110

on a mountain," he says, "on the high mountain of Israel shall be their comeliness." And indeed he mentioned many mountains, and valleys, and particularly he mentions a certain high mountain, on which he foretells the coming comeliness of those being pastured. Of this mountain the blessed David also makes mention, saying: "The mountain of God is a fat mountain, a mountain 81.1157 curdled, a fat mountain." Then to the Israelite mountains envious of this mountain he says: "Why do you surmise curdled mountains? The mountain, which God was pleased to dwell in; for the Lord will tabernacle there forever." In vain, he says, you are jealous of this mountain, since God was pleased to tabernacle in it; for he will do this forever. The other interpreters taught us to understand it thus: Aquila said: Why do you contend, curdled mountains? And Theodotion: Why do you dispute about this mountain? And Isaiah cries out, and Micah likewise: "In the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of the Lord on the top of the mountains, and all the nations shall come to it," and what follows; and the Lord in the holy Gospels: "A city," he says, "set on a hill cannot be hid." Therefore, he here named the high and conspicuous mountain of the evangelical teaching, on which he promised the comeliness of the sheep would be. Then he adds: "And their folds shall be there." And this plainly fits us, but not the Jews; for they had one fold, the temple in Jerusalem; but we have churches more numerous than can be counted throughout the whole world. And they shall lie down, and they shall rest there, and in goodly delight and in rich pasture shall they be fed on the mountains of Israel. (15) And I will feed my sheep. - The divine oracles call it goodly and rich delight; for "delight yourself," it says, "in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart;" and the mountains of Israel are the prophetic books, upon which we again pasture, having through them some access to the greatest mountain; for through the prophetic decrees we are guided to the evangelical teaching, being testified to by them; and we have as shepherd the Master and Lord himself, crying out: "I am the good shepherd." Foretelling this here also, he said: "And I will feed my sheep. And I will give them rest, and they shall know that I am the Lord." For being shepherded by him, and resting as if on some green pasture of his teaching, we recognize his lordship. 16. Thus says the Lord Adonai: I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away; like Paul, and those like him; "And I will bind up that which was broken;" like the publican, and the harlot, and the thief, and those like them; "And I will strengthen that which was sick;" like Peter after his denial; "And I will keep that which is fat and strong;" like the holy apostles, and those who chose a life like theirs; "And I will feed 81.1160 them with judgment;" supplying good things, and disciplining when necessary. Having thus concluded both the argument against the evil shepherds and the prophecy of the care that will come from him, he transfers the discourse to the sheep, teaching that the absurdity of the shepherds does not provide an excuse for the sheep; for the sheep are rational, and have discernment, and are able to flee evil and to choose good. Wherefore he says: 17. And you my flock, thus says the Lord Adonai. Behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. For just as, he says, I judge shepherds and sheep, so also will I be a judge of the sheep, and I will punish the unjust. 18, 19. And is it not enough for you that you have eaten up the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture, and having drunk the clear water, you must foul the residue with your feet? And my sheep did eat that which had been trodden down by your feet, and they drank the water that had been fouled by your feet? The argument is directed towards the wealthy who have misused their wealth for profligacy, and not only reaped their needs from it,

110

ὄρει, φησὶ, τῷ ὑψηλῷ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἔσται εὐπρέπεια αὐτῶν." Καὶ μὴν ἐμνημόνευσεν ὀρέων πολλῶν, καὶ φαράγγων, καὶ διαφερόντως ὄρους τινὸς ὑψηλοῦ μνημονεύει, ἐν ᾧ προλέγει τῶν βοσκομένων τὴν ἐσομένην εὐπρέπειαν. Τούτου τοῦ ὄρους καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ μέμνη ται, λέγων· "Ὄρος τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄρος πῖον, ὄρος 81.1157 τετυρωμένον, ὄρος πῖον." Εἶτα τοῖς Ἰσραηλιτικοῖς ὄρεσι τούτῳ τῷ ὄρει διαφθονουμένοις φησίν· "Ἱνατί ὑπολαμβάνετε ὄρη τετυρωμένα; Τὸ ὄρος, ὃ εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς κατοικεῖν ἐν αὐτῷ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος κατασκηνώσει εἰς τέλος." Μάτην, φησὶ, ζηλοτυπεῖτε τοῦτο τὸ ὄρος, ἐπειδὴ ἐν αὐτῷ κατα σκηνοῦν ὁ Θεὸς εὐδόκησεν· εἰς τέλος γὰρ τοῦτο ποιήσει. Οὕτω δὲ νοεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξαν οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταί· ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας εἰρηκώς· Ἱνατί ἐρίζετε ὄρη τετυρωμένα; ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων· Ἱνατί δικάζεσθε περὶ τούτου τοῦ ὄρους; καὶ Ἡσαΐας βοᾷ, καὶ Μιχαίας ὡσαύτως· "Ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ ὁ οἶκος Κυ ρίου ἐπ' ἄκρων τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ ἥξουσιν ἐπ' αὐτὸν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· "Οὐ δύναται, φησὶ, πόλις κρυβῆναι ἐπάνω ὄρους κειμένη." Τὸ ὑψηλὸν τοίνυν καὶ περιφανὲς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας ὄρος κἀνταῦθα ὠνόμασεν, ἐν ᾧ γενήσεσθαι τὴν τῶν προ βάτων εὐπρέπειαν ἐπηγγείλατο. Εἶτα ἐπάγει· "Καὶ ἔσονται αἱ μάνδραι αὐτῶν ἐκεῖ." Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀντικρὺς ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ Ἰουδαίοις ἁρμόττει· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ μίαν ἔσχον μάνδραν, τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ναόν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀριθμῶν κρείττους κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκκλησίας. Καὶ κοιμηθήσονται, καὶ ἀναπαύσονται ἐκεῖ καὶ ἐν τρυφῇ ἀγαθῇ καὶ ἐν νομῇ πίονι βοσκη θήσονται ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων Ἰσραήλ. (ιεʹ.) Καὶ ἐγὼ ποιμανῶ τὰ πρόβατά μου. -Τρυφὴν ἀγαθὴν καὶ πίονα τὰ θεῖα λόγια προσαγορεύει· "Κατα τρύφησον γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ δῴη σοι τὰ αἰτήματα τῆς καρδίας σου· ὄρη δὲ Ἰσραὴλ τὰς προφητικὰς βίβλους, ἐφ' ὧν πάλιν νεμόμεθα, ἐπί βασίν τινα δι' ἐκείνων εἰς τὸ μέγιστον ἔχοντες ὄρος· διὰ γὰρ τῶν προφητικῶν θεσπισμάτων ἐπὶ τὴν εὐαγ γελικὴν ποδηγούμεθα διδασκαλίαν ὑπ' ἐκείνων μαρ τυρουμένην· ἔχομεν δὲ ποιμένα αὐτὸν τὸν ∆εσπότην καὶ Κύριον βοῶντα· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός." Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα προαγορεύων ἔφη· "Καὶ ἐγὼ ποιμανῶ τὰ πρόβατά μου. Καὶ ἐγὼ ἀναπαύσω αὐτὰ, καὶ γνώσονται, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος." Ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ποιμαινόμενοι, καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας οἷον ἐπί τινος χλόης διαναπαυόμενοι, ἐπιγιγνώσκο μεν αὐτοῦ τὴν δεσποτείαν. ιʹ. Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῖ Κύριος· Τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἐκζητήσω, καὶ τὸ πλανώμενον ἐπιστρέψω· ὡς Παῦλον, καὶ τοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνον· "Καὶ τὸ συντε τριμμένον καταδήσω·" ὡς τὸν τελώνην, καὶ τὴν πόρνην, καὶ τὸν λῃστὴν, καὶ τοὺς κατ' ἐκείνους· "Καὶ τὸ ἠσθενηκὸς ἐνισχύσω·" ὡς τὸν Πέτρον ἀρνησάμενον· "Καὶ τὸ πῖον καὶ ἰσχυρὸν φυλά ξω·" ὡς τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους, καὶ τοὺς τὸν ὅμοιον ἐκείνοις ἑλομένους βίον· "Καὶ ποιμανῶ 81.1160 αὐτὰ μετὰ κρίσεως·" χορηγῶν τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ παιδεύων ἡνίκα δεῖ. Οὕτως συμπεράνας τόν τε κατὰ τῶν κακῶν ποιμένων λόγον, καὶ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ γενησομένης ἐπιμελείας τὴν πρόῤῥησιν, ἐπὶ τὰ πρό βατα μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον, διδάσκων, ὡς ἡ τῶν ποι μένων ἀτοπία τοῖς προβάτοις ἀπολογίαν οὐ δίδωσι· λογικὰ γὰρ τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ διάκρισιν ἔχοντα, καὶ τά τε κακὰ φυγεῖν, καὶ προελέσθαι τὰ ἀγαθὰ δυνά μενα. ∆ιό φησι· ιζʹ. Καὶ ὑμεῖς πρόβατά μου, τάδε λέγει Ἀδω ναῒ Κύριος. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κρινῶ ἀναμέσον προβά του καὶ προβάτου, κριῶν καὶ τράγων. Ὥσ περ γὰρ, φησὶ, ποιμέσι καὶ προβάτοις δικάζω, οὕτω καὶ τῶν προβάτων ἔσομαι κριτὴς, καὶ τοὺς ἀδικοῦν τας κολάσω. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. Καὶ οὐχ ἱκανὸν ὑμῖν, ὅτι τὴν καλὴν νο μὴν ἐνέμεσθε, καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα τῆς νομῆς ὑμῶν κατεπατεῖτε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν, καὶ τὸ καθεστη κὸς ὕδωρ ἐπίνετε, καὶ τὸ κατάλοιπον ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν ἐταράσσετε; Καὶ τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ τὰ καταπατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐνέ μοντο, καὶ τὸ τεταραγμένον ὕδωρ ὑπὸ τῶν πο δῶν ὑμῶν ἔπινον; Πρὸς τοὺς εὐπόρους ὁ λόγος εἰς ἀσωτίαν κατακεχρημένους τῷ πλούτῳ, καὶ μὴ μόνον τὴν χρείαν ἐξ αὐτοῦ καρπουμένους,