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making the hearer unsteady outside the faith according to the divine Scriptures, and puffing him up and leading him away from the foundation according to the faith. For Aram is interpreted as "lofty." Therefore, for those who are contemptuous toward the stable word, and do not accept what is steadfast and calm and fair, but interweave things from outside the faith with the misinterpretations from the Scriptures, for these the word threatens to bring on the great and strong water, the king of the Assyrians, that is, the ruler of this age. For that Scripture often takes the Assyrian to mean the adversary is shown in what follows by this same Prophet: For it shall be (he says) when the Lord has finished doing all things on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will bring punishment upon the great mind, the ruler of the Assyrians, and upon the height of the glory of his eyes. For he said: In strength I will act and in the wisdom of understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their strength and I will shake inhabited cities, and I will seize the whole world in my hand, as a nest, and as abandoned eggs I will take them up; and there is no one who will escape me or speak against me. 8.211 Therefore, he seems now also to speak of such a ruler of the Assyrians as being a great water, in the manner of a torrent, violently and impetuously sweeping away those who encounter it; of which those deemed worthy to pass through trials unharmed say: Our soul has passed through a torrent, the irresistible water. And the Gospel also, in the parable, makes mention of the same water, when it compares the one who heard the words and did not do them, to a man who built his house without a foundation; but when a flood came (it says) it did not withstand, but the house fell, and the fall of that house was great. And this great water will come up (it says) upon every ravine of yours. And ravines are hollows of the earth. How then is the water said not to go down, but to come up? Because all humiliation among men according to sin is higher than the fountainheads and the, as it were, principles of wickedness. However, when they are handed over to the opposing powers, they will walk upon every wall of the apostates, that is, upon all their strong doctrines and upon all that seem to be their securities. And on account of the apostasy from Siloam and the inclination toward the destructive kings, the word threatens that every man will be taken away from Judea, who is able to lift his head and who is able to accomplish something, that is, both the one who is lofty in contemplation according to the mind and the one who powerfully accomplishes what has been resolved upon according to practical virtue, but also to encamp over the breadth of the land of those who do not accept Siloam. For because they have given themselves over to the broad and wide way, they become worthy of being a camp of the opposing power, not being condemned by necessity, but having chosen for themselves the worse part. For inasmuch as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting. 8.212 God with us. Know, O nations, and be vanquished; listen, to the end of the earth. Therefore, "God with us" is referred to the Savior; for so was he who was born of the Virgin named in what follows, in the Hebrew dialect Emmanuel, which is interpreted, God with us. Know, O nations, and be vanquished. Out of great joy, it seems to me, the voice is raised of those who have recognized the presence of Christ, and have understood the power of the cross being terrible to the nations. For this reason, Know (it says), O nations, and be vanquished, so that, having been conquered with a good and beneficial defeat, you may be taken captive to the obedience of Christ and, through slavery to Christ, you may be set free from the law of sin. How then are the nations vanquished? If it recognizes God. For darkness is vanquished by the presence of light, and disease is conquered by the arrival of health. Only

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ἔξω τῆς κατὰ τὰς θείας Γραφὰς πίστεως μετεωρίζοντα τὸν ἀκροατὴν, καὶ φυσῶντα καὶ ἀπάγοντα τῆς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν θεμελιώσεως. Ἀρὰμ γὰρ ὁ μετέωρος ἑρμηνεύεται. Τοὺς οὖν καταφρονητικῶς μὲν ἔχον τας πρὸς τὸν εὐσταθῆ λόγον, καὶ μὴ καταδεχομένους τὸ σταθερὸν καὶ γαληνὸν καὶ εὔδιον, ἀλλὰ συμπλέκοντας τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξω τῆς πίστεως τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν παρακού σμασι, τούτοις ἀπειλεῖ ὁ λόγος ἐπάξειν τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ πολὺ καὶ ἰσχυρὸν, τὸν βασιλέα Ἀσσυρίων, τουτέστι τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Ὅτι γὰρ εἰς τὸν Ἀσσύριον λαμβάνει πολλάκις ἡ Γραφὴ τὸν ἀντικείμενον, δηλοῦται ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς τῷ αὐτῷ τούτῳ Προφήτῃ· Καὶ ἔσται γὰρ (φησὶν) ὅταν συντελέσῃ Κύριος πάντα ποιῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σιὼν καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐπάξει ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν τὸν μέγαν, τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος τῆς δόξης τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Εἶπε γάρ· Ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ ποιήσω καὶ ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τῆς συνέσεως ἀφελῶ ὅρια ἐθνῶν, καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν προνομεύσω καὶ σείσω πόλεις κατοικουμένας καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καταλήψομαι τῇ χειρὶ, ὡς νοσσιὰν καὶ ὡς καταλελειμμένα ὠὰ ἀρῶ· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς διαφεύξεταί με, ἢ ἀντείπῃ μοι. 8.211 Τοιοῦτον οὖν καὶ νῦν ἔοικε λέγειν τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ὕδωρ ὄντα πολὺ, χειμάῤῥου τρόπον, βιαίως καὶ ῥαγδαίως παρασύροντος τοὺς προστυγχάνοντας· οὗ οἱ κατα ξιωθέντες τοὺς πειρασμοὺς ἀβλαβῶς διαβῆναι λέγουσι· Χείμαῤῥον διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν, τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἀνυπόστατον. Καὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς παραβολῆς τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὕδατος μέμνηται, ἐν τῷ παραβαλεῖν τὸν ἀκούσαντα τοὺς λόγους καὶ μὴ ποιοῦντα, ἀνθρώπῳ ἄνευ θεμελίου οἰκοδομήσαντι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οἰκίαν· πλημμύρας δὲ γενομένης (φησὶν) οὐκ ἀντέ σχεν, ἀλλ' ἔπεσεν ἡ οἰκία, καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ πτῶμα τῆς οἰκίας ἐκείνης μέγα. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ πολὺ ἀναβήσεται (φησὶν) ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φάραγγα ὑμῶν. Αἱ δὲ φάραγγες κοιλότητές εἰσι τῆς γῆς. Πῶς οὖν οὐχὶ καταβαίνειν τὸ ὕδωρ, ἀλλὰ ἀναβαί νειν λέγεται; Ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ ἐν ἀνθρώποις κατὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταπείνωσις ὑψηλοτέρα ἐστὶ τῶν ἀρχιπηγῶν καὶ τῶν οἱονεὶ ἀρχῶν τῆς πονηρίας. Ἐπειδὰν μέντοι παραδοθῶσι ταῖς ἀν τικειμέναις δυνάμεσι, περιπατήσουσιν ἐπὶ πᾶν τεῖχος τῶν ἀποστατούντων, τουτέστιν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ὀχυρὰ δόγματα καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ δοκοῦντα ἀσφαλίσματα αὐτῶν εἶναι. ∆ιὰ δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ ἀποστασίαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ὀλεθρίους τῶν βασιλέων πρόσκλισιν, ἀπειλεῖ ὁ λόγος ἀφαι ρεθήσεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας πάντα ἄνθρωπον, δυνάμενον ἐπαίρειν τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸν δυνατὸν συντελέσασθαί τι, τουτέστι τόν τε ἐν τῇ κατὰ τὸν νοῦν θεωρίᾳ ὑψηλὸν καὶ τὸν κατὰ τὴν πρακτικὴν ἀρετὴν δυνατῶς ἐπιτελοῦντα τὰ δόξαντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταστρατοπεδεῦσαι τοῦ πλάτους τῆς χώρας τῶν μὴ καταδεχομένων τὸν Σιλωάμ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὸ ἐπιδεδωκέναι ἑαυτοὺς τῇ πλατείᾳ ὁδῷ καὶ εὐρυχώρῳ, ἄξιοι γίνονται τοῦ στρατόπεδον εἶναι τῆς ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως, οὐχὶ πρὸς ἀνάγκην καταδικαζόμενοι, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοῖς ἑλόμενοι τὴν με ρίδα τὴν χείρονα. Καθ' ὅσον γὰρ οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα. 8.212 Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός. Γνῶτε, ἔθνη, καὶ ἡττᾶσθε· ἐπακούσατε ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Ἀναφέρεται τοίνυν ἐπὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα τὸ Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός· οὕτω γὰρ ὠνομάζετο ἐν τοῖς κατόπιν ὁ ἐκ τῆς Παρθένου γεννώμενος, τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ Ἐμμανουὴλ, ὅ ἐστι μεθερμηνευόμενον Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός. Γνῶτε, ἔθνη, καὶ ἡττᾶσθε. Ἐκ περιχαρείας δοκεῖ μοι ἡ φωνὴ ἀναφέρεσθαι τῶν ἐπεγνωκότων μὲν τὴν Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν, κατανενοηκότων δὲ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ σταυροῦ φοβερὰν οὖσαν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Γνῶτε (φησὶν) ἔθνη, καὶ ἡττᾶσθε, ἵνα ἡττηθέντες τὴν καλὴν ἧτταν καὶ συμφέρουσαν ὑμῖν, αἰχμαλωτισθῆτε εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ, διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν δου λείας, ἐλεύθεροι γένησθε τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Πῶς οὖν ἡττᾶται τὰ ἔθνη; Ἐὰν ἐπιγνῷ τὸν Θεόν. Ἡττᾶται γὰρ σκότος τῇ τοῦ φωτὸς παρουσίᾳ, καὶ νικᾶται νόσος τῇ τῆς ὑγείας ἐπιδημίᾳ. Μόνον