσει Κύριος ἐπὶ Ἀμαλὴκ ἀπὸ γενεῶν εἰς γενεὰς, καθὰ γέγραπται. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΗʹ. αʹζʹ. 9Οὐαὶ γῆς πλοίων, πτέρυγες ἐπέκεινα ποταμῶν Αἰθιοπίας. Ὁ ἀποστέλλων ἐν θαλάσσῃ ὅμηρα, καὶ ἐπιστολὰς βιβλίνας ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος. Πορεύσονται γὰρ ἄγγελοι κοῦφοι πρὸς ἔθνος μετέωρον, καὶ ξένον λαὸν καὶ χαλεπόν9, κ.τ.λ. Οἱ ἐπὶ Ῥώμης ἄρχοντες Ἰουδαίων τὰ περὶ Χριστοῦ τῷ Παύλῳ διδάσκοντι λέγουσιν· "Ἡμεῖς οὔτε γράμματα ἐδεξάμεθα περὶ σοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς αἱρέσεως ταύτης γνωστὸν ἡμῖν ἐστιν," ὅτι πανταχοῦ ἀντιλέγεται· ὡς τῶν ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ πανταχοῦ γεγραφότων τὸ περὶ Χριστοῦ μὴ προσίεσθαι κήρυγμα. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ὅμηρα, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας πρεσβυτὰς, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἀποστόλους ἐξέδωκε. Τούτους οὖν καὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν ὁ προφήτης ὀδύρεται, ἧς ἡ κακία καὶ μέχρι τῆς Αἰθιόπων ἀφίκετο. ∆ιὸ καὶ κατὰ Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· Οὐαὶ γῆς, ὁ ἦχος πτερωτὸς ἡ πέραθεν ποταμῶν Αἰθιοπίας. Ὁ γὰρ τῶν γραψάντων ἦχος μέχρι καὶ τῶν Αἰθιοπίας ὅρων, καὶ τῶν τῆς γῆς περάτων διέδραμεν, ὡς διὰ πλοίων τινῶν ἱπταμένων. Οἵτε διακομίζοντες τὰς ἐπιστολὰς τὰς βιβλίνας ἀπόστολοι πανταχοῦ γῆς οὐ διοδεύοντες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ναυτιλλόμενοι. Μέχρι δὲ νῦν ἀποστόλους καλοῦσι τοὺς ἐν κύκλῳ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων περιφέροντας γράμματα. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ πορεύσονται ἄγγελοι κοῦφοι, πορεύεσθε, φασὶν οἱ λοιποὶ, ὡς ἀρχὴν εἶναι προστάγματος πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς εἰρημένου τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ, οὓς πρὸς τοὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων διέστειλεν ἀποστόλους. Σύμφωνα δὲ τοῖς παροῦσι πρὸς αὐτούς φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Πορεύεσθε δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὰ ἀπολωλότα πρόβατα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ τὸ εὐσταλές τε καὶ κοῦφον αὐτοῖς ὑποτίθεται ῥᾴστην αὐτοῖς τὴν πορείαν ποιῶν· μηδὲν ἄρητε κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν· καὶ, μὴ κτήσησθε χρυσὸν, μηδὲ ἄργυρον, μὴ χαλκὸν, μὴ πήραν, μὴ δύο χιτῶνας, μὴ ῥάβδον, μὴ ὑποδήματα. Ἰέναι δὲ κελεύει πρὸς ἔθνος μετέωρόν τε καὶ ξένον, καὶ πρὸς λαὸν χαλεπόν. Πρὸς τοὺς ἐν ἔθνεσι γὰρ ἀλλογενεῖς ἀπεστέλλοντο βέβαιον ἔχοντας οὐδὲν, ἀνέμῳ δὲ τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης περιφερομένους παντὶ, καὶ χαλεπῶς ἔχοντας πρὸς αὐτούς. Καὶ διέβαινον μέχρι τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς, ὃ δηλοῖ τὸ, τίς αὐτοῦ ἐπέκεινα; ἀνθ' οὗ Σύμμαχος μεθ' ὃν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπέκεινα λέγει. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἔθνος ἀνέλπιστον ἦν, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον εἰπόντα, ἐλπίδα 2133 μὴ ἔχοντες καὶ ἄθεοι ἐν κόσμῳ. Ὧ δὴ σύμφωνα προϊὼν ὁ προφήτης ἐρεῖ, καὶ οἱ ἀπηλπισμένοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐμπλησθήσονται εὐφροσύνης· ὅπερ ἦν ἔθνος καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου καταπεπατημένον. Παραθαῤῥύνων δὲ τούτους φησὶ, νῦν οἱ ποταμοὶ τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ πορείᾳ κατοικηθήσονται. Ποταμοὺς λέγων τῶν εἰς Θεὸν ἐπιστρεφόντων τὸ πλῆθος, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ χώρας τούτων, τὰς Ἐκκλησίας. Ὡς γὰρ κύμασι θαλάττης τεταραγμένης τοὺς ἀπίστους ἀνωτέρω παρέβαλλεν· οὕτω νῦν τοὺς πιστοὺς γλυκέσι ποταμοῖς εὐσταθῶς κινουμένοις, περὶ ὧν ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· "Ἐπῆραν οἱ ποταμοὶ, Κύριε, ἐπῆραν οἱ ποταμοὶ φωνὰς αὐτῶν." Καὶ, "Ποταμοὶ κροτήσουσι χεῖρας ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό." Οἳ πρότερον ὅντες ἀοίκητοι, ἀλλότριοι ἦσαν Θεοῦ, ἔρημός τε αὐτῶν θεοσεβείας ἡ χώρα· ἥντινα, καὶ τοὺς ποταμοὺς κατοικεῖσθαι ποιήσει τὸ ὑμέτερον κήρυγμα. Καὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ σημεῖον οὕτως ἔσται πᾶσι πρόδηλον, ὡς ἐπ' ὄρους ὑψούμενον. καὶ σάλπιγγος ἦχος, τὸ ὑμέτερον εἶναι δόξειε κήρυγμα πᾶσι χωροῦν εἰς ἐπήκοον. Εἶτα διδάσκει πῶς ἀταράχως οἰκεῖσθαι δυνήσεται. Τῇ γὰρ ἰδίᾳ πόλει χορηγεῖ Θεὸς τὴ ἀσφάλειαν, ὡς εἰκότως εἰρῆσθαι περὶ αὐτῆς· "∆εδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ," καὶ, "Τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ." Ἐν ᾗ καὶ φῶς οὐ τὸ τυχὸν ἔσται, ἀλλ' ἐοικὸς ἡλίῳ μεσημβρινῷ. Καὶ ἀβλαβὲς ἔσται τοῖς ὁρῶσι φησί. Σὺν αὐτῷ γὰρ καὶ νεφέλη δρόσου γενήσεται. Καὶ φῶς μὲν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ὁ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν φωτίζων. Νεφέλη δὲ δρόσου τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐπισκιάζον τοῖς μὴ δυναμένοις τὴν ἄκραν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς χωρῆσαι