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Therefore know the truth, O nations, and immediately you will be defeated with a defeat that is your salvation. Hear, to the end of the earth. Whom have you heard? Those who announce the Gospel to you; For (it says) their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. You who have been strong, be defeated; put away the strength of the body, take up the weakness of the flesh, so that the power of God may be made perfect in weakness. For if you are strong again, you will be defeated again. If ever the mind of the flesh rises up against you, strive to enslave it and wrestle it down and subject it to the spirit. And whatever counsel you shall devise, the Lord will scatter; and whatever word you shall speak, it shall not stand among you, for God is with us. Because He will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will set aside the understanding of the intelligent. Therefore, human counsel the Angel of great counsel abolishes, and human word God the Word sets aside. None of which (it says) shall stand among you; because God is with us. And it is useful in time of persecution to say boldly to the nations, For if you are strong again, you will be defeated again. For often having risen up against the Church of Christ, they often fell. For just as those who, by the addition of burning material, raise the flame to a greater height, so always those who have striven to tear down the Church, through persecutions, have advanced it to greater glory and power. 8.213 Thus says the Lord: They disobey the strong hand, the course of the way of this people, saying: Do not ever say harsh; for whatever this people says is harsh. But do not fear their fear, nor be troubled. Sanctify the Lord himself, and he shall be your fear; and if you trust in him, he will be a sanctuary for you; and you shall not meet him as a stumbling stone, nor as a rock of offense. After the word was proclaimed concerning the coming of Emmanuel and, as it were, upon the victory over the nations that voice was sent forth ("Know, O nations, and be defeated; God is with us"), the word adds this, condemning the nations, that They disobey the strong hand. And the strong hand is the creative power of existing things, from which all creation of things visible and beyond the visible was established. For there are two ways by which we can be led to the knowledge of God and care for ourselves: either from natural concepts, ascending through visible things to the creator, or from the teaching given to us through the law. But these appear to disobey both the strong hand, that is, not being led from created things to the understanding of the one who made them, and the course, that is, the way. And the way is either the Lord, who said: I am the way. And he himself is also the hand of God and the right hand. For Your right hand (it says), O Lord, has been glorified in strength; and I by my hand established the heaven. Therefore, those who do not believe in the Lord are accused. Or it now calls "course" the way of this life, which has been appointed for us according to the law. For that teaching is called a way is well-known from many places, as the Lord calls the teachers of the law blind guides. And In the way of your testimonies I have delighted. And In your way I shall live. And Blessed are the undefiled in the way. And in general, the Scripture is full, calling the progress through the law toward the perfection of the soul a kind of journey. And it added the cause of the disobedience; they do not accept (it says) the commandments of the way, which the word uses; but they disobey them, not bearing the harshness of the ordinances. 8.214 As also in the Gospel the Jews, not enduring the teachings of the Lord, said: This word is hard; who can listen to it? It is hard for the fornicator to be temperate, hard for the drunkard to be self-controlled; hard for the reviler to bless; and altogether, to every neck desiring to be free, the yoke of the law appears hard, for this reason many (are those being carried to destruction, because of the smooth and wide nature of the way) but few,

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οὖν γνῶτε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ εὐθὺς ἡττηθήσεσθε τὴν σωτήριον ὑμῖν ἧτταν. Ἐπακούσατε ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Τίνων ἐπακούσατε; Τῶν καταγγελλόντων ὑμῖν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· Εἰς πᾶσαν γὰρ (φησὶ) τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν. Ἰσχυκότες, ἡττᾶσθε, ἀπό θεσθε τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῦ σώματος, ἀναλάβετε τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς, ἵνα ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειωθῇ. Ἐὰν γὰρ πάλιν ἰσχύσητε, πάλιν ἡττηθήσεσθε. Ἐάν σοί ποτε ἐπαναστῇ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς, σπούδασον αὐτὸ δουλαγω γῆσαι καὶ καταπαλαῖσαι καὶ ὑποτάξαι τῷ πνεύματι. Καὶ ἣν ἂν βουλεύσησθε βουλὴν, διασκεδάσει Κύριος· καὶ λόγον, ὃν ἂν λαλήσητε, οὐ μὴ ἐμμείνῃ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὅτι μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός. ∆ιότι ἀπολεῖ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνε τῶν ἀθετήσει. Βουλὴν οὖν ἀνθρωπίνην καταργεῖ ὁ τῆς μεγάλης βουλῆς Ἄγγελος, καὶ λόγον ἀνθρώπινον ἀθετεῖ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος. Ὧν οὐδὲν ὑμῖν (φησὶν) οὐ μὴ ἐμμείνῃ· διότι μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός. Χρήσιμον δὲ ἐν καιρῷ διωγμοῦ θαῤῥοῦντας λέγειν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸ Ἐὰν γὰρ πάλιν ἰσχύσητε, πάλιν ἡττηθήσεσθε. Πολλάκις γὰρ ἐπαναστάντες τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, πολλάκις κατέπεσον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τῇ προσθήκῃ τῆς ὕλης τῆς καιομένης ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον αἴροντες τὴν φλόγα, οὕτως ἀεὶ οἱ καθελεῖν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν σπουδάσαντες, διὰ τῶν διωγμῶν αὐτὴν εἰς μείζονα δόξης προήγαγον καὶ δυνάμεως. 8.213 Οὕτω λέγει Κύριος· Τῇ ἰσχυρᾷ χειρὶ ἀπειθοῦσι, τῇ πορείᾳ τῆς ὁδοῦ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, λέγοντες· μήποτε εἴπητε σκληρόν· πᾶν γὰρ ὃ ἐὰν εἴπῃ ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, σκληρόν ἐστι. Τὸν δὲ φόβον αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ φοβηθῆτε, οὐδὲ μὴ ταραχθῆτε. Κύριον αὐτὸν ἁγιάσατε, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται σου φό βος· κἂν ἐπ' αὐτῷ πεποιθὼς ᾖς, ἔσται σοι εἰς ἁγίασμα· καὶ οὐχ ὡς λίθου προσκόμματι συναντήσεσθε, οὐδὲ ὡς πέτρας πτώματι. Μετὰ τὸ εὐαγγελισθῆναι τὸν λόγον περὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἐμ μανουὴλ παρουσίας καὶ οἱονεὶ ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ, τῇ κατὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκείνην τὴν φωνὴν ἀφεθῆναι (τὸ Γνῶτε, ἔθνη, καὶ ἡττᾶσθε· μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός) τοῦτο ἐπάγει ὁ λόγος, κατακρί νων τὰ ἔθνη, ὅτι Ἀπειθοῦσι τῇ ἰσχυρᾷ χειρί. Χεὶρ δὲ ἰσχυρὰ, ἡ δύναμις ἡ τῶν ὄντων δημιουργικὴ, ἀφ' ἧς συνέστη πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις τῶν ὁρωμένων καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ τὰ ὁρώμενα. ∆ύο γάρ εἰσι τρόποι, δι' ὧν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν Θεοῦ καὶ ἐπιμέ λειαν ἑαυτῶν ἐναχθῆναι δυνάμεθα· ἢ ἐκ τῶν φυσικῶν ἐννοιῶν, διὰ τῶν ὁρωμένων πρὸς τὸν ποιητὴν ἀναβαίνοντες, ἢ ἐκ τῆς διὰ τοῦ νόμου ἡμῖν δεδομένης διδασκαλίας. Οὗτοι δὲ φαίνον ται καὶ τῇ ἰσχυρᾷ χειρὶ ἀπειθοῦντες, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῶν κτι σμάτων μὴ ἐναγόμενοι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ποιήσαντος κατανόησιν, καὶ τῇ πορείᾳ, τουτέστι τῇ ὁδῷ. Ὁδὸς δὲ ἤτοι ὁ Κύριος, ὁ εἰπών· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός. Ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ χεὶρ Θεοῦ καὶ δεξιά. Ἡ δεξιὰ γὰρ σοῦ (φησὶ) Κύριε, δεδόξασται ἐν ἰσχύϊ· καὶ Ἐγὼ τῇ χειρί μου ἐστερέωσα τὸν οὐρανόν. Οὐκοῦν κα τηγοροῦνται οἱ μὴ πιστεύοντες εἰς τὸν Κύριον. Ἢ πορείαν λέγει νῦν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ βίου τούτου, τὴν κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἡμῖν διατεταγμένην. Ὅτι γὰρ ὁδὸς ἡ διδασκαλία λέγεται, πολ λαχόθεν ἐστὶ γνώριμον, τοῦ Κυρίου τυφλοὺς ὁδηγοὺς τοὺς διδασκάλους τοῦ νόμου προσαγορεύοντος. Καὶ Ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τῶν μαρτυριῶν σου ἐτέρφθην. Καὶ Ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ σου ζήσομαι. Καὶ Μακάριοι οἱ ἄμωμοι ἐν ὁδῷ. Καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς πλήρης ἐστὶν ἡ Γραφὴ, ὁδοιπορίαν τινὰ τὴν διὰ τοῦ νόμου προκοπὴν ἐπὶ τὴν τελείωσιν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀνομάζουσα. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπήγαγε τῆς ἀπειθείας· οὐ δέχονται (φησὶ) τὰ προστάγματα τῆς ὁδοῦ, οἷς κέχρηται ὁ λόγος· ἀλλ' ἀπει θοῦσιν αὐτοῖς, τὸ σκληρὸν τῶν διατεταγμένων μὴ φέροντες. 8.214 Ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, μὴ ἀνασχόμενοι τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου διδαγμάτων, ἔλεγον· Σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος· τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν; Σκληρὸν τῷ πόρνῳ τὸ σωφρονεῖν, σκληρὸν τῷ μεθύσῳ τὸ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι· σκληρὸν τῷ λοιδόρῳ τὸ εὐλογεῖν· καὶ ὅλως παντὶ τρα χήλῳ ἐλευθεριάζειν ἐπιθυμοῦντι σκληρὸς ὁ ζυγὸς τοῦ νόμου φαίνεται, διὰ τοῦτο πολλοὶ (οἱ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν φερόμενοι, διὰ τὸ λεῖον καὶ πλατὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ) ὀλίγοι δὲ,