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she will stand on equal footing with her who was thought to be her mistress. But also the one who sells and buys on account of great abundance, and the one who lends to the needy on account of wealth, will be like the one who borrows on account of poverty and buys on account of need. Connected to what has been said is this: the earth will be utterly corrupted, and the earth will be utterly plundered; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things; for when the declarative voice of God was brought forth through the prophet, these things will happen to those who have received the worse lot, whom he calls "earth" on account of their earthly mindset. For just as it was once said to Adam: "you are earth and to earth you shall return," so also the punishment of corruption has been threatened to those who at the time of God's judgment will be found to be lovers of pleasure and lovers of the body and for this reason earthly and carnal. And certain others will take them, like executioners exacting penalties for what they have dared, having delivered themselves to corruption, and having insulted the image of God that is in them. And who are these if not certainly some avenging and punishing demons, who will make plunder by seizing their souls, at which time those souls that have done things worthy of mourning will mourn for themselves. Wherefore it has also been said: The earth mourned, and the inhabited world was corrupted. And what is the mourning earth and the corrupted inhabited world, he clarifies by adding: The high ones of the earth have mourned; for the wrath of God will pursue these especially, since "he opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." But instead of: and the earth acted lawlessly because of those who dwell in it, Symmachus says: and the earth was slain by those who dwell in it; for these aforementioned high ones of the earth have slain it by murdering and filling it with blood. And the earth has suffered these things because of those who dwell in it, because they have transgressed the law and changed the ordinance, they have scattered the everlasting covenant; for all men who from of old have inhabited the world, "Greeks and barbarians alike," having received the natural law and having the commandments of God "written" on their souls, and having accepted the covenant from of old in their common notions, and then having given themselves over to sins against nature, have become "transgressors" of the natural law. Wherefore indeed they will reasonably be brought before the divine tribunal to be judged and to give an account of their transgression. And for this reason a curse will devour the earth, because those who dwell in it have sinned. And just as in the beginning of the creation of the world, when sin had not yet come into being, "God blessed man," so "at the consummation of the age" a curse, he says, will devour the earth, and according to Symmachus: because of this curse the earth mourned; for because of the curse that came upon men, the earth that once became their mother, having borne and nurtured them, will take up mourning for them. and again, instead of: for this reason the inhabitants of the earth will be poor, Symmachus has said, for this reason they will be worn out. And of all those on earth who will suffer these things, a few will be left behind, those who have preserved "the image of the heavenly one" in their souls. But instead of: wine will mourn, Aquila rendered it, the fruit harvest has mourned, signifying by the example of the fruit harvest the temporary nature of the beauty of bodies and the short and easily perishable nature of human luxury. And then he says that all those will groan who in the present life have walked "the broad and spacious way," who have worn out their lives in "drunkenness and debauchery"; who, no longer having the enjoyment of pleasures, but also being convicted for the shameful and "lawless" deeds they committed, will be covered with shame. Wherefore it has been said somewhere: "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproach and everlasting shame." But also the now sweet wine and what is called strong drink, which by the other interpreters is named intoxicating drink, at that time will be bitter to them

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τῇ νομισθείσῃ ἑαυτῆς κυρίᾳ ἐξ ἴσου στήσεται. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ διὰ πλείονα περιουσίαν πωλῶν καὶ ἀγοράζων, ὅ τε διὰ πλοῦτον δανείζων τοῖς δεομένοις ὅμοιος ἔσται τῷ διὰ πενίαν δανιζομένῳ καὶ δι' ἔνδειαν ὠνουμένῳ. Ἑξῆς τοῖς εἰρημένοις συνῆπται τό· φθορᾷ φθαρήσεται ἡ γῆ, καὶ προνομῇ προνομευθήσεται ἡ γῆ· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησε ταῦτα· φωνῆς γὰρ ἀποφαντικῆς θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου προενεχθείσης ταῦτα ἔσται τοῖς τὴν χείρονα λῆξιν εἰληχόσιν, οὓς διὰ τὸ γεῶδες φρόνημα γῆν ὀνομάζει. ὥσπερ γάρ ποτε ἐλέχθη τῷ Ἀδάμ· «γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ», οὕτω καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσεως φιληδόνοις καὶ φιλοσωμάτοις καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γηΐνοις καὶ σαρκίνοις εὑρεθησομένοις ἡ διαφθορᾶς ἠπείληται τιμωρία. διαλήψονται δ' αὐτοὺς καὶ ἄλλαι τινὲς ὥσπερ δήμιοι δίκας εἰσπραττόμενοι, ὧν τετολμήκασιν ἑαυτοὺς μὲν φθορᾷ παραδόντες, τὴν δ' εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς καθυβρίσαντες. τίνες δ' οὗτοι ἢ πάντως τιμωροὶ καὶ κολαστικοί τινες δαίμονες, οἳ προνομὴν ποιήσονται διαρπάζοντες αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχάς, ὅτε καὶ πενθήσουσιν ἑαυτὰς αἱ πένθους ἄξια διαπραξάμεναι. διὸ καὶ εἴρηται· ἐπένθησεν ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἐφθάρη ἡ οἰκουμένη. τίς δ' ἔστιν ἡ πενθοῦσα γῆ καὶ φθαρεῖσα οἰκουμένη, διασαφεῖ ἐπιφέρων· ἐπένθησαν οἱ ὑψηλοὶ τῆς γῆς· μάλιστα γὰρ τούτους ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μετελεύσεται, ἐπεὶ «ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν». Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· ἡ δὲ γῆ ἠνόμησε διὰ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας αὐτήν, ὁ Σύμμαχος· ἡ δὲ γῆ φησιν ἐφονοκτονήθη ὑπὸ τῶν κατοικούντων αὐτήν· οὗτοι γὰρ οἱ προλεχθέντες ὑψηλοὶ τῆς γῆς ἐφονοκτόνησαν αὐτὴν φονῶντες καὶ αἱμάτων αὐτὴν πληρώσαντες. ταῦτα δὲ πέπονθεν ἡ γῆ διὰ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας αὐτήν, διότι παρέβησαν τὸν νόμον καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὸ πρόσταγμα, διεσκέδασαν διαθήκην αἰώνιον· πάντες γὰρ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ἐξ αἰῶνος τὴν οἰκουμένην οἰκήσαντες, «Ἕλληνες ὁμοῦ καὶ βάρβαροι», τὸν φυσικὸν νόμον παρειληφότες καὶ τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ θεοῦ ταῖς αὐτῶν ψυχαῖς ἔχοντες «γεγραμμένα», τήν τε διαθήκην τὴν ἐξ αἰῶνος ἐν ταῖς κοιναῖς ἐννοίαις ὑποδεδεγμένοι, καὶ ἔπειτα ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς παρὰ φύσιν ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐκδεδωκότες, «παραβάται» τοῦ φυσικοῦ γεγόνασι νόμου. διὸ δὴ εὐλόγως παραστήσονται τῷ θείῳ δικαστηρίῳ κριθησόμενοι καὶ λόγον ὑφέξοντες τῆς ἑαυτῶν παραβάσεως. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀρὰ ἔδεται τὴν γῆν, ὅτι ἡμάρτοσαν οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτήν. ὥσπερ δὲ ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς κοσμοποιΐας μήπω ἁμαρτίας ὑποστάσης «εὐλόγησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον», οὕτως «ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος» ἀρά φησιν ἔδεται τὴν γῆν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· διὰ ταύτην τὴν ἀρὰν ἐπένθησεν ἡ γῆ· διὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀρὰν τὴν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπελθοῦσαν ὥσπερ μήτηρ αὐτῶν ποτε γενομένη ἡ γεννήσασα καὶ ἀναθρεψαμένη αὐτοὺς γῆ πένθος ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἀναλήψεται. καὶ πάλιν ἀντὶ τοῦ· διὰ τοῦτο πτωχοὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ, ὁ Σύμμαχος διὰ τοῦτο ἐκτρυχωθήσονται εἴρηκεν. πάντων δὲ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ταῦτα πεισομένων ὀλίγοι τινὲς καταλειφθήσονται οἱ «τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου» ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ψυχαῖς διασώσαντες. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· πενθήσει οἶνος, ὁ Ἀκύλας ἐπένθησεν ὀπωρισμὸς ἐξέδωκε σημαίνων διὰ τοῦ παραδείγματος τῆς ὀπώρας τὸ πρόσκαιρον τοῦ τῶν σωμάτων ὡραϊσμοῦ καὶ τὸ βραχὺ καὶ εὐδιάφορον τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τρυφῆς. τότε δὲ καὶ πάντας στενάξειν φησὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ «τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον» ὡδευκότας, «οἰνοφλυγίαις τε καὶ ἀσωτίαις» τὴν ἑαυτῶν κατατρίψαντας ζωήν· οἱ καὶ μηκέτ' ἔχοντες τὴν τῶν ἡδονῶν ἀπόλαυσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλεγχόμενοι ἐφ' αἷς ἔπραξαν αἰσχραῖς καὶ «ἀθεμίτοις» πράξεσιν αἰσχύνην καταχεοῦνται. διὸ λέλεκταί που· «πολλοὶ τῶν καθευδόντων ἐν γῆς χώματι ἀναστήσονται, οἱ μὲν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, οἱ δὲ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν καὶ εἰς αἰσχύνην αἰώνιον». ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ νῦν ἡδὺς οἶνος καὶ τὸ καλούμενον σίκερα, ὅπερ παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς μέθυσμα ὠνόμασται, κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ πικρὸν αὐτοῖς