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subjected to punishment, and likewise the moon will be put to shame, as having contributed nothing to the reformation of the impious on earth. Just as if certain stewards, assigned to oversee and manage a master's house, should see those under them for a long time being punished and subjected to various torments when the master arrives, in the same way the sun and moon, having served God's counsel for a long age, are said to be confounded and ashamed, according to the other interpreters, when those who acted impiously under their rays are at last brought to justice. For according to the Seventy, no mention is made in these things of the sun or the moon, but it is said very obscurely: and the brick shall melt, and the wall shall fall, the interpreters having likely concealed the saying because they were publishing the scripture to the Greeks and because of the unsightliness of the expression. To all these things is added: that the Lord will reign in Zion and in Jerusalem, and will be glorified before the elders; for it was necessary for us, in the discourse on the consummation, to learn also about the proclaimed heavenly kingdom of our Savior, which will be after the abolition of the principalities and powers. And we have often shown from apostolic testimony that Zion and Jerusalem are “heavenly”; where the kingdom of Christ will be established, when he will also be glorified before his elders. For those whom he honored in the present life with ecclesiastical dignities, appointing them as elders, these same he will deem worthy of his divinity; wherefore according to Symmachus it is said: and before his elders, glory. 1.85 The discourse, having completed the prophecy concerning the universal judgment of God, the end of which contained the kingdom of Christ and “the glory of his elders,” exclaims with admiration, saying: O Lord my God, I will glorify you, I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, an ancient, true counsel. And we shall understand how this counsel was ancient by attending to the voice of the Savior saying to those who will stand at his right hand: “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” And the Apostle, starting from this, wrote: “as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, having predestined us for adoption in him.” This counsel, therefore, was ancient, and these were truly the wonderful things, predestined “before the foundation of the world,” but to be fulfilled “at the end of the ages,” when “he puts all his enemies under his feet” and “when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” At that time, when all wickedness has been removed and “the last enemy, death, has been destroyed,” “God will be” “all in all.” And our Savior and Lord, reigning in the new age, “will be glorified before the elders,” when also “all his saints” “will reign in life,” “reigning together” with their Savior. This was the ancient counsel, and these are the wonderful things, at which the prophet, marveling, glorifies God. Then, praying for these things to come to pass, he adds: may it be, as if hastening and desiring the end of good things to arrive as quickly as possible. This counsel was ancient because of the foreknowledge and predestination of God, but true because of the outcome of the end. But for those who will be deemed worthy of blessedness he prayed, saying: may it be, but concerning those who have passed on in this mortal life he adds: that you have made cities into a heap, strong cities, for their foundations to fall; the city of the impious will not be built forever. And for these things, therefore, he says: I will glorify you, because you have removed the cities of the impious, having destroyed their godless polities and their impious buildings. And indeed

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τιμωρίᾳ ὑποβληθέντας, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἡ σελήνη ἐντραπήσεται, ὡς μηδὲν εἰς κατόρθωσιν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἠσεβηκότων συμβαλλομένη. ὡσεὶ καὶ οἰκονόμοι τινὲς ἐπιταχθέντες ἐφορᾶν καὶ διέπειν οἰκοδεσπότου οἶκον τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῶν μακρῷ χρόνῳ γενησομένους ἐπιστάντος τοῦ δεσπότου ἴδοιεν κολαζομένους καὶ διαφόροις τιμωρίαις ὑποβαλλομένους, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οἱ τῷ μακρῷ αἰῶνι τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ βουλῇ ἐξυπηρετησάμενοι ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη τῶν ὑπὸ τὰς αὐτῶν αὐγὰς ἠσεβηκότων ποτὲ ὑπεχόντων δίκας διατραπήσεσθαι καὶ αἰσχυνθήσεσθαι λέγονται κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς. κατὰ γὰρ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα οὐδεμία ἐν τούτοις μνήμη οὐχ ἡλίου οὐδὲ σελήνης γεγένηται, σφόδρα δὲ κεκαλυμμένως εἴρηται τό· καὶ τακήσεται ἡ πλίνθος καὶ πεσεῖται τὸ τεῖχος, ἀποκρυψάντων ὡς εἰκὸς τῶν ἑρμηνευσάντων τὸν λόγον διὰ τὸ Ἕλλησιν ἐκδιδόναι τὴν γραφὴν καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀπεμφαῖνον τῆς λέξεως. τούτοις ἅπασιν ἐπιφέρεται· ὅτι βασιλεύσει κύριος ἐν Σιὼν καὶ ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν πρεσβυτέρων δοξασθήσεται· ἔδει γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ περὶ συντελείας λόγῳ καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς κηρυττομένης τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπουρανίου βασιλείας μαθεῖν, ἥτις ἔσται μετὰ τὴν καθαίρεσιν τῶν ἀρχῶν καὶ τῶν ἐξουσιῶν. Σιὼν δὲ καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ πολλάκις εἶναι «ἐπουρανίους» ἀπὸ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς μαρτυρίας παρεστήσαμεν· ἔνθα ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ βασιλεία στήσεται, ὅτε καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν πρεσβυτέρων αὐτοῦ δοξασθήσεται· οὓς γὰρ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἐτίμησεν ἀξιώμασιν ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς πρεσβυτέρους ἀναδείξας, τούτους αὐτοὺς καταξιώσει τῆς αὐτοῦ θεότητος· διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· καὶ ἄντικρυς τῶν πρεσβυτέρων αὐτοῦ δόξα. 1.85 Πληρώσας ὁ λόγος τὴν περὶ τῆς καθολικῆς τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσεως προφητείαν, ἧς τὸ τέλος τὴν Χριστοῦ βασιλείαν καὶ «τὴν δόξαν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων αὐτοῦ» περιεῖχεν, ἀποθαυμαστικῶς ἀναφωνεῖ λέγων· Κύριε ὁ θεός μου, δοξάσω σε, ὑμνήσω τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι ἐποίησας θαυμαστὰ πράγματα, βουλὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀληθινήν. νοήσομεν δὲ ὅπως ἦν ἀρχαία ἡ βουλὴ αὕτη ἐπιστήσαντες τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος τῇ λεγούσῃ τοῖς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ στησομένοις αὐτοῦ· «δεῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου». καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος δὲ ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμώμενος ἔγραφε· «καθὼς ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ, προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν ἐν αὐτῷ». ἀρχαία τοίνυν ἦν αὕτη ἡ βουλή, καὶ ταῦτα τ' ἦν τὰ θαυμαστὰ ἀληθῶς πράγματα τὰ προωρισμένα μὲν «πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ» δὲ «τῶν αἰώνων» πληρωθησόμενα, ἐπειδὰν «θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ» καὶ «ὅταν καταργήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν». τὸ τηνικαῦτα πάσης κακίας ἐκποδὼν ἀρθείσης καὶ «τοῦ ἐσχάτου ἐχθροῦ τοῦ θανάτου καταργηθέντος», «ὁ μὲν θεὸς ἔσται» «πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν». ὁ δὲ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν τοῦ νέου αἰῶνος βασιλεύων «ἐνώπιον τῶν πρεσβυτέρων δοξασθήσεται», ὅτε καὶ «πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι αὐτοῦ» «ἐν ζωῇ βασιλεύσουσι» τῷ ἑαυτῶν σωτῆρι «συμβασιλεύοντες». αὕτη ἦν ἡ ἀρχαία βουλή, καὶ ταῦτα τὰ θαυμαστὰ πράγματα, ἐφ' οἷς ἀποθαυμάζων ὁ προφήτης δοξάζει τὸν θεόν. εἶτ' ἐπευχόμενος ταῦτα γενέσθαι ἐπιλέγει· γένοιτο, σπεύδων ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπιθυμῶν ᾗ τάχος ἐπιστῆναι τὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τέλος. ἀρχαία μὲν ἦν ἡ βουλὴ αὕτη διὰ τὴν πρόγνωσιν καὶ τὸν προορισμὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀληθινὴ δὲ διὰ τὴν τοῦ τέλους ἔκβασιν. ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν καταξιωθησομένων τῆς μακαριότητος ἐπηύξατο εἰπών· γένοιτο, περὶ δὲ τῶν παρεληλυθότων ἐν τῷ θνητῷ βίῳ ἐπιλέγει· ὅτι ἔθηκας πόλεις εἰς χῶμα, πόλεις ὀχυρὰς τοῦ πεσεῖν αὐτῶν τὰ θεμέλια· τῶν ἀσεβῶν πόλις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ μὴ οἰκοδομηθῇ. καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις οὖν φησι· δοξάσω σε, ὅτι τῶν ἀσεβῶν περιεῖλες τὰς πόλεις ἀφανίσας αὐτῶν τὰς ἀθέους πολιτείας καὶ τὰ ἀσεβῆ οἰκοδομήματα. οἵ γε μὴν