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those saved from among them will bless you, or according to the other interpreters: they will glorify you. And these are a people made poor for your sake in the former age, and cities of people who were wronged of old, whom the persecutors of godliness wronged. These will bless you in your church, having been tested in various ways of life, and they will bless you justly, because you became a helper to every humble city and a shelter to those who were disheartened through want. For when they were humble and in despair and in want of all luxury, living among the wicked, you were their helper and shelter, but also of those thirsting at that time, so as to say: "my soul has thirsted for you," and: "my soul has thirsted for God, the mighty, the living." You again were a spring refreshing them and giving them to drink by the influx of the Holy Spirit, and you strengthened them from their faint-heartedness, enduringly strengthening them with the power of your only-begotten Word. But lest the children of the Jews should suppose that these things are said about them, he necessarily adds, concerning the grace of Christ poured out on all the nations, saying: and the Lord of hosts will make for all the nations on this mountain. But what will he do? According to the other interpreters, a drink is mentioned next; but according to the Seventy: they will drink, he says, gladness, they will drink wine; Therefore, he prophesies in these words that the Lord will prepare a banquet not for Israel, nor for the people of the Jews, but for all the nations. Not in the hollows of the earth, nor in gorges, nor in plains, nor yet on many mountains, nor by chance on any one mountain, but on that one which he pointed to when he said: on this mountain. And what mountain was this, if not the one about which he said a little before: "for the Lord will reign on mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and will be glorified before his elders"; for on the mountain of his kingdom, on which he will also give his glory to his "elders," there, having prepared the banquet for the nations also, he will grant them the drink of immortality. Therefore it has been said: on this mountain they will drink gladness, they will drink wine, they will be anointed with myrrh. And the Apostle presents the mountain, saying: "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven." Therefore, having come here, not Israel, but those from all nations who are deemed worthy of the promises will drink gladness and will drink the wine from "the true vine," concerning which the Savior said: "I will not drink of it until I drink it new with you in the kingdom of heaven." And they will be anointed with myrrh, no longer receiving "the pledge of the Holy Spirit," but partaking of "the fullness of the Godhead" of the Son of God, and no longer "knowing in part and prophesying in part," but "becoming partakers of Christ" from that which is perfect, so that they themselves may be shown to be "good" and "sons of God and heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ." The evangelical word has handed down to us images and symbols of these things in the mysteries of the new covenant through the mystical anointing and the saving blood, so that, having been tested in these things, we may also partake of the better things. Hand over, he says, these very things that have been spoken to the nations; for Israel is not worthy of them. And just as one hands over a deposit in a mystery, so he speaks the mystical word concerning the things that were said: hand it over to all the nations; for this counsel is for all the nations. Wherefore the prophet rightly glorified, being astonished at the grace of God, in what he said: "for you have done wonderful things, an ancient, true counsel." Following these things, how the nations, which from of old were godless and without hope because they attended to idols and demons, will obtain these things, he clarifies, saying: death, having become strong, has swallowed up. But nevertheless the philanthropic Savior of all, having rescued the souls of men from death, and from polytheistic and demonic error

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διασωθέντες ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐκείνων εὐλογήσουσί σε, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· δοξάσουσί σε. εἰσὶ δ' οὗτοι λαὸς ὁ διὰ σὲ πτωχεύσας κατὰ τὸν πρότερον αἰῶνα καὶ πόλεις τῶν πάλαι ἀδικουμένων ἀνθρώπων, οὓς ἠδίκουν οἱ διῶκται τῆς θεοσεβείας. οὗτοι εὐλογήσουσί σε ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ σου ἐν διαφόροις πολιτεύμασιν ἐξετασθέντες καὶ δικαίως εὐλογήσουσιν, ἐπειδήπερ ἐγένου πάσῃ πόλει ταπεινῇ βοηθὸς καὶ τοῖς ἀθυμήσασι δι' ἔνδειαν σκέπη. καὶ ὅτε γὰρ ἦσαν ταπεινοὶ καὶ ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ καὶ ἐνδείᾳ πάσης τρυφῆς μεταξὺ τῶν φαύλων ἀναστρεφόμενοι, σὺ αὐτῶν ἦσθα βοηθὸς καὶ σκέπη, ἀλλὰ καὶ διψώντων κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ, ὡς λέγειν· «ἐδίψησέ σοι ἡ ψυχή μου», καί· «ἐδίψησεν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸν ἰσχυρὸν τὸν ζῶντα». σὺ πάλιν ἦσθα πηγὴ δροσίζων αὐτοὺς καὶ ποτίζων τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐπιρροῇ καὶ σὺ τῆς ὀλιγοψυχίας αὐτοὺς ἀνεκτῷ ἐνισχύων αὐτοὺς τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ μονογενοῦς σου λόγου. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ περὶ αὐτῶν ταῦτα λέγεσθαι ὑπολάβωσιν Ἰουδαίων παῖδες ἀναγκαίως τὴν εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη χυθεῖσαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριν, ἐπιφέρει λέγων· καὶ ποιήσει κύριος σαβαὼθ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο. τί δὲ ποιήσει, κατὰ μὲν τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς ποτὸν ἑξῆς εἴρηται, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα· πίονταί φησιν εὐφροσύνην, πίονται οἶνον· συμπόσιον τοίνυν οὐ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ οὐδὲ τῷ Ἰουδαίων λαῷ, πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς ἔθνεσι παρασκευάσειν τὸν κύριον ἐν τούτοις θεσπίζει. οὐκ ἐν κοιλώμασι γῆς οὐδ' ἐν φάραγξιν οὐδ' ἐν πεδιάσιν, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐν πολλοῖς ὄρεσιν οὐδ' ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐπί τινος ἑνὸς ὄρους, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐκείνῳ, ὅπερ δεικνὺς ἔλεγεν· ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο. ποῖον δὲ ἦν τοῦτο ἢ περὶ οὗ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἔλεγεν· «ὅτι βασιλεύσει κύριος ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σιὼν καὶ ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν πρεσβυτέρων αὐτοῦ δοξασθήσεται»· ἐν γὰρ τῷ ὄρει τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς αὐτοῦ «πρεσβυτέροις» παρέξει, ἐκεῖ τὸ συμπόσιον καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι παρασκευάσας τὸ τῆς ἀθανασίας αὐτοῖς ποτὸν δωρήσεται. διὸ λέλεκται· ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο πίονται εὐφροσύνην, πίονται οἶνον, χρίσονται μύρον. παρίστησι δὲ τὸ ὄρος ὁ Ἀπόστολος εἰπών· «προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων, πανηγύρει καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς». ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν γενόμενοι οὐχ ὁ Ἰσραήλ, ἀλλ' οἱ ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν καταξιούμενοι τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν πίονται εὐφροσύνην καὶ πίονται τὸν ἐκ «τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀμπέλου» οἶνον, περὶ οὗ ὁ σωτὴρ ἔλεγεν· «οὐ μὴ πίω αὐτὸ ἕως ἂν πίω αὐτὸ καινὸν μεθ' ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν». καὶ χρίσονται μύρον οὐκέτι «τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος» ληψόμενοι, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ «τοῦ πληρώματος τῆς θεότητος» τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ μεθέξοντες, καὶ οὐκέτι «ἐκ μέρους γινώσκοντες καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύοντες», ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ τελείου «μέτοχοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενησόμενοι», ὡς καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀποφανθῆναι «χρηστοὺς» καὶ «θεοῦ υἱοὺς καὶ κληρονόμους θεοῦ καὶ συγκληρονόμους Χριστοῦ». τούτων δ' εἰκόνας ἡμῖν καὶ σύμβολα ἐν τοῖς μυστηρίοις τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης διὰ τοῦ μυστικοῦ χρίσματος καὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου αἵματος ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς παρέδωκε λόγος, ἵν' ἐν τούτοις δοκιμασθέντες καὶ τῶν κρειττόνων μεταλάβοιμεν. ταῦτα αὐτὰ τὰ εἰρημένα παράδος φησὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ὁ γὰρ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἄξιος τούτων. ὥσπερ δέ τις παραθήκην ἐν μυστηρίῳ παραδίδωσιν, οὕτω φησὶ τὸν περὶ τῶν λεχθέντων μυστικὸν λόγον· παράδος πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ἡ γὰρ βουλὴ αὕτη ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. διόπερ εἰκότως ἐδόξαζεν ὁ προφήτης ἐκπληττόμενος τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ χάριν, ἐν οἷς ἔφασκεν· «ὅτι ἐποίησας θαυμαστὰ πράγματα, βουλὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀληθινήν». τούτοις ἑξῆς, ὅπως τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἄθεα καὶ ἀνέλπιστα διὰ τὸ εἰδώλοις καὶ δαίμοσι προσανέχειν τεύξεται τούτων, διασαφεῖ λέγων· κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας. ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ φιλάνθρωπος τῶν ὅλων σωτὴρ ῥυσάμενος τοῦ θανάτου τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχάς, τῆς τε πολυθέου καὶ δαιμονικῆς πλάνης