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evil,” but when they, having been judged, fall away from all good hope and are handed over to the threatened punishments, then, having fallen away from God, they will no longer be able to rise again. But for the prophecy, having fulfilled the word concerning the inhabitants of the earth, next moves on to heaven and the heavenly things, saying: and on that day, I mean at the designated time of God's judgment, God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven, in which he alludes to the consummation of all things, in which “heaven and earth will pass away.” For then, according to the teaching of salvation, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. When also the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Alluding to all these things, the prophetic word teaches, saying: And it shall be in that day, God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven. Now Moses was accustomed to call the sun and the moon and the stars the host of heaven, as when he says: “Take heed lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and worship them.” Therefore the present prophecy, proceeding, shows what the host of heaven was, in which it says: and the brick will melt, and the wall will fall. In place of which Symmachus rendered it in this way: and the moon will be abashed and the sun will be ashamed, and Aquila: and the moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed, likewise also Theodotion: he says the moon will be abashed and the sun will be ashamed. You see that he brings his hand upon the host of heaven, bringing about the consummation of the visible things. But if it says: God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven, and then adds: and upon the kings of the earth; and he will gather them together into a prison and they will shut them in a fortress, it seems to me to signify “the rulers of this age” by the kings of the earth. Thus, at any rate, did Gabriel, who gave him oracles, declare to Daniel, saying: “and the prince of the kingdom of the Persians and the prince of the kingdom of the Greeks and the prince of the kingdom of the Medes came out to meet me.” The word, having here addressed such invisible rulers of the nations as kings, says they will be gathered by the hand of God and cast into a prison and shut up in a fortress. Therefore according to Symmachus it is said: against the kings who are on the earth; and they will be gathered with the gathering of a prisoner into a pit, and they will be shut up in a prison. For it was fitting that when the kingdom of Christ was about to prevail in the new age, “the principalities and the powers and the world rulers of this darkness and the spiritual forces of wickedness” should be cast down into the “pit” appropriate for them, which they “dug for themselves”; for every impious person “has dug a pit and hollowed it out, and will fall into the ditch which he has made.” But those who have been mentioned will also be shut up in some fitting prison for them, so that they may not be troublesome among those who are ruled by God, and they will be in this state for as long as the judge of all shall judge for them to be held in those same bonds. Therefore according to the Septuagint it is said: after many generations there will be a visitation of them, but according to Symmachus: and after many days they will be visited, but according to Aquila: and after a multitude of days they will be visited, but according to Theodotion: after many days they will be visited. But by whom is not said; for it is not added “by God,” as the word concerning this has been kept silent as ineffable. Then the sun itself will also be ashamed, seeing those formerly enlightened by it by the test of judgment and

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κακόν», ἐπειδὰν δὲ κριθέντες ἐκπέσωσι πάσης ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος καὶ ταῖς ἠπειλημέναις κολάσεσι παραδοθῶσι τὸ τηνικαῦτα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκπεσόντες οὐκέτ' ἀναστῆναι δυνήσονται. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ πληρώσασα ἡ προφητεία τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ τῶν οἰκητόρων τῆς γῆς ἑξῆς μεταβαίνει ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ οὐράνια λέγων· τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, λέγω δὲ κατὰ τὸν δηλούμενον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσεως καιρόν, ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν χεῖρα, ἐν οἷς τὴν συντέλειαν αἰνίττεται τοῦ παντός, ἐν ᾗ «ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται». τότε γὰρ διὰ τὴν σωτήριον διδασκαλίαν «ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φέγγος αὐτῆς, καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσοῦνται, καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται. ὅτε καὶ φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ κόψονται πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὄψονται τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς». ταῦτα δὴ πάντα αἰνιττόμενος ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος διδάσκει λέγων· καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν χεῖρα. κόσμον δὲ οὐρανοῦ εἴωθε Μωσῆς τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας ἀποκαλεῖν, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· «ἔπεχε μὴ ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας καὶ πάντα τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πλανηθεὶς προσκυνήσῃς αὐτοῖς». διὸ καὶ ἡ παροῦσα προφητεία προϊοῦσα, τίς ποτ' ἦν ὁ κόσμος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ παρίστησιν, ἐν οἷς φησι· καὶ τακήσεται ἡ πλίνθος, καὶ πεσεῖται τὸ τεῖχος. ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος τοῦτον ἐξέδωκε τὸν τρόπον· καὶ ἐντραπήσεται ἡ σελήνη καὶ αἰσχυνθήσεται ὁ ἥλιος, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· καὶ καταισχυνθήσεται ἡ σελήνη καὶ αἰσχυνθήσεται ὁ ἥλιος, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων· ἐντραπήσεταί φησιν ἡ σελήνη καὶ αἰσχυνθήσεται ὁ ἥλιος. ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐπάγει ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν συντέλειαν τῶν φαινομένων ποιούμενος. ἐὰν δὲ λέγῃ· ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς τὴν χεῖρα ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, εἶτα ἐπιφέρῃ· καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς· καὶ συνάξει εἰς συναγωγὴν αὐτῆς εἰς δεσμωτήριον καὶ ἀποκλείσουσιν εἰς ὀχύρωμα, δοκεῖ μοι «τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου» σημαίνειν διὰ τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ τῷ ∆ανιὴλ ὁ χρηματίζων αὐτῷ Γαβριὴλ ἐδήλου λέγων· «καὶ ἐξῆλθεν εἰς συνάντησίν μου ἄρχων βασιλείας Περσῶν καὶ ἄρχων βασιλείας Ἑλλήνων καὶ ἄρχων βασιλείας Μήδων». τοὺς τοιούτους ἀοράτους ἄρχοντας τῶν ἐθνῶν βασιλεῖς ἐνταῦθα προσειπὼν ὁ λόγος συναχθήσεσθαι αὐτούς φησιν ὑπὸ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐμβληθήσεσθαι εἰς δεσμωτήριον καὶ ἀποκλεισθήσεσθαι εἰς ὀχύρωμα. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· κατὰ τῶν βασιλέων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ ἀθροισθήσονται ἀθροισμὸν δεσμίου εἰς λάκκον καὶ συγκλεισθήσονται εἰς συγκλεισμόν. ἀκόλουθον γὰρ ἦν τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ μελλούσης τότε τοῦ νέου αἰῶνος ἐπικρατεῖν «τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας» εἰς τὸν προσήκοντα αὐτοῖς καταβληθῆναι «λάκκον», ὃν αὐτοὶ «ἑαυτοῖς ὤρυξαν»· «λάκκον» γὰρ πᾶς ἀσεβὴς «ὤρυξε καὶ ἀνέσκαψεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς βόθρον, ὃν εἰργάσατο». ἀλλὰ καὶ συγκλεισθήσονται οἱ δηλωθέντες ἐν τινὶ πρέποντι αὐτοῖς δεσμωτηρίῳ, ἵνα μὴ παρένοχλοι ἐν τοῖς ὑπὸ θεοῦ βασιλευομένοις, ἔσονταί τε ἐν τούτῳ εἰς ὅσον κρινεῖ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς αὐτόθι δεσμοῖς ἐνέχεσθαι ὁ τῶν ὅλων κριτής. διὸ κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα λέλεκται· διὰ πολλῶν γενεῶν ἐπισκοπὴ ἔσται αὐτῶν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ μετὰ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ἐπισκεφθήσονται, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· καὶ ἀπὸ πλήθους ἡμερῶν ἐπισκεφθήσονται, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· διὰ πολλῶν ἡμερῶν ἐπισκεφθήσονται. ὑπὸ τίνος δ' οὐκ εἴρηται· οὐ γὰρ πρόσκειται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς ἀπόρρητος δὲ ὁ περὶ τούτου σεσιώπηται λόγος. εἶτα καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ἥλιος αἰσχυνθήσεται ὁρῶν τοὺς πάλαι ὑπ' αὐτῷ φωτιζομένους ἐλέγχῳ τῆς κρίσεως καὶ